Ynysybwl
Encyclopedia
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
in Cwm Clydach in Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
. It is situated in the county borough
County borough
County borough is a term introduced in 1889 in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland , to refer to a borough or a city independent of county council control. They were abolished by the Local Government Act 1972 in England and Wales, but continue in use for lieutenancy and shrievalty in...
of Rhondda Cynon Taf, roughly 20 miles (32.2 km) north-north-east of Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
, 4 miles (6.4 km) north of Pontypridd
Pontypridd
Pontypridd is both a community and a principal town of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales and is situated 12 miles/19 km north of the Welsh capital city of Cardiff...
and 10 miles (16.1 km) south of Merthyr Tydfil
Merthyr Tydfil
Merthyr Tydfil is a town in Wales, with a population of about 30,000. Although once the largest town in Wales, it is now ranked as the 15th largest urban area in Wales. It also gives its name to a county borough, which has a population of around 55,000. It is located in the historic county of...
, and forms part of the community
Community (Wales)
A community is a division of land in Wales that forms the lowest-tier of local government in Wales. Welsh communities are analogous to civil parishes in England....
of Ynysybwl and Coed-y-cwm.
Cwm Clydach is flanked by the Rhondda and Cynon Valley
Cynon Valley
The Cynon Valley , is a famous former coal mining valley within the South Wales Valleys of Wales. The Cynon Valley lies between the other mining Valley of Rhondda and the iron industrial Valley of the Merthyr Valley. Its main towns are Aberdare located North of the Valley and Mountain Ash located...
s. The market town
Market town
Market town or market right is a legal term, originating in the medieval period, for a European settlement that has the right to host markets, distinguishing it from a village and city...
of Pontypridd
Pontypridd
Pontypridd is both a community and a principal town of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales and is situated 12 miles/19 km north of the Welsh capital city of Cardiff...
lies to the south at the meeting point of the three valleys and to the north lies the expansive Llanwynno
Llanwynno
Llanwynno is a hamlet high up in the mountains between the historic mining valleys of the Rhondda and Cynon Valleys in Rhondda Cynon Taf deep in the heart of the South Wales Valleys ....
forestry. Before the local-governement reforms of 1996 Ynysybwl was in the Cynon Valley
Cynon Valley
The Cynon Valley , is a famous former coal mining valley within the South Wales Valleys of Wales. The Cynon Valley lies between the other mining Valley of Rhondda and the iron industrial Valley of the Merthyr Valley. Its main towns are Aberdare located North of the Valley and Mountain Ash located...
district of Morgannwg Ganol
Mid Glamorgan
Mid Glamorgan is a preserved county of Wales. From 1974 until 1996, it was also an administrative county, with a county council.Mid Glamorgan was formed in 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972...
, and the area is historically a part of Glamorgan
Glamorgan
Glamorgan or Glamorganshire is one of the thirteen historic counties and a former administrative county of Wales. It was originally an early medieval kingdom of varying boundaries known as Glywysing until taken over by the Normans as a lordship. Glamorgan is latterly represented by the three...
(Morgannwg).
Name
The name of the village (Ynys-y-bŵl in its Welsh-language spelling) is a compound of the words ynys, meaning "water-meadow", and bŵl, a loan-word from English meaning "bowl": a reference to the shape of the valley at this point. Locally, the village is often referred to as just "Bwl" or "The Bwl".History
Ynysybwl is located in the centre of the Llanwynno Parish, at the point where the stream known as Y Ffrwd flows into the Nant Clydach. Simply a collection of small local farms and meadowMeadow
A meadow is a field vegetated primarily by grass and other non-woody plants . The term is from Old English mædwe. In agriculture a meadow is grassland which is not grazed by domestic livestock but rather allowed to grow unchecked in order to make hay...
s in a quiet and completely rural
Rural
Rural areas or the country or countryside are areas that are not urbanized, though when large areas are described, country towns and smaller cities will be included. They have a low population density, and typically much of the land is devoted to agriculture...
valley
Valley
In geology, a valley or dale is a depression with predominant extent in one direction. A very deep river valley may be called a canyon or gorge.The terms U-shaped and V-shaped are descriptive terms of geography to characterize the form of valleys...
, according to the 1841 census around 200 people inhabited the village and surrounding farms.
The rich seams of coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
in the Mynachdy level that lie beneath the surface had thus far only been tapped to the amount required to supply these local farms. David Davies
David Davies (industrialist)
David Davies was a Welsh industrialist and Liberal politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1874 and 1886. Davies was often known as David Davies Llandinam , in order to differentiate him from others of the same name.Davies was the son of David Davies and his wife Elizabeth...
began test bores in the early 1880s at Graigddu (English - Black Rock), which proved positive, and the resultant sinking of Lady Windsor Colliery
Lady Windsor Colliery
Lady Windsor Colliery was a coal mine located in the village of Ynysybwl in South Wales. Opened in 1884, it closed in 1988, 104 years later.-Development:...
by the Ocean Coal Company on 16 June 1884 gave birth to new coal town.
