Aberdare
Encyclopedia
Aberdare is an industrial town
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
in 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...
, situated at the confluence
Confluence
Confluence, in geography, describes the meeting of two or more bodies of water.Confluence may also refer to:* Confluence , a property of term rewriting systems...
of the Rivers Dare (Dâr) and Cynon
River Cynon
The River Cynon is a river in South Wales and is one of the larger tributaries of the River Taff.It arises within Cwm Cadlan in the Brecon Beacons National Park as the Nant Cadlan and is supplemented by a number of small streams arising from springs in the Carboniferous Limestone and Twrch...
. The population at the (2001) census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
was 31,705. It is 4 miles (6.4 km) south west 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 24 miles (38.6 km) north west 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...
.
History
From being, at the beginning of the 19th century, a mere villageVillage
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 an agricultural district, the place grew rapidly in population owing to the abundance of its 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...
and iron ore, and the population of the whole parish
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
(which was only 1,486 in 1801) increased tenfold during the first half of the 19th century. It has since declined, owing to the loss of most of the heavy industry.
Ironworks
Ironworks
An ironworks or iron works is a building or site where iron is smelted and where heavy iron and/or steel products are made. The term is both singular and plural, i.e...
were established at Llwydcoed
Llwydcoed
Llwydcoed is a village in the Northern end of the Cynon Valley near the town Aberdare, in Rhondda Cynon Taf, south Wales.-History:Initial development of the village was based around the Tregibbon area, where in 1801 workers' housing was built by Thomas ap Shencin ap Gibbon of Fforchaman Farm....
and Abernant in 1799 and 1800 respectively, followed by others at Gadlys and Aberaman
Aberaman
Aberaman is a village near Aberdare in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, south Wales.-Schools:*Blaengwawr Comprehensive School *Blaengwawr Primary *Oaklands Primary -Sport:...
in 1827 and 1847. These have not been worked since about 1875. After this, the iron industry was represented only by a small tinplate works, but by this stage the economy of the town was dominated by the 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,...
industry. There were also several brickworks and breweries. During the latter half of the 19th century, considerable public improvements were made to the town, which became, despite its neighbouring collieries, a pleasant place to live. Its institutions included a post-graduate theological college (opened in connection with the Church of England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
in 1892, until 1907, when it was removed to Llandaff
Llandaff
Llandaff is a district in the north of Cardiff, capital of Wales, having been incorporated into the city in 1922. It is the seat of the Church in Wales Bishop of Llandaff, whose diocese covers the most populous area of South Wales. Much of the district is covered by parkland known as Llandaff...
).
Aberdare, with the ecclesiastical parishes of St Fagan's (Trecynon) and Aberaman carved out of the ancient parish, had twelve Anglican churches, one Roman Catholic
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
church (built in 1866 in Monk Street near the site of a cell attached to Penrhys Abbey) and at one time had over fifty 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. The services in the majority of the chapels were in the 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...
. The urban district includes what were once the separate villages of Aberaman
Aberaman
Aberaman is a village near Aberdare in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, south Wales.-Schools:*Blaengwawr Comprehensive School *Blaengwawr Primary *Oaklands Primary -Sport:...
, Abernant, Cwmaman, Cwmbach
Cwmbach
Cwmbach is a village and community near Aberdare, in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales, United Kingdom. Cwmbach has a population of 4,283. Cwmbach means 'Little Valley' in Welsh...
, Cwmdare
Cwmdare
Cwmdare is a village near Aberdare, in Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. The village's history is intertwined with coal-mining, and since the decline of the industry in the 1980s, it has become primarily a commuter base for the larger surrounding towns of Aberdare and Merthyr Tydfil and Pontypridd, as...
, Llwydcoed
Llwydcoed
Llwydcoed is a village in the Northern end of the Cynon Valley near the town Aberdare, in Rhondda Cynon Taf, south Wales.-History:Initial development of the village was based around the Tregibbon area, where in 1801 workers' housing was built by Thomas ap Shencin ap Gibbon of Fforchaman Farm....
, Penywaun
Penywaun
Penywaun is a village in the Cynon Valley situated between Aberdare and Hirwaun, in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales.-Background:The population of Penywaun is approximately 3,300....
and Trecynon
Trecynon
Trecynon is a village near Aberdare situated in the Cynon Valley, in Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales.-Background and History:Trecynon is home to Hen Dy Cwrdd Chapel the oldest Nonconformist chapel in the Cynon Valley. Hen Dy Cwrdd Chapel was founded in 1751 and rebuilt in 1862...
