HISTORY

Once described as the "Wild West" Pontypridd has had a turbulent past. A small, dirty, market town, run down after years of under funding and mismanagement by the local and regional councils, situated 12 miles north of Cardiff along the A470, "Ponty" is the gateway to the famous South Wales valleys and has a rich cultural and historic past: The Welsh National Anthem, Tom Jones, the Lost Prophets, the Old Bridge, Brown Lennox, Sir Geraint Evans, Neil Jenkins, William Price and Stuart Burrows all hail from Ponty or close by.

 

Ponty's past
The name may come from a contraction of Pont-y-ty-pridd, bridge of the earthen house in Welsh, or the Welsh for "bridge of earth", since in earlier centuries, people took advantage of the shallowness of the River Taff here to cross it. Pontypridd marks the confluence of the rivers Taff and Rhondda and at the junction of the Cardiff to Rhondda and Merthyr railway lines and thus has a fascinating historical and cultural background. The development of Treforest and Pontypridd as commercial centres began with the opening in 1795 of the 25 mile long Glamorganshire canal, between Cardiff docks and Merthyr. At the same time, William Crawshay opened a new forge and nail works and coal was discovered by Dr. Richard Griffiths in Gyfeillion in 1790. Another new industry which thrived with the excellent transport now available was the original Newbridge Chain Cable and Anchor Works founded in 1818 - now Brown Lenox. Later, collieries were opened in the areas of Graig, Hopkinstown, Trehafod and Cilfynydd.
 

Treforest, with Francis Crawshay's tin works and Roland Fothergill's railworks became important. Francis Crawshay lived in Forest House now part of the site of the new University of Glamorgan and Roland Fothergill in Hensol Castle. Rhydyfelin and Upper Boat both grew because of the connection with the canal. Evan James and his son James James lived in Ty'r Factory, next to their cloth factory - and they composed the words and music of the Welsh National Anthem 'Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau'. A commemorative plaque marks the site of the factory and statues, representing Poetry and Music designed by the architect Sir Goscombe John were unveiled in 1930 in Ynysangharad Park.

 

Mill Street derived its name from various mills in the vicinity, such as the Rhondda Flour Mill. An important landmark in Mill Street is the stone railway viaduct, the work of Isambard Kingdom Brunel for the Taff Vale Railway. Nearby St. Catherine's Church with its fine spire was built in 1868, the Town Hall and Market Buildings in 1885, the Public Library and the Town Hall Theatre in 1890, and in 1905 the Municipal Building with its fine Council Chamber. In the middle of town is a charming Victorian Fountain erected in 1895 for Sir Alfred Thomas MP, who later became Lord Pontypridd.  

 

Many of the old buildings in Pontypridd are decorated with fine stonework and constructed mainly from locally quarried stone. One quarry - the Graig Yr Hesg Quarry - is still producing the distinctive blue pennant stone, which, with its granite-like hardness, will ensure that many of our best buildings will survive for many years to come.

"Ponty" as it's known to the locals, is famous for its old bridge, which was, when built, the longest single spanning bridge in the world. The bridge, built in 1750 by William Edwards (a self taught mason) was so long (45m / 140 feet span) that it took three attempts to get it right. The first, a wooden bridge was washed away by floods, the second, of stone, collapsed during construction because of its weight. The third design was also stone, but much lighter because it had 6 large holes in it... 3 on each side, of diameter 9, 6 and 3 feet. Edwards was paid 50 pounds to maintain it for seven years. In 1857, a three-arch bridge was built alongside to make it easier for traffic to cross the river (the old bridge was a bit too steep).

 

A market has stood on the site of the present Market since 1805. The present Market was built in the late 1870's following the incorporation of the Pontypridd Markets Company. In spite of the savage economic decline experienced by Pontypridd and the Valleys in the 1920's and 1930's, the Market has survived in very much its original format. The Market Company is proud to have resisted the temptation for wholesale development, opting instead for gradual refurbishment of the original buildings, thereby retaining both Indoor and Outdoor Markets in their traditional style. Since 1985, the Market has undergone considerable change. The Lesser Town Hall (now known as the Clothes Market) was refurbished and opened as a Market Hall in 1988, and the Outdoor Market was extended in 1988 onto a site adjoining Church Street and St. Catherine's Street.

One of the town's treasures lies to the east side of the River Taff - Ynysangharad Park. It was opened in 1923 as a War Memorial for the town, and purchased by public subscription. It is an area of extensive and beautiful parkland with avenues of mature trees and colourful flower gardens as well as many amenities, although Pontypridd still doesn’t have an indoor swimming pool, much to the locals anger. There are other attractions though: miniature golf, tennis courts, a children's play area, bowling greens, a band stand and an open air paddling pool. Local bands play on a Sunday at the bandstand.