Lady Windsor Colliery
Lady Windsor CollieryLady Windsor Colliery
Lady Windsor Colliery was a coal mine located in the village of Ynysybwl in South Wales. Opened in 1884, it closed in 1988, 104 years later.-Development:...
opened in 1886, with 300 new miners houses built in typical terraced fashion by the mining company in order to house its workers and their families, built on the opposing (Western) side of the valley.
During its peak period the colliery employed around 1500 people directly although most of the 6000-7000 village community relied upon the pit in one way or another. The pit thrived throughout the first half of the 20th century, becoming one of a number of very successful operations in South Wales at that time.
However as time went on, coal mining fell out of favour with many people, including politicians, and the Lady Windsor colliery did not escape the troubles that plagued the industry during the miners strikes of the early 1980s. The pit was finally closed in 1988 leaving a much damaged community.
Present day
| Ynysybwl Census | |
|---|---|
| Population Population A population is all the organisms that both belong to the same group or species and live in the same geographical area. The area that is used to define a sexual population is such that inter-breeding is possible between any pair within the area and more probable than cross-breeding with individuals... : - Total (April 29, 2001) - 0-17 - 18-60 - 61+ |
4787 25.8% 40.6% 33.6% |
| Welsh language Welsh language Welsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of the Celtic languages spoken natively in Wales, by some along the Welsh border in England, and in Y Wladfa... : - Any skills |
23.4% |
Despite this the village has survived, people finding work in the newly developing industries in nearby Pontypridd
Pontypridd
Pontypridd is both a community and a principal town of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales and is situated 12 miles/19 km north of the Welsh capital city of Cardiff...
, Treforest, Aberdare
Aberdare
Aberdare is an industrial town in Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Dare and Cynon. The population at the census was 31,705...
, Caerphilly
Caerphilly
Caerphilly is a town in the county borough of Caerphilly, south Wales, located at the southern end of the Rhymney Valley, with a population of approximately 31,000. It is a commuter town of Cardiff and Newport, which are located some 7.5 miles and 12 miles away, respectively...
, Merthyr Tydfil
Merthyr Tydfil
Merthyr Tydfil is a town in Wales, with a population of about 30,000. Although once the largest town in Wales, it is now ranked as the 15th largest urban area in Wales. It also gives its name to a county borough, which has a population of around 55,000. It is located in the historic county of...
and Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
.
This, coupled with the replacement of the pit as the village focus by local churches, Nonconformist chapel
Chapel
A chapel is a building used by Christians as a place of fellowship and worship. It may be part of a larger structure or complex, such as a church, college, hospital, palace, prison or funeral home, located on board a military or commercial ship, or it may be an entirely free-standing building,...
s, clubs and associations, has led to a renewed interest in regeneration of the village. This has reached a peak so far in the formation of the Ynysybwl Regeneration Partnership, an umbrella group formed to help achieve funding and organisation for activities within the village.
Today, Ynysybwl is the base for a large number of clubs and associations for such a small village, boasting karate
Karate
is a martial art developed in the Ryukyu Islands in what is now Okinawa, Japan. It was developed from indigenous fighting methods called and Chinese kenpō. Karate is a striking art using punching, kicking, knee and elbow strikes, and open-handed techniques such as knife-hands. Grappling, locks,...
, rugby
Rugby football
Rugby football is a style of football named after Rugby School in the United Kingdom. It is seen most prominently in two current sports, rugby league and rugby union.-History:...
, football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
, netball
Netball
Netball is a ball sport played between two teams of seven players. Its development, derived from early versions of basketball, began in England in the 1890s. By 1960 international playing rules had been standardised for the game, and the International Federation of Netball and Women's Basketball ...
, bowls
Bowls
Bowls is a sport in which the objective is to roll slightly asymmetric balls so that they stop close to a smaller "jack" or "kitty". It is played on a pitch which may be flat or convex or uneven...
, cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
, a pony
Pony
A pony is a small horse . Depending on context, a pony may be a horse that is under an approximate or exact height at the withers, or a small horse with a specific conformation and temperament. There are many different breeds...
club, male voice choir
Choir
A choir, chorale or chorus is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform.A body of singers who perform together as a group is called a choir or chorus...
, a brass band
Brass band
A brass band is a musical ensemble generally consisting entirely of brass instruments, most often with a percussion section. Ensembles that include brass and woodwind instruments can in certain traditions also be termed brass bands , but are usually more correctly termed military bands, concert...
(Lady Windsor Colliery Band) and sections of the Brownies
Brownies (Girl Guides)
A Brownie is a member of a section of some Guiding organisations for girls from their seventh birthday to their tenth birthday. Exact age limits are slightly different in each organisation.-History:...
and Air Training Corps
Air Training Corps
The Air Training Corps , commonly known as the Air Cadets, is a cadet organisation based in the United Kingdom. It is a voluntary youth group which is part of the Air Cadet Organisation and the Royal Air Force . It is supported by the Ministry of Defence, with a regular RAF Officer, currently Air...
.