. There are several cairn
Cairn
Cairn is a term used mainly in the English-speaking world for a man-made pile of stones. It comes from the or . Cairns are found all over the world in uplands, on moorland, on mountaintops, near waterways and on sea cliffs, and also in barren desert and tundra areas...
s and the remains of a circular British
Brython
The Britons were the Celtic people culturally dominating Great Britain from the Iron Age through the Early Middle Ages. They spoke the Insular Celtic language known as British or Brythonic...
encampment on the mountain between Aberdare and Merthyr. Hirwaun
Hirwaun
Hirwaun is the name of a village at the northwest end of the Cynon Valley in the County Borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, South Wales. The village of Hirwaun is from the town of Aberdare, and comes under Aberdare for postal reasons...
moor, 4 miles to the north west of Aberdare, was according to tradition the scene of a battle at which Rhys ap Tewdwr
Rhys ap Tewdwr
Rhys ap Tewdwr was a Prince of Deheubarth in south-west Wales and member of the Dinefwr dynasty, a branch descended from Rhodri the Great...
, prince of Dyfed
Dyfed
Dyfed is a preserved county of Wales. It was created on 1 April 1974 under the terms of the Local Government Act 1972, and covered approximately the same geographic extent as the ancient Principality of Deheubarth, although excluding the Gower Peninsula and the area west of the River Tawe...
, was defeated by the allied forces of the Norman
Normans
The Normans were the people who gave their name to Normandy, a region in northern France. They were descended from Norse Viking conquerors of the territory and the native population of Frankish and Gallo-Roman stock...
Robert Fitzhamon
Robert Fitzhamon
Robert Fitzhamon , or Robert FitzHamon, Sieur de Creully in the Calvados region and Torigny in the Manche region of Normandy, was Lord of Gloucester and the Norman conqueror of Glamorgan, southern Wales...
and Iestyn ap Gwrgant
Iestyn ap Gwrgant
Iestyn ap Gwrgant was the last ruler of the Welsh kingdom of Morgannwg, which encompassed the counties of Glamorgan and Monmouthshire .- Lineage :...
, the last Welsh prince 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...
.
The coal industry
In the early years of Aberdare's development, most of the coal worked in the parish was coking coal, and was consumed locally, chiefly in the ironworksIronworks
An ironworks or iron works is a building or site where iron is smelted and where heavy iron and/or steel products are made. The term is both singular and plural, i.e...
. In 1836, exploitation of the "Four-foot Seam" of high-calorific value steam coal began, and pits were sunk in rapid succession. This coal was valuable for steam railways and steam ships, and an export trade began, via the Taff Vale Railway
Taff 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...
and the port 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...
. The population of the parish rose from 6,471 in 1841 to 14,999 in 1851 and 32,299 in 1861 and John Davies described it as "the most dynamic place in Wales". In 1851, the Admiralty
Admiralty
The Admiralty was formerly the authority in the Kingdom of England, and later in the United Kingdom, responsible for the command of the Royal Navy...
decided to use Welsh steam coal in ships of the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
, and this decision boosted the reputation of Aberdare's product and launched a huge international export market. Coal mined in Aberdare parish rose from 177000 long tons (179,840.9 t) in 1844 to 477000 long tons (484,655.9 t) in 1850, and the coal trade, which after 1875 was the chief support of the town, soon reached huge dimensions. Steam coal was subsequently found in the Rhondda
Ystradyfodwg
Ystradyfodwg was an ancient upland parish in Glamorganshire, Wales. It is believed to have been named after Tyfodwg who was either a 7th century saint or chieftain....
and further west, but many of the great companies of the Welsh coal industry's Gilded Age started operation in Aberdare and the lower Cynon Valley, including those of Samuel Thomas, David Davies and Sons
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...
, Nixon's Navigation
John Nixon (mining engineer)
John Nixon , English mining engineer and colliery proprietor, was born at Barlow, Durham, the son of a farmer.He was educated at the village school, and at an academy in Newcastle-on-Tyne, where he distinguished himself in mathematics...
and Powell Duffryn
Powell Duffryn
PD Ports is a Middlesbrough-headquartered British ports operator.Formerly known as Powell Duffryn, it dug its first coal mine in South Wales in 1840, and later expanded into various sorts of manufacturing...
