Pengam
Encyclopedia
Pengam is a former coal
community in the Rhymney Valley
, Caerphilly county borough, in Wales
. As of 2001, it has a population of 3,842.
, in the historic county of Monmouthshire
, but those parts of the village on the west bank are known as Glan-y-Nant and are in the historic county of Glamorganshire.
As of 2001, 3,842 people live in Pengam, and there are about 1,561 homes. 1% of residents are from ethnic minority groups, 27.67% of people are between the ages of 20 and 39, and there are 797 people over the age of 60. 67.78% of residents own their own homes either owned outright or with a mortgage
. 24.79% of residents live in council or housing association
homes. 5.89% of residents live in privately rented homes. 1.54% of residents live completely rent-free.
The population density
of Pengam is approximately 4,204 people per square mile (1623/km²). The actual size of the electoral ward is 0.9 square miles (2.3 km²).
The biggest employer in this area (with 29.42% of people) is the manufacturing industry.
Pengam is home to Ysgol Gyfun Cwm Rhymni
and Lewis School Pengam.
in, or near, Pengam. One at the top of the Main Street (Pengam Pit), and the other was on the Aberbargoed Road (Britannia Pit).
The sinking of Pengam Colliery was begun in the late 1890s by the Rhymney Iron Co. Ltd. to work the Brithdir House coal
seam at a depth of 312 yards. By 1908 it was employing 196 men and in 1918 the workforce numbered 518. During the late 1920s it came under the ownership of the Powell Duffryn
Associated Collieries Ltd., who employed 67 men there in 1938. The workforce numbered 195 in 1945.
As with most House Coal collieries in this area Pengam was troubled with water inundation and heavy water pump
s worked around the clock to avoid the mineworkings flooding. Production ceased in 1956 but it was kept open as an underground pumping station, to prevent the flooding of the nearby Britannia colliery. There was a landing, about half way down in each of the Britannia shafts (North and South) from which it was possible to access Pengam pit bottom. The official entrance to Pengam colliery was adjacent to Pengam (Mon) station, on High Street previously known as Waunborfa Road.
Pengam at one time had two railway stations - one in Glamorgan and one in Monmouthshire. The line in Pengam (Mon) belonged to the Brecon and Merthyr Railway
. Construction began in 1825 and it was opened in 1836, mainly to cater to the needs of the small pits and levels, and then increasingly for the collieries when they were sunk at the start of the century. It also accommodated the desire for more mobility by the rapidly growing population of the valley, when the steam locomotives pulled the passenger carriages up and down the line. The railway track from Newport
to Brecon
, or Tredegar
, branched at Machen
, the line going from there to Caerphilly
and Merthyr Tydfil
. The line branched behind Britannia Colliery for Brecon, or carried straight on to Tredegar where the line terminated.
The locomotives hauling the coal trains along this line were pannier-tank type steam engines. The station, and stationmaster’s house were directly adjacent to Pengam pit.
This closed in 1962. The other in Glamorgan was opend in 1858 by the Rhymney Railway
and remains open as Pengam railway station
.
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,...
community in the Rhymney Valley
Rhymney Valley
The Rhymney Valley is a valley encompassing the villages of Abertysswg, Fochriw, Pontlottyn, Tirphil, New Tredegar, Aberbargoed, Rhymney, and Ystrad Mynach, and the towns of Bargoed and Caerphilly, in south-east Wales, formerly famous for its coal mining and iron industries.-Geography:Created as a...
, Caerphilly county borough, in 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...
. As of 2001, it has a population of 3,842.
Location and population
Most of the village is on the east bank of the Rhymney RiverRhymney River
The Rhymney River is a river in the Rhymney Valley, south-east Wales, flowing through Cardiff into the Severn estuary.The river forms the boundary between the historic counties of Glamorgan and Monmouthshire.-Path of the river:...
, in the historic county of Monmouthshire
Monmouthshire (historic)
Monmouthshire , also known as the County of Monmouth , is one of thirteen ancient counties of Wales and a former administrative county....
, but those parts of the village on the west bank are known as Glan-y-Nant and are in the historic county of Glamorganshire.
As of 2001, 3,842 people live in Pengam, and there are about 1,561 homes. 1% of residents are from ethnic minority groups, 27.67% of people are between the ages of 20 and 39, and there are 797 people over the age of 60. 67.78% of residents own their own homes either owned outright or with a mortgage
Mortgage loan
A mortgage loan is a loan secured by real property through the use of a mortgage note which evidences the existence of the loan and the encumbrance of that realty through the granting of a mortgage which secures the loan...
. 24.79% of residents live in council or housing association
Housing association
Housing associations in the United Kingdom are independent not-for-profit bodies that provide low-cost "social housing" for people in housing need. Any trading surplus is used to maintain existing homes and to help finance new ones...
homes. 5.89% of residents live in privately rented homes. 1.54% of residents live completely rent-free.