The nearby Llanwynno forestry also boasts the successful Cwm Clydach Outdoor Activity Group, an outdoor pursuits centre run by people from the village, and a newly developing cycle path that will form part of the local Taff Trail
Taff Trail
The Taff Trail is a popular walking and cycle path that runs for between Cardiff Bay and Brecon in Wales. It is named so because it follows the course of the River Taff...
.
Places and Events
As with many Industrial RevolutionIndustrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution was a period from the 18th to the 19th century where major changes in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, transportation, and technology had a profound effect on the social, economic and cultural conditions of the times...
-born villages, Ynysybwl is a community based around a number of key places.
Not least amongst them are the local Trerobart and Glanffrwd schools that cater for over 450 pupils. The Recreation Ground is the home to many of the village's sporting clubs, hosting rugby, football, cricket and bowls as well as incorporating a large playing area. And of course there are the local drinking establishments, The Roberttown, Constitutional Club and the Old Ynys-y-Bwl Inn.
The largest regular event to take place around Ynysybwl is the regular passage of the Network Q Rally of Great Britain through the Llanwynno forestry.
A further traditional event is the running of the Nos Galan Races, in tribute to the legend of Guto Nyth Brân
Guto Nyth Brân
Griffith Morgan , who was known better by his Welsh name, Guto Nyth Brân was an athlete. Many of Guto's running feats have since become merged with legend, and were disseminated by poets and authors such as I.D...
.
Transport
The Taff Vale RailwayTaff Vale Railway
The Taff Vale Railway is a railway in Glamorgan, South Wales, and is one of the oldest in Wales. It operated as an independent company from 1836 until 1922, when it became a constituent company of the Great Western Railway...
financed and operated the Ynysybwl railway, a branch line from Coedpenmaen
Coedpenmaen
Coedpenmaen is a subdistrict of the Pontypridd town district and ward of Trallwng , Rhondda Cynon Taf, South Wales. It also comprises Pontypridd Common or as it is sometimes referred to 'Coedpenmaaen Common'. The boundaries between the residential areas of Coedpenmaen and Trallwn themselves are...
on its Llancaiach Branch
Llancaiach Branch
The Llancaiach Branch was a railway branch line in South Wales. Financed and operated by the Taff Vale Railway, on amalgamation became part of the Great Western Railway in 1923...
, which itself joined to the mainline to Cardiff at Stormstown Junction just south of Abercynon
Abercynon
Abercynon is a small village in the Cynon Valley in Mid Glamorgan, Wales. The unitary authority is now known as Rhondda Cynon Taff. It is composed of the village of Abercynon itself,Carnetown,Glancynon,Park View and Pontcynon. However, in recent years the sign to show motorists they are entering...
. Opening a year after that of the Lady Windsor Colliery, the last passenger train from Ynysybwl Halt to Pontypridd was in 1953.
Notable people
- See also :Category:People from Ynysybwl
- Alun "Barrie" Davies - rugby, Welsh team coach
- Garin JenkinsGarin JenkinsGarin Jenkins is a former Wales international rugby union player. He is the most capped Welsh hooker having attained 58 caps. Jenkins played in the Rugby Union World Cup three times : 1991, 1995 and 1999 and at the time played for Swansea RFC, a club he captained.Jenkins currently works as a...
- Wales' most-capped hooker - Staff JonesStaff JonesStephen Thomas "Staff" Jones, is a former Wales rugby union international. A prop forward, he briefly played for Pontypridd RFC before making hundreds of appearances for Pontypool RFC in the 1980s, often in partnership with Steve Jones....
- rugby, capped for Wales in 1983 and toured with the British LionsBritish and Irish LionsThe British and Irish Lions is a rugby union team made up of players from England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales...
to New ZealandNew ZealandNew Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
in 1985 - Dale McIntoshDale McIntoshDale "Chief" McIntosh is a rugby union player. Born Dale Lynsey Manawa McIntosh on 23 November 1969 in the King Country, New Zealand, he has become a cult hero in his adopted country of Wales...
- rugby, Pontypridd RFCPontypridd RFCPontypridd Rugby Football Club, known as Ponty, are a rugby union team from Pontypridd, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales, currently playing in the British and Irish Cup, Principality Premiership, and are the current SWALEC Cup champions....
captain - Clive Pritchard - rugby, Welsh team manager 1999
- Leighton ReesLeighton ReesLeighton Thomas Rees was the first ever World Professional Darts Champion.-Early life:Rees was born in the village of Ynysybwl, where he was to spend most of his life...
- darts player, first ever World Champion in 1978 - Tommy ScourfieldTommy ScourfieldThomas 'Tommy' Scourfield was a Welsh dual code rugby international full back who played club rugby for Ynysybwl and Torquay as an amateur rugby union player and played professional rugby league with Huddersfield...
- Rugby unionRugby unionRugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
, capped for Wales in 1930
External links
- Ynysybwl Male Voice Choir
- Ynysybwl Rugby Club
- Ynysybwl.com
- www.geograph.co.uk : photos of Ynysybwl and surrounding area
51.640°N 3.360°W