Blaenllechau
Encyclopedia
Blaenllechau is a small village located in the Rhondda Fach valley, Rhondda Cynon Taf. Neighbouring villages are Ferndale, Maerdy
and Tylorstown
. The population
of Blaenllechau is far less than 1000.
in the Rhondda
, in the 1850s David Davies
and his partners took a mineral rights lease in the area, and went exploring for high quality steam coal. After running out of money and preparing to shut down the partnership, the workers offered to work for one more week, and struck coal 200 yard below the farm.
With little in the area, and the need to house workers and their families, the colliery village
was developed alongside the workings of Ferndale No.1 pit
. Eventually there were two shafts developed by Davies's Ocean Coal Company, Ferndale No1 and Ferndale No.2, extracting steam coal from a depth of 400 yard until 1959, when the entire complex was shut by the National Coal Board
. The pit-head workings were still extant in the early 1960s, but have since been demolished and the shafts filled.
The village and its nearest town of Ferndale were served by passenger rail on the Maerdy Branch, which left the mainline of the Taff Vale Railway
at Porth
. Even under the ownership of the Great Western Railway
, the line always found it hard to compete against local bus operators, although passenger services ran regularly from Pontypridd
to Maerdy
. Passenger services were ceased completely after the Beeching Axe
decreased the size of British Rail
ways in the 1960s, and the line operated as a mineral railway until the closure of the last of valley’s collieries, Maerdy, in 1990.
The sites of both railway and colliery have been landscaped. A cricket and sports ground now stand on a slag and spoil tip called the 'Banana tip' because of its shape.
of the Rhondda Fach Valley (Cwm Rhondda Fach). Three or four rows of stone houses cling to the mountainside.
Blaenllechau is well-known for its waterfall
.
The village has a park, a community centre and a working men’s club called the Blaenllechau Radical Club, or the ‘Rad’. The village had an infant school, which closed in July 2006 due to a lack of pupils.
Maerdy
Maerdy is a village and community in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, and within the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan, Wales, lying at the head of the Rhondda Fach Valley.- History :...
and Tylorstown
Tylorstown
Tylorstown is a village located in the Rhondda valley, in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. It was founded by Alfred Tylor who set up an early coal mining operation in the location in the mid-19th century....
. The 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...
of Blaenllechau is far less than 1000.
History
Originally a single farmFarm
A farm is an area of land, or, for aquaculture, lake, river or sea, including various structures, devoted primarily to the practice of producing and managing food , fibres and, increasingly, fuel. It is the basic production facility in food production. Farms may be owned and operated by a single...
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...
, in the 1850s 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...
and his partners took a mineral rights lease in the area, and went exploring for high quality steam coal. After running out of money and preparing to shut down the partnership, the workers offered to work for one more week, and struck coal 200 yard below the farm.
With little in the area, and the need to house workers and their families, the colliery village
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...
was developed alongside the workings of Ferndale No.1 pit
Ferndale Colliery
Ferndale Colliery was a series of nine coal mines, located close to the village of Ferndale, Rhondda Cynon Taf in the Rhondda Valley, South Wales.-History:...
. Eventually there were two shafts developed by Davies's Ocean Coal Company, Ferndale No1 and Ferndale No.2, extracting steam coal from a depth of 400 yard until 1959, when the entire complex was shut by the National Coal Board
National Coal Board
The National Coal Board was the statutory corporation created to run the nationalised coal mining industry in the United Kingdom. Set up under the Coal Industry Nationalisation Act 1946, it took over the mines on "vesting day", 1 January 1947...
. The pit-head workings were still extant in the early 1960s, but have since been demolished and the shafts filled.
The village and its nearest town of Ferndale were served by passenger rail on the Maerdy Branch, which left the mainline of 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...
at Porth
Porth railway station
Porth railway station is a railway station serving the town of Porth in Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. It is located on the Rhondda Line.-History:...
. Even under the ownership of the Great Western Railway
Great Western Railway
The Great Western Railway was a British railway company that linked London with the south-west and west of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament in 1835 and ran its first trains in 1838...
, the line always found it hard to compete against local bus operators, although passenger services ran regularly from Pontypridd
Pontypridd railway station
Pontypridd railway station serves the town of Pontypridd in Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. It is located on the Merthyr and Rhondda lines and is the main line station for the town.Until the 1930s, Pontypridd had another two stations...
to Maerdy
Maerdy
Maerdy is a village and community in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, and within the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan, Wales, lying at the head of the Rhondda Fach Valley.- History :...
. Passenger services were ceased completely after the Beeching Axe
Beeching Axe
The Beeching Axe or the Beeching Cuts are informal names for the British Government's attempt in the 1960s to reduce the cost of running British Railways, the nationalised railway system in the United Kingdom. The name is that of the main author of The Reshaping of British Railways, Dr Richard...
decreased the size of British Rail
British Rail
British Railways , which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was the operator of most of the rail transport in Great Britain between 1948 and 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the "Big Four" British railway companies and lasted until the gradual privatisation of British Rail, in stages...
ways in the 1960s, and the line operated as a mineral railway until the closure of the last of valley’s collieries, Maerdy, in 1990.
The sites of both railway and colliery have been landscaped. A cricket and sports ground now stand on a slag and spoil tip called the 'Banana tip' because of its shape.
Geography
Blaenllechau is typical of its kind for the topographyTopography
Topography is the study of Earth's surface shape and features or those ofplanets, moons, and asteroids...
of the Rhondda Fach Valley (Cwm Rhondda Fach). Three or four rows of stone houses cling to the mountainside.
Blaenllechau is well-known for its waterfall
Waterfall
A waterfall is a place where flowing water rapidly drops in elevation as it flows over a steep region or a cliff.-Formation:Waterfalls are commonly formed when a river is young. At these times the channel is often narrow and deep. When the river courses over resistant bedrock, erosion happens...
.
The village has a park, a community centre and a working men’s club called the Blaenllechau Radical Club, or the ‘Rad’. The village had an infant school, which closed in July 2006 due to a lack of pupils.