Graigwen
Encyclopedia
Graigwen is the name of the large hill (Graigwen Hill) and the village
or district located thereon, sited to the north of Pontypridd
town centre and south of Glyncoch and Ynysybwl in the county borough
of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales
, and within the ancient parish of Llanwonno (Llanwynno
). It falls within the Rhondda and Pontypridd Town electoral wards, and comprises the sub-districts of Pantygraigwen, Penygraigwen, the Whiterock Estate, and Lanwood. It is also bounded by the districts of Pwllgwaun
and Hopkinstown
.
Graigwen is characterised by a mixtured of the typical terraced housing to serve the nearby Tŷ-Mawr and Great Western collieries, substantial victorian housing built originally to house the gentry and whitecollar workers of Pontypridd, modern housing estates, farms/rural land and woodland.
The main steep road running through Graigwen is called Graigwen Road, which continues on to Llanwonno, Ynysybwl and the Rhondda
and Cynon Valley
beyond. Graigwen was once home to the Daren-Ddu Colliery located in Lan Wood and numerous coal levels and stone quarries were cut into its hillsides. The large adjoining Craig-yr-Hesg quarry in neighbouring Glyncoch historically supplied much of Pontypridd's buildings with their finely dressed stone, and continues to do so today.
Graigwen is served by one pub - the Tŷ Mawr Hotel in Pantygraigwen, (which was used in the BBC Wales soap, Belonging
), one club - the Pontypridd District Club, a garage and two news agents/grocery stores one of which previously served as Graigwen Post Office. It is also home to the Glamorgan Mission For The Deaf, Coedylan Primary School and until recently Coedylan Lower Comprehensive (now derelict) before it eventually moved to the Albion site alongside the Upper campus at nearby Cilfynydd to form Pontypridd High School. Lan Wood, Lan Park Road and Coed-y-Lan are so called because of their proximity to Lan Farm above.
Graigwen was also once home to one of the oldest chapels in the South Wales Valleys
known as the Carmel Baptist Chapel built in 1810, however this was demolished some time ago and is today occupied by the Plas Carmel carehome. Also in this area once was located the infamous Rhondda Cutting to the Taff Vale Railway
which featured in the nearby rail accident at Hopkinstown
in 1911.
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...
or district located thereon, sited to the north of Pontypridd
Pontypridd
Pontypridd is both a community and a principal town of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales and is situated 12 miles/19 km north of the Welsh capital city of Cardiff...
town centre and south of Glyncoch and Ynysybwl in the county borough
County borough
County borough is a term introduced in 1889 in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland , to refer to a borough or a city independent of county council control. They were abolished by the Local Government Act 1972 in England and Wales, but continue in use for lieutenancy and shrievalty in...
of 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...
, and within the ancient parish of Llanwonno (Llanwynno
Llanwynno
Llanwynno is a hamlet high up in the mountains between the historic mining valleys of the Rhondda and Cynon Valleys in Rhondda Cynon Taf deep in the heart of the South Wales Valleys ....
). It falls within the Rhondda and Pontypridd Town electoral wards, and comprises the sub-districts of Pantygraigwen, Penygraigwen, the Whiterock Estate, and Lanwood. It is also bounded by the districts of Pwllgwaun
Pwllgwaun
Pwllgwaun is a village and small suburb of Pontypridd within the 'Rhondda' electroal ward, bordered by Hopkinstown and Graigwen hill to the north and east, the hillsides of Maesycoed above, and is located along the banks of the river River Rhondda...
and Hopkinstown
Hopkinstown
Hopkinstown is a small village to the west of Pontypridd town centre in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales situated alongside the banks of the River Rhondda. Hopkinstown is a former coal mining industrial community and is a district in the town of Pontypridd within the Rhondda...
.
Graigwen is characterised by a mixtured of the typical terraced housing to serve the nearby Tŷ-Mawr and Great Western collieries, substantial victorian housing built originally to house the gentry and whitecollar workers of Pontypridd, modern housing estates, farms/rural land and woodland.
The main steep road running through Graigwen is called Graigwen Road, which continues on to Llanwonno, Ynysybwl and 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...
and Cynon Valley
Cynon Valley
The Cynon Valley , is a famous former coal mining valley within the South Wales Valleys of Wales. The Cynon Valley lies between the other mining Valley of Rhondda and the iron industrial Valley of the Merthyr Valley. Its main towns are Aberdare located North of the Valley and Mountain Ash located...
beyond. Graigwen was once home to the Daren-Ddu Colliery located in Lan Wood and numerous coal levels and stone quarries were cut into its hillsides. The large adjoining Craig-yr-Hesg quarry in neighbouring Glyncoch historically supplied much of Pontypridd's buildings with their finely dressed stone, and continues to do so today.
Graigwen is served by one pub - the Tŷ Mawr Hotel in Pantygraigwen, (which was used in the BBC Wales soap, Belonging
Belonging
Belonging is an English-language Welsh television drama series, produced by BBC Wales and broadcast on BBC One Wales.The programme revolved around the lives of the Lewis family, and their various trials and tribulations in the changing environment of their South Wales town Bryncoed and modern Wales...
), one club - the Pontypridd District Club, a garage and two news agents/grocery stores one of which previously served as Graigwen Post Office. It is also home to the Glamorgan Mission For The Deaf, Coedylan Primary School and until recently Coedylan Lower Comprehensive (now derelict) before it eventually moved to the Albion site alongside the Upper campus at nearby Cilfynydd to form Pontypridd High School. Lan Wood, Lan Park Road and Coed-y-Lan are so called because of their proximity to Lan Farm above.
Graigwen was also once home to one of the oldest chapels in the 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...
known as the Carmel Baptist Chapel built in 1810, however this was demolished some time ago and is today occupied by the Plas Carmel carehome. Also in this area once was located the infamous Rhondda Cutting to 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...
which featured in the nearby rail accident at Hopkinstown
Hopkinstown
Hopkinstown is a small village to the west of Pontypridd town centre in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales situated alongside the banks of the River Rhondda. Hopkinstown is a former coal mining industrial community and is a district in the town of Pontypridd within the Rhondda...
in 1911.