 

Pontypridd Common from which there are fine views over the town is a natural open space on which can be seen many glacial boulders remaining from the Ice Age. One boulder, known as the Rocking Stone, is the central point for the Druid's Circle of smaller stones which was constructed in the 19th. Century by Dr. William Price (the famous pioneer of cremation) and other like minded men who performed druidic rites there. Above the Common, towards Glyntaff, are the white washed Round Houses erected by Dr. Price who, with his colourful dress, long hair and cap of a whole fox's skin, was one of the great characters of Pontypridd (indeed his ghost still walks around the Common to this day!) He is best remembered for cremating the body of his 5 month old son in 1884. He was brought to trial at the Glamorgan Assizes, and the case established the legality of cremation.
 

Situated centrally near the Old Bridge, the Pontypridd Museum offers the visitor a comprehensive glimpse into the historical and cultural past of the area. The Museum is housed in the former Tabernacl Chapel built in 1861 and magnificently refurbished in 1910. Since ceasing as a place of worship in 1983 and being taken over by the Town Council, the building has been restored. The ceiling, pulpit and organ are wonderful examples of the best chapel interiors. The Museum is open Mondays to Saturdays 10am - 5pm and further information is available from the Curator, Pontypridd Museum, 133 Berw Road, Pontypridd. Tel. Pontypridd (44) (0)1443 402077.

 

Within 3-4 miles of the town there used to be half a dozen or so coal mines, all of which have since closed. Coal used to pass through Ponty en-route to Cardiff; initially by road, then by canal, then by rail. Sadly, you're more likely to see coal being transported up the valleys instead of down. The Glamorganshire canal has long since vanished, with only a few lock gates visible along a section of the Taff Trail.

 

Pontypridd has produced many fine singers, although none are really from the town - Tom Jones is from Treforest, Sir Geraint Evans and Stuart Burrows are both from Cilfynydd. Pontypridd RFC have always been one of Wales' top teams. Of special interest to rugby fans, Ponty is home to the internationally known Grogg Shop, owned by John Hughes. The man who has made a fortune out of selling lumps of clay!

Below are links to some old cine film of Pontypridd:

 

Old Film 1

 

Old Film 2

 

Old Film 3

 

Ponty Today

What is Ponty like today and what are we going to leave for our children? It's the Year 2008 and things are certainly very different to Victorian Pontypridd. The traffic situation in Pontypridd is diabolical. Millions of pounds of tax-payers money have been wasted on a new road system that has only made matters worse! A slip road to Glyntaf, Treforest, Rhydyfelin and Hawthorn has been closed but no-one knows why? They've just spent loads of money on a new road system at Glyntaf which is dangerous to cars and cyclists due to the narrowing of the road and lanes going the wrong way! Madness on a bigger scale is seen at the new roundabout on the A470 which has been built at the southern end of town which provides no access to the Merthyr or Cynon Valleys. Numerous sets of traffic lights all over town have made traffic jams longer, especially at rush hour. Taff Street has some kind of limited pedestrianisation, although this doesn't seem to apply to taxis, delivery lorries and buses (all of whom can run you over and kill you). The new development at St. Catherine's corner is ugly and higher than originally thought, will cause more traffic chaos (another excuse for traffic lights I guess) and Gelliwastad Road now has the Mill Street car park exit (30yds of road made two-way now) leading onto it which can only add to the traffic problems.

There's more...
 

We pray to the Flying Spaghetti Monster that it doesn't happen but if a car park ever does get built in the Park then this will result in more "pollution-absorbing" trees being chopped down, more land taken by the council from the people (it is the people that own the Park remember) and given to a private developer. More cars will be encouraged into town which will obviously increase traffic congestion and pollution even more! Pontypridd is already a very unhealthy place to live but this car park will only increase air pollution and our children's health will suffer.

There are many positive things happening in and around Ponty but unfortunately the lack of basic amenities, like a swimming pool and sports centre does take the edge off them. For example, the Taff Trail runs through Ponty but there are no proper, safe cycle lanes and no secure lock up for bikes!
 

A new crossing has been put on one side of the A470 slip road (heading south) but nothing has been done on the other side of the roundabout (heading north) where it's only a matter of time before someone is killed. Maybe that is what the council/government is waiting for?
 

Ponty's train station was once able to claim to have the longest station platform in the world. Now, unfortunately the only award it would win is the dirtiest platform in the world. I speak from experience having stood on various Indian and African train platforms. Ponty is dirtier. Toilets are never open and there are never enough trains on Saturday international days, although this can be blamed on Arriva trains of course rather than the local council. Violent crime is also on the increase on train stations although we do see the odd security person sometimes.
 