The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
of Pengam is approximately 4,204 people per square mile (1623/km²). The actual size of the electoral ward is 0.9 square miles (2.3 km²).
The biggest employer in this area (with 29.42% of people) is the manufacturing industry.
Pengam is home to Ysgol Gyfun Cwm Rhymni
Ysgol Gyfun Cwm Rhymni
Ysgol Gyfun Cwm Rhymni is a Welsh-medium school situated in the village of Fleur-de-Lys in the Rhymney Valley. Cwm Rhymni was founded in 1981 with little more than 100 pupils and as of 2007 this number has grown to over 1,000....
and Lewis School Pengam.
Coal and the railways
There used to be two collieriesCoal 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,...
in, or near, Pengam. One at the top of the Main Street (Pengam Pit), and the other was on the Aberbargoed Road (Britannia Pit).
The sinking of Pengam Colliery was begun in the late 1890s by the Rhymney Iron Co. Ltd. to work the Brithdir House 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...
seam at a depth of 312 yards. By 1908 it was employing 196 men and in 1918 the workforce numbered 518. During the late 1920s it came under the ownership of the 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...
Associated Collieries Ltd., who employed 67 men there in 1938. The workforce numbered 195 in 1945.
As with most House Coal collieries in this area Pengam was troubled with water inundation and heavy water pump
Water Pump
Water Pump is one of the neighbourhoods of Gulberg Town in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. It is near main Water Pump that supplies fresh water to the city of Karachi....
s worked around the clock to avoid the mineworkings flooding. Production ceased in 1956 but it was kept open as an underground pumping station, to prevent the flooding of the nearby Britannia colliery. There was a landing, about half way down in each of the Britannia shafts (North and South) from which it was possible to access Pengam pit bottom. The official entrance to Pengam colliery was adjacent to Pengam (Mon) station, on High Street previously known as Waunborfa Road.
Pengam at one time had two railway stations - one in Glamorgan and one in Monmouthshire. The line in Pengam (Mon) belonged to the Brecon and Merthyr Railway
Brecon and Merthyr Railway
The Brecon and Merthyr Junction Railway was one of several railways that served the industrial areas of South Wales and Monmouthshire. It ranked fifth amongst them in size, although hemmed in by the Taff Vale Railway and Great Western Railway...
. Construction began in 1825 and it was opened in 1836, mainly to cater to the needs of the small pits and levels, and then increasingly for the collieries when they were sunk at the start of the century. It also accommodated the desire for more mobility by the rapidly growing population of the valley, when the steam locomotives pulled the passenger carriages up and down the line. The railway track from Newport
Newport
Newport is a city and unitary authority area in Wales. Standing on the banks of the River Usk, it is located about east of Cardiff and is the largest urban area within the historic county boundaries of Monmouthshire and the preserved county of Gwent...
to Brecon
Brecon
Brecon is a long-established market town and community in southern Powys, Mid Wales, with a population of 7,901. It was the county town of the historic county of Brecknockshire; although its role as such was eclipsed with the formation of Powys, it remains an important local centre...
, or Tredegar
Tredegar
Tredegar is a town situated on the Sirhowy River in the county borough of Blaenau Gwent, in south-east Wales. Located within the historic boundaries of Monmouthshire, it became an early centre of the Industrial Revolution in South Wales...
, branched at Machen
Machen
Machen is a large village 3 miles east of Caerphilly, south Wales, situated in the Caerphilly borough within the historic boundaries of Monmouthshire. It neighbours Bedwas and Trethomas, and forms a council ward in conjunction with those communities. It lies on the Rhymney River.-Mynydd...
, the line going from there to Caerphilly
Caerphilly
Caerphilly is a town in the county borough of Caerphilly, south Wales, located at the southern end of the Rhymney Valley, with a population of approximately 31,000. It is a commuter town of Cardiff and Newport, which are located some 7.5 miles and 12 miles away, respectively...
and 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...
. The line branched behind Britannia Colliery for Brecon, or carried straight on to Tredegar where the line terminated.
The locomotives hauling the coal trains along this line were pannier-tank type steam engines. The station, and stationmaster’s house were directly adjacent to Pengam pit.
This closed in 1962. The other in Glamorgan was opend in 1858 by the Rhymney Railway
Rhymney Railway
The Rhymney Railway was virtually a single stretch of main line, some fifty miles in length, by which the Rhymney Valley was connected to the docks at Cardiff in the county of Glamorgan, South Wales.-History:...
and remains open as Pengam railway station
Pengam railway station
Pengam railway station is situated in Pengam on the Rhymney Line of the Valley Lines network in South Wales. The train service is 4 trains per hour south to Cardiff Central and onwards to Penarth. Northwards there are 3 trains an hour terminating at Bargoed with one train per hour continuing to...
.