. In common with the rest of the South Wales coalfield, Aberdare's coal industry commenced a long decline after World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, and the last two deep mines still in operation in the 1960s were the small Aberaman and Fforchaman collieries, which closed in 1962 and 1965 respectively.
On May 11, 1919, an extensive fire broke out on Cardiff Street, Aberdare.
Culture
Aberdare Park
Aberdare Park is a well-preserved Victorian public park located in the village of Trecynon, near the town of Aberdare in South Wales.-History:...
where the Gorsedd standing stones
Gorsedd stones
Gorsedd Stones are groups of standing stones constructed for the National Eisteddfod of Wales. They form an integral part of the druidic Gorsedd ceremonies of the Eisteddfod...
still exist.
The Coliseum Theatre
Coliseum Theatre (Aberdare)
The Coliseum Theatre is a performing arts venue in the village of Trecynon, near the town of Aberdare, Wales. It is run by Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council.It was officially opened on Saturday, September 17th 1938...
is Aberdare's main arts
ARts
aRts, which stands for analog Real time synthesizer, is an audio framework that is no longer under development. It is best known for previously being used in KDE to simulate an analog synthesizer....
venue, containing a 600-seat auditorium
Auditorium
An auditorium is a room built to enable an audience to hear and watch performances at venues such as theatres. For movie theaters, the number of auditoriums is expressed as the number of screens.- Etymology :...
and cinema
Movie theater
A movie theater, cinema, movie house, picture theater, film theater is a venue, usually a building, for viewing motion pictures ....
. It is situated in nearby Trecynon
Trecynon
Trecynon is a village near Aberdare situated in the Cynon Valley, in Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales.-Background and History:Trecynon is home to Hen Dy Cwrdd Chapel the oldest Nonconformist chapel in the Cynon Valley. Hen Dy Cwrdd Chapel was founded in 1751 and rebuilt in 1862...
and was built in 1938 using miner
Miner
A miner is a person whose work or business is to extract ore or minerals from the earth. Mining is one of the most dangerous trades in the world. In some countries miners lack social guarantees and in case of injury may be left to cope without assistance....
s' subscriptions.
Aberdare was the birthplace of the Second World War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
poet Alun Lewis
Alun Lewis
Alun Lewis , was a poet of the Anglo-Welsh school, and is regarded by many as Britain's finest Second World War poet.- Education :...
, and a plaque commemorating him is to be found, including a quotation from his poem, The Mountain over Aberdare.
The original founding members of the rock band Stereophonics
Stereophonics
The Stereophonics are a Welsh rock band now living in turners x that formed in 1992 in the village of Cwmaman in Cynon Valley, Wales. The band currently comprises lead vocalist and guitarist Kelly Jones, bassist and backing vocalist Richard Jones, drummer Javier Weyler, guitarist and backing...
originated from the nearby village of Cwmaman
Cwmaman
Cwmaman is a former coal mining pit village near Aberdare, South Wales. The name Cwmaman is Welsh language for "Aman Valley" . For postal purposes, it comes under Aberdare....
. It is also the hometown of guitarist Mark Parry of Vancouver rock band The Manvils
The Manvils
The Manvils are a Canadian rock band from Vancouver. The band, consists of singer, songwriter and guitarist Mikey Manville, bassist Greg Buhr and drummer Jay Koenderman....
. Famed anarchist-punk
Anarcho-punk
Anarcho-punk is punk rock that promotes anarchism. The term anarcho-punk is sometimes applied exclusively to bands that were part of the original anarcho-punk movement in the United Kingdom in the late 1970s and early 1980s...
band Crass
Crass
Crass are an English punk rock band that was formed in 1977, which promoted anarchism as a political ideology, way of living, and as a resistance movement. Crass popularised the seminal anarcho-punk movement of the punk subculture, and advocated direct action, animal rights, and environmentalism...
played their last live show for striking miners in Aberdare during the UK miners' strike (1984-1985).
Griffith Rhys Jones - or Caradog
Griffith Rhys Jones
Griffith Rhys Jones, or Caradog as he was commonly known was a Welsh conductor of the famous 'Côr Mawr' of some 460 voices , which twice won first prize at Crystal Palace choral competitions in London in the 1870sGriffith Rhys Jones was born in Trecynon, near Aberdare...
as he was commonly known - was the Conductor of the famous 'Côr Mawr' of some 460 voices (the South Wales Choral Union), which twice won first prize at Crystal Palace choral competitions in London in the 1870s. He is depicted in the town's most prominent statue by sculptor Goscombe John, unveiled on Victoria Square in 1920.