Situated at the confluence of the rivers Taff and Rhondda, Pontypridd is the business and administrative centre of the Taff Ely Borough, and thus has become the largest town with a population of 33,500, however neglect first from Labour run Taff Ely and RCT, then Plaid Cymru run RCT and now further neglect from Labour run RCT have resulted in Pontypridd becoming run-down and backward. An obvious move might be to re-locate the council offices to Pontypridd thus kick-starting the local economy and making RCT realise we exist. Pontypridd should be South Wales's fourth city but 20 years of Tory government, mismanagement by local councils (Labour and Plaid Cymru) coupled with lack of investment, greed by property owners and no vision whatsoever has all led to its downfall.

 

Pontypridd has a dreadful shopping centre - the precinct. Equally cursed is the unfinished and now neglected "Taff Walk" which should be such a pleasant area but now only attracts cider drinking schoolchildren, drug addicts and graffiti artists. The CCTV camera that was there has also vanished, but no-one knows why it hasn't been replaced or repaired. Police are rarely seen in the Park or town (probably because they're under-staffed or busy filling in pointless paperwork) and crime seems to be on the increase especially on weekends as a result of under-age (and within-age) binge drinking.
 

The beautiful River Taff which flows through the town has recovered from over a century of coal mine pollution and quite large fish (trout and salmon) are now caught in the Taff. Sightings of otters are also on the increase although we suspect that these will have been mink. Having said this pollution from household rubbish and plastic carrier bags are still a problem. Along the riverbank is one of the success stories of modern Pontypridd and that is the Taff Trail. From Brecon to Cardiff an excellent cycle route offers an escape from the pollution and social deprivation that is so common in many South Wales' valley towns. The trail has just recently been altered to run through the Park which is good move and there is also a new section from Cilfynydd to Abercycnon. More money is also being spent on further cycle routes which is excellent, although a few decades too late.

Along with the ludicrous car park is a proposed "Angharad Walk" development scheme which is doomed to failure as the people of Pontypridd have said they don't want it! As a result the same chaos that the new road system has caused will no doubt be added to. It is quite clear if you talk to anyone in Pontypridd that development is needed but not the one proposed!  It is easy to criticise but we have offered solutions to the town's problems. In fact, we have continually campaigned for over ten years, but nothing much has changed. RCT even removed the link to our website from their site, thus decreasing hits to their own site (silly boys).

However the honest and decent people of the town and the Pontypridd Observer do appreciate the website and the hard work we all put in. Pontypridd does have other positives such as the stunning location we find ourselves in and of course the river and Park. The secret to future success must be to incorporate these plus's into any development undertaken and time will tell whether money grabbing developers or the wishes of the people will win through. After all, we have to live here after they have made their profit and are long gone.
 

What the future holds for our children is unclear. Most will probably leave the town to find a better life elsewhere and leave the inertia that governs us behind. There's a famous saying though which is particularly erudite:

 

"You get what you settle for" Over to you - the people - to try and change things then...

 

Celebrate Ponty 2006!

The year 2006 brought us two very special dates. The 150 year celebration of the writing of the Welsh National Anthem and the 250 year celebration of the Old Bridge. To mark these historic events we at Pontypridd Town website were ready, willing and able to keep you informed of all the hundreds of special events promised by RCT to mark the occasion, but there wasn't much happening so we couldn't :( Ah well maybe 2056 will be better?!

 

The Welsh National Anthem

Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau
Mae hen wlad fy nhadau yn annwyl i mi,
Gwlad beirdd a chantorion, enwogion o fri;
Ei gwrol ryfelwyr, gwladgarwyr tra mad,
Tros ryddid collasant eu gwaed.

Gwlad, gwlad, pleidiol wyf i'm gwlad.
Tra môr yn fur i'r bur hoff bau,
O bydded i'r hen iaith barhau.

Hen Gymru fynyddig, paradwys y bardd,
Pob dyffryn, pob clogwyn i'm golwg sydd hardd;
Trwy deimlad gwladgarol, mor swynol yw si
Ei nentydd, afonydd, i mi.

Os treisiodd y gelyn fy ngwlad tan ei droed,
Mae hen iaith y Cymry mor fyw ag erioed.
Ni luddiwyd yr awen gan erchyll law brad,
Na thelyn berseiniol fy ngwlad.

Land Of My Fathers*

The old land of my fathers is dear to me,
Land of poets and singers, famous men of renown;
Her brave warriors, very splendid patriots,
For freedom shed their blood.

Nation, Nation, I am partial to my Nation.
While the sea is a wall to the pure, most loved region,
O may the old language endure.

