Ystrad Rhondda
Encyclopedia
Ystrad is a community and village
in the Rhondda
Fawr valley, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales
. As a community and ward Ystrad contains the neighbouring district of Gelli
. Ystrad is a former coal mining village which was once housed the most profitable collieries belonging to the Cory brothers.
Ystrad is long and narrow, linear, in character - a main road where most amenities can be found, and a series of smaller residential streets lined with the terraces associated with the area. The majority of housing stock is the classic South Wales valleys
terrace with infills of new build.
The Rhondda Fawr River
runs through the village, separating it from Gelli on the southern bank.
Like most former coal mining
communities in the South Wales Coalfield
, Ystrad is remarkably self-contained. There is a very strong community in Ystrad Rhondda - a common feature of these mining towns. The Ystrad Rhondda railway station
is on the Rhondda Line
.
, a Welsh Rugby Union
affiliated team who play in the upper Welsh leagues.
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 the Rhondda
Rhondda
Rhondda , or the Rhondda Valley , is a former coal mining valley in Wales, formerly a local government district, consisting of 16 communities built around the River Rhondda. The valley is made up of two valleys, the larger Rhondda Fawr valley and the smaller Rhondda Fach valley...
Fawr valley, Rhondda Cynon Taf, 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...
. As a community and ward Ystrad contains the neighbouring district of Gelli
Gelli, Rhondda
Gelli is a village in the Rhondda Fawr valley, in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taff, Wales, situated on the southern bank of the Rhondda Fawr River...
. Ystrad is a former coal mining village which was once housed the most profitable collieries belonging to the Cory brothers.
Ystrad is long and narrow, linear, in character - a main road where most amenities can be found, and a series of smaller residential streets lined with the terraces associated with the area. The majority of housing stock is the classic South Wales valleys
South Wales Valleys
The South Wales Valleys are a number of industrialised valleys in South Wales, stretching from eastern Carmarthenshire in the west to western Monmouthshire in the east and from the Heads of the Valleys in the north to the lower-lying, pastoral country of the Vale of Glamorgan and the coastal plain...
terrace with infills of new build.
The Rhondda Fawr River
River Rhondda
The River Rhondda is a river in the Rhondda Valley, South Wales which has two major tributaries; the Rhondda Fawr and the Rhondda Fach .- Description :...
runs through the village, separating it from Gelli on the southern bank.
Like most former coal mining
Coal mining
The goal of coal mining is to obtain coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content, and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from iron ore and for cement production. In the United States,...
communities in the South Wales Coalfield
South Wales Coalfield
The South Wales Coalfield is a large region of south Wales that is rich with coal deposits, especially the South Wales Valleys.-The coalfield area:...
, Ystrad is remarkably self-contained. There is a very strong community in Ystrad Rhondda - a common feature of these mining towns. The Ystrad Rhondda railway station
Ystrad Rhondda railway station
Ystrad Rhondda railway station is a railway station serving Ystrad in Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. It is located on the Rhondda Line.There is a dedicated rail linc bus that links with the train...
is on the Rhondda Line
Rhondda Line
The Rhondda Line is a commuter railway line in South Wales from Cardiff to Treherbert. The line follows the Merthyr Line as far as Pontypridd, where it then diverges to continue along the Rhondda Valley.The places served by the line are listed below:...
.
Sport and leisure
Ystrad is home to rugby union team Ystrad Rhondda RFCYstrad Rhondda RFC
Ystrad Rhondda Rugby Football Club is a Welsh rugby union team based in Ystrad in the Rhondda Valley. Ystrad Rhondda RFC play home games in royal and blue hooped shirts with black shorts and black socks...
, a Welsh Rugby Union
Welsh Rugby Union
The Welsh Rugby Union is the governing body of rugby union in Wales, recognised by the International Rugby Board.The union's patron is Queen Elizabeth II, and her grandson Prince William of Wales became the Vice Royal Patron of the Welsh Rugby Union as of February 2007.-History:The roots of the...
affiliated team who play in the upper Welsh leagues.
Residents of note
- Jill EvansJillian EvansJillian Evans is Plaid Cymru Member of the European Parliament for Wales and First Vice President of The Greens–European Free Alliance group - the fourth largest in the European Parliament...
, Plaid CymruPlaid Cymru' is a political party in Wales. It advocates the establishment of an independent Welsh state within the European Union. was formed in 1925 and won its first seat in 1966...
MEPMember of the European ParliamentA Member of the European Parliament is a person who has been elected to the European Parliament. The name of MEPs differ in different languages, with terms such as europarliamentarian or eurodeputy being common in Romance language-speaking areas.When the European Parliament was first established,... - Ben Bowen ThomasBen Bowen ThomasSir Ben Bowen Thomas was a Welsh civil servant and university President. He served as Permanent Secretary to the Welsh Department of the Ministry of Education from 1945 to 1963, and was President of the University of Wales, Aberystwyth from 1964 to 1975...
, civil servant and educationalist - Mel HopkinsMel HopkinsMel Hopkins was a Wales international football player. He played at left back.-Club career:The son of a miner, he was signed by Tottenham Hotspur at the age of 15, when spotted playing for his local boy's club. He was taken on as an apprentice after just one trial...
, Wales international football player - Rex WillisRex WillisRex Willis was a Welsh international rugby union scrum-half who played club rugby for Cardiff and invitational rugby for the Barbarians...
, Wales rugby union captain and British Lion - Ernest ZoboleErnest ZoboleErnest Zobole was a Welsh painter and art teacher. Zobole's paintings, originally oil on canvas, later switching to oil on board, reflected the industrial setting of the Rhondda Valleys...
, artist