Churches and chapels
In the town centre is St Elvan's Church. This is a Church in WalesChurch in Wales
The Church in Wales is the Anglican church in Wales, composed of six dioceses.As with the primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church, the Archbishop of Wales serves concurrently as one of the six diocesan bishops. The current archbishop is Barry Morgan, the Bishop of Llandaff.In contrast to the...
church at the heart of the Parish of Aberdare. The church is over 200 years old and has had extensive work since its erection in the 1800s. The church also has a modern electrical, two-manual and pedal board pipe organ, that is still used in services.
The nearby St John the Baptist Church of the same parish is also notable as a 15th century building that is still used for regular services. It currently has only a small electric organ.
Also of the same parish is St. Matthew's Church, Abernant.
In the Parish of Aberaman and Cwmaman is St. Margaret's Church, with an old, but beautiful, pipe organ with two manuals and a pedal board. Also in this parish is St. Joseph's church, Cwmaman. St. Joseph's has recently undergone much recreational work, almost converting the church into a community centre. However, regular church services still take place. Here, there is a two-manual and pedal board electric organ, with speakers at the front and sides of the church.
In the media
The TorchwoodTorchwood
Torchwood is a British science fiction television programme created by Russell T Davies. The series is a spin-off from Davies's 2005 revival of the long-running science fiction programme Doctor Who. The show has shifted its broadcast channel each series to reflect its growing audience, moving from...
novel Almost Perfect
Almost Perfect (Torchwood)
Almost Perfect is a BBC Books original novel written by James Goss and based on the British science fiction television, Doctor Who spin-off series Torchwood. It is set after the conclusion of the second series. It only features the characters of Captain Jack, Gwen Cooper and Ianto Jones.-Plot...
by James Goss mentions a fictional nuclear blast
Nuclear explosion
A nuclear explosion occurs as a result of the rapid release of energy from an intentionally high-speed nuclear reaction. The driving reaction may be nuclear fission, nuclear fusion or a multistage cascading combination of the two, though to date all fusion based weapons have used a fission device...
taking place in the town.
Sports
Aberdare Athletic F.C.
Aberdare Athletic Football Club were a Welsh football club founded in 1893 and based in Aberdare. They joined the Football League in 1921 but were replaced by Torquay United after failing to be re-elected in 1927.-History:...
were members of the Football League between 1921 and 1927 before being replaced by Torquay United after finishing bottom. The club folded a year later. They played their games at the Aberdare Athletic Ground
Aberdare Athletic Ground
The Aberdare Athletic Ground was a mixed sports venue in Aberdare, Wales, which was predominantly used for football. For some years it was the home of Aberdare Athletic F.C., who were members of the Football League between 1921 and 1927....
.
Aberdare Rugby Football Club
Aberdare RFC
Aberdare Rugby Football Club are a Welsh rugby union club based in the town Aberdare in South Wales. Aberdare RFC plays in the Welsh Rugby Union Division Three South East league and is a feeder club for the Cardiff Blues.-Club history:...
are a rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby 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...
team formed in 1890 which still play in Aberdare today at the Ynys Stadium.
The Aberdare Athletic Ground
Aberdare Athletic Ground
The Aberdare Athletic Ground was a mixed sports venue in Aberdare, Wales, which was predominantly used for football. For some years it was the home of Aberdare Athletic F.C., who were members of the Football League between 1921 and 1927....
was also the venue of the first ever rugby league
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
international played between Wales
Wales national rugby league team
The Wales national rugby league team represent Wales in international rugby league football matches. Currently the team is seventh in the RLIF World Rankings. The team were run under the auspices of the Rugby Football League, but an independent body, Wales Rugby League, now runs the team from...
and the New Zealand All Golds on New Years Day 1908, which was won by the Welsh 9-8.
Transport
The town is served by Aberdare railway stationAberdare railway station
Aberdare railway station is a railway station serving the town of Aberdare in Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. It is the terminus of the Aberdare branch of the Merthyr Line, 36 km north of...
and Aberdare bus station
Aberdare bus station
Aberdare bus station is the bus stations serving Aberdare in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taff in South Wales.Located opposite the town's railway station, the bus station has 12 stands...
which are opposite each other in the town centre.