Old mountainous Wales, paradise of the bard,
Every valley, every cliff, to me is beautiful.
Through patriotic feeling, so charming is the murmur
Of her brooks, rivers, to me.

If the enemy oppresses my land under his foot,
The old language of the Welsh is as alive as ever.
The muse is not hindered by the hideous hand of treason,
Nor is the melodious harp of my country.

Phonetic Version

My hen w(oo)lad vern-had-eye un an-oil ee me
Gw(oo)lad by-earth a-kan-torion en wog-ee-on o vree
Eye goor-ol ruv-el-weer
G w(oo)lad gar-weer tra mahd
Tros ruthhed gollass-ant eye gw(oo)-eyed.

Gw(oo)lad! Gw(oo)lad
Ply-dee-ol oiv-eem Gw(oo)lad.
Tra more un veer
Ear beer hof bye,
O buth-ed ear hen-ee-eyeth bar-

*literal translation

Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau, usually translated as The Land of My Fathers, but literally old country of my fathers, is by tradition the national anthem of Wales. The words were written by Evan James and the tune composed by his son, James James, both residents of Pontypridd, Glamorgan, in January 1856. The earliest written copy survives and is part of the collections of the National Library of Wales. The song, or Glan Rhondda (The banks of Rhondda river) as it was known when first composed, was performed for the first time in the Capel Tabor chapel, Maesteg, on 1st March 1856, by a singer called Elizabeth John from Pontypridd, and it soon became popular in the locality.

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The popularity of the song increased after the Llangollen Eisteddfod of 1858. Thomas Llewelyn of Aberdare won a competition for an unpublished collection of Welsh airs with a collection that included Glan Rhondda. The adjudicator of the competition, Owain Alaw (John Owen, 1821-1883) asked for permission to include Glan Rhondda in his publication, Gems of Welsh melody (1860-64). This volume gave Glan Rhondda its more famous title, Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau, and was sold in large quantities and ensured the popularity of the national anthem across the whole of Wales.

At the Bangor Eisteddfod of 1874 Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau gained further popularity when it was sung by Robert Rees (Eos Morlais), one of the leading Welsh soloists of his day. It was increasingly sung at patriotic gatherings and gradually it developed into a national anthem.
 

Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau was also one of the first Welsh songs recorded when Madge Breese sang it on 11 March 1899, for the Gramophone Company. This was the first recording in the Welsh language.
 

Though it has no official or legal status, Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau is recognised and used as an anthem at both national and local events in Wales. Usually this will be the only anthem sung, such as at national sporting events, and it will be sung only in Welsh using the first stanza and refrain.

The existence of a separate national anthem for Wales has not always been apparent to those from outside the Principality. In 1993 the newly-appointed Secretary of State for Wales John Redwood was embarrassingly videotaped trying to guess the words during a communal singing of the national anthem, clearly unaware of them; the pictures were frequently cited as evidence of his unsuitability for the post.

A commemorative plaque and statue representing poetry and music designed by the architect Sir Goscombe John was unveiled in 1930 in Ynysangharad Park.

Versions of Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau are used as anthems in both Cornwall, as Bro Goth Agan Tasow, and Brittany, as Bro Goz ma Zadoù. There also seems to be a version sang in India. The Khasi people in North East India have adopted our anthem as their own - Ri Khasi is sung to the same tune, this goes back to the 1800's when Welsh medical missionaries went to the area.

The Old Bridge

Pontypridd is famous for its old bridge, which was, when built, the longest single spanning bridge in Europe. The bridge was built by William Edwards (1719-1789). He was a Welsh Methodist minister who also practised as an architect and bridge engineer. Ponty's Old Bridge was his most famous creation, built between 1746 and 1754 it was so long (45m / 140 feet span) that it took three/four attempts to get it right. The first, a wooden bridge was washed away by floods, the second and third, of stone, collapsed during construction because of their weight. The final design, in 1756 was also stone, but much lighter because it had 6 large holes in it... 3 on each side, of diameter 9, 6 and 3 feet. Edwards was paid 50 pounds to maintain it for seven years. He also built bridges in Aberafan, Betws, Pontardawe and Usk. In 1857, a three-arch bridge was built alongside to make it easier for traffic to cross the river (the old bridge was a bit too steep).

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A recent TV programme - "Land of my Father" introduced by Trevor Fishlock and starring Ponty's very own Brian Davies (Pontypridd Museum) gave further insight into Ponty's wonderful history and in particular the Old Bridge. The whole three part series should be available to see at Pontypridd Museum.

 

To view Ponty in the present day in all its glory just click on the YouTube link below:

 

YouTube Ponty - click here.
 

 

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