Rhydyfelin

Rhydyfelin (Welsh pronunciation: [r̥ədəˈvɛlɪn], Mill Ford) is a large village and part of the community of Pontypridd, a town which is located around 2 miles to its north west, within the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf. It is sited along the eastern banks of the River Taff within close proximity to the A470, and historically was sited within the parish of Eglwysilan.

Rhydyfelin owed its growth from a rural hamlet to a thriving village in the C19th, due to its geographic location along the Glamorganshire Canal which was used to convey iron from Merthyr Tydfil to the city of Cardiff, and linking to this Dr. Richard Griffiths' famous canal and tramway which was used to convey coal from the Rhondda Valleys. Also of note was the nearby Iron and Tinworks at Trefforest. Other minor works included an ironworks on the site of the Tramsheds Buildings, University of Glamorgan.

Rhydyfelin is neighboured by the villages of Hawthorn, Trefforest and Glyntaff. From an electroal perspective the village is split into two, with the lower largely historic part of the village falling within the ward of 'Hawthorn' along with the settlement of Upper Boat which comprises some of the nearby Trefforest Estate, while the largely modern housing estates of upper Rhydyfelin falls within the ward of 'Rhydyfelen Central and Ilan'. Rhydyfelin is also known as Rhydfelen, which means Yellow ford in the Welsh language.

Population

The population of Rhydyfelin and Hawthorn wards were 4,672 and 3,652 respectively (8,324 collectively) according to the 2001 Census (with the 2009 electorate being 3,084 and 2,781, respectively), compared with the total 33,000 residents for Pontypridd as a whole.

Notable residents

It is also home to Welsh band Lostprophets which was formed in 1997 by three pupils of the Hawthorn Comprehensive School Ian Watkins (vocalist) and Mike Lewis , (Bassist)lee gaze(lead guitar) Mr Wales 2011 body builder Nathan Rose also actor and comedian brett james who can be found entertaining people in the local pubs and clubs

Places of interest

The village is just one of the many 'stops' on the 55 mile Taff trail which stretches from Brecon all the way to Cardiff Bay. The Taff Trail brings in many visitors (locally and from afar) and offers a route which is full of fantastic views and nature tails.^{[citation needed]}

Education

Rhydyfelin boasts many educational institutes including Wales' second Welsh language comprehensive school was opened in the village of Rhydyfelin in 1962; it was called Ysgol Gyfun Rhydfelen (note the slight spelling difference). This school moved to a new location in Church Village in 2006. In recent years the addition of a local college and the University of Glamorgan in the neighbouring village of Treforest has introduced new residents to the area as well as put Rhydyfelin on the map.

External links

• www.geograph.co.uk : photos of Rhydyfelin and surrounding area
• [webapps.rhondda-cynontaff.gov.uk/rhydyfelin]
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