Primary schools
- Caradog primary school
- Town Church primary school
- St Margarets Roman Catholic primary school
- Ysgol Gynradd Gymraeg Aberdar
- Blaengwawr Primary School
- Oaklands Primary School
- Cap Coach Primary School
- Glynhafod Primary School
- Cwmaman Infants School
- Cwmdare Primary School
- Aberdare Park Primary
- Cwmbach Junior School
Secondary schools
- Aberdare Girls' School
- Aberdare High SchoolAberdare High SchoolAberdare High School is a comprehensive school in Aberdare, Wales.The school is situated between the villages of Trecynon and Cwmdare and sited opposite the Coleg Morgannwg site ....
- Blaengwawr Comprehensive School
- St. John the Baptist School (Aberdare)St. John the Baptist School (Aberdare)St. John Baptist Church in Wales High School, in Welsh Ysgol Uwchradd Ioan Feddydiwr, is a church secondary school close to Aberdare Park, Wales-Selected Alumni:*Rhys Shellard - Welsh Rugby Union player.*Owen Williams - Welsh [U20] Rugby Union player....
- Ysgol Gyfun RhydywaunYsgol Gyfun RhydywaunYsgol Gyfun Rhydywaun is a Welsh Medium comprehensive school in the Cynon Valley in the village of Penywaun, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales.The school was established in 1995...
Notable people
- See also :Category:People from Aberdare
Notable current and former residents and natives of Aberdare include:
- Henry Austin Bruce - 1st Baron AberdareBaron AberdareBaron Aberdare, of Duffryn in the County of Glamorgan, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created on 23 August 1873 for the Liberal politician Henry Bruce. He served as Home Secretary from 1868 to 1873. His grandson, the third Baron, was a soldier, cricketer and tennis player...
& Home SecretaryHome SecretaryThe Secretary of State for the Home Department, commonly known as the Home Secretary, is the minister in charge of the Home Office of the United Kingdom, and one of the country's four Great Offices of State...
(1868–1873) - StereophonicsStereophonicsThe Stereophonics are a Welsh rock band now living in turners x that formed in 1992 in the village of Cwmaman in Cynon Valley, Wales. The band currently comprises lead vocalist and guitarist Kelly Jones, bassist and backing vocalist Richard Jones, drummer Javier Weyler, guitarist and backing...
- All 3 original members, Kelly JonesKelly JonesKelly Jones is a Welsh singer-songwriter and guitarist and the lead singer of the band Stereophonics. Influenced by classic rock bands such as The Who, Led Zeppelin, AC/DC and the Sex Pistols, Jones is noted for his strong, gravelly voice, which has been described as "whisky" vocals...
, Richard JonesRichard Jones (Stereophonics)Richard Jones is the bassist and backing vocalist for the Welsh rock band Stereophonics, playing alongside Kelly Jones and Javier Weyler. Jones grew up in Cwmaman, an old mining village in South Wales...
and Stuart CableStuart CableStuart Cable was a Welsh rock drummer and broadcaster, best known as the original drummer for the band Stereophonics.- Early life :...
where all brought up in CwmamanCwmamanCwmaman is a former coal mining pit village near Aberdare, South Wales. The name Cwmaman is Welsh language for "Aman Valley" . For postal purposes, it comes under Aberdare....
, Aberdare - Steph DaviesSteph DaviesStephanie Ann Davies, commonly known as Steph Davies, is an international cricketer who has represented the England women's cricket team in four One Day Internationals...
-cricketer - Ioan GruffuddIoan GruffuddIoan Gruffudd is a Welsh actor.Trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, he started off in Welsh language film productions, then came to international attention as Fifth Officer Harold Lowe in the film Titanic , and as Lt. John Beales in Black Hawk Down...
- Actor born in LlwydcoedLlwydcoedLlwydcoed is a village in the Northern end of the Cynon Valley near the town Aberdare, in Rhondda Cynon Taf, south Wales.-History:Initial development of the village was based around the Tregibbon area, where in 1801 workers' housing was built by Thomas ap Shencin ap Gibbon of Fforchaman Farm....
, Aberdare - Patrick Hannan (presenter)Patrick Hannan (presenter)Patrick Hannan MBE was a Welsh political journalist, author and television and radio presenter.The son of an Irish doctor who migrated to Wales in the 1930s, he was born and raised in Aberaman, near Aberdare in South Wales...
- Welsh broadcaster - Bethan JenkinsBethan JenkinsBethan Jenkins AM , is a Welsh politician, born in Aberdare, Wales, who has represented the South Wales West Region for Plaid Cymru as a Member of the National Assembly for Wales since 2007.-Background:...
- Member of the National Assembly for WalesNational Assembly for WalesThe National Assembly for Wales is a devolved assembly with power to make legislation in Wales. The Assembly comprises 60 members, who are known as Assembly Members, or AMs...
for the South Wales (West) Region - Mihangel MorganMihangel MorganMihangel Morgan is a Welsh author.-Background and career:...
- a leading Welsh languageWelsh languageWelsh 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...
writer, born in TrecynonTrecynonTrecynon is a village near Aberdare situated in the Cynon Valley, in Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales.-Background and History:Trecynon is home to Hen Dy Cwrdd Chapel the oldest Nonconformist chapel in the Cynon Valley. Hen Dy Cwrdd Chapel was founded in 1751 and rebuilt in 1862...
, some of his literary works feature Aberdare - Roy NobleRoy NobleRoy Noble OBE, DL, O.St.J is a Welsh radio and television broadcaster.-Biography:Noble was born in Brynamman in the Amman Valley of Carmarthenshire, the only son of coal miner Ivor Noble and his wife Sadie...
- popular Welsh broadcaster has lived near Aberdare for the past thirty years - Jo WaltonJo WaltonJo Walton is a Welsh-Canadian fantasy and science fiction writer and poet. She won the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer in 2002 and the World Fantasy award for her novel Tooth and Claw in 2004. Her novel Ha'penny was a co-winner of the 2008 Prometheus Award...
- fantasy novelist, now living in MontrealMontrealMontreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, QuebecQuebecQuebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level.... - David YoungDai YoungDavid "Dai" Young is a Welsh former rugby union and rugby league player, presently Director of Rugby at London Wasps.Born in Aberdare in 1967, Young lived in Penywaun for many years, and was regularly seen training with his father on the local sports field, now occupied by the Welsh-language...
- Rugby player and Cardiff Blues' coach raised in Penywaun. Lions tourist and former Wales' captain. - Lyn EvansLyn EvansDr Lyn Evans , is a Welsh scientist, the project leader of the CERN, Switzerland-based Large Hadron Collider....
- particle physicist and project leader of the Large Hadron ColliderLarge Hadron ColliderThe Large Hadron Collider is the world's largest and highest-energy particle accelerator. It is expected to address some of the most fundamental questions of physics, advancing the understanding of the deepest laws of nature....
, the largest science experiment in the world. - John MorganJohn Morgan (comedian)John Morgan was a Welsh-born Canadian comedian.Born in Aberdare, Wales, Morgan played numerous characters on the CBC sketch comedy television series Royal Canadian Air Farce from 1993 to 2001 and its predecessor on CBC Radio, including perpetually disgusted Scotsman Jock McBile, socialite Amy De...
- A Canadian comedian best known for his roles on Royal Canadian Air FarceRoyal Canadian Air FarceAir Farce Live, also credited as Air Farce, previously Royal Canadian Air Farce, and Air Farce—Final Flight! for the final season, was a Canadian comedy series starring the comedy troupe The Royal Canadian Air Farce that previously starred in an eponymous radio show on CBC radio from 1973 to 1997...
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Twin cities/towns
- MontelimarMontélimar
Montélimar is a commune in the Drôme department in southeastern France. It is the second-largest town in the department after Valence.-History:...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
- Slagelse
Slagelse
Slagelse, a town in east Denmark, is in Slagelse municipality on the island of Zealand. It is about 100 km southwest of Copenhagen. The population is 31,979 ....
, Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
- Ravensburg
Ravensburg
Ravensburg is a town in Upper Swabia in Southern Germany, capital of the district of Ravensburg, Baden-Württemberg.Ravensburg was first mentioned in 1088. In the Middle Ages, it was an Imperial Free City and an important trading centre...
, Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg is one of the 16 states of Germany. Baden-Württemberg is in the southwestern part of the country to the east of the Upper Rhine, and is the third largest in both area and population of Germany's sixteen states, with an area of and 10.7 million inhabitants...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...