Pentre
Encyclopedia
Pentre is a village
and community
, near Treorchy
in Rhondda
valley, falling within the county borough
of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales
. The village's name is taken from the Welsh word Pentref, which translates as homestead, though Pentre is named after a large farm that dominated the area before the coming of industrialisation. The community takes in the neighbouring village of Ton Pentre
.
Pre-1850, the area which is now Pentre was made up of several scattered farms tended by tenant farmers for absentee landlords. With the discovery, in the early 19th century, of economically viable coal deposits in Dinas Rhondda
it was not long until expeditions reached the mid valleys. In 1857 Edward Curteis of Llandaff
leased the mineral rights of Tyr-y-Pentre from Griffith Llewellyn of Baglan
and soon had two levels opened, the Pentre and Church. During the early part of 1864 deeper shafts had been sunk by the Pentre Coal Company. The mines in the Pentre were some of the most profitable of all the collieries in the Rhondda.
By the early 20th century, Pentre was a busy town and the main shopping area for the upper Rhonnda and was also the centre for local government, with the local council offices built in Llewellyn Street in 1882. Pentre is also home to St Peters Church (1890), the 'Cathedral of the Rhondda', the largest religious building in either valley.
Two of the most notable businesses to have existed in the Rhondda were both formed in Pentre; the Pentre Breweries and the Rhondda Engine Works.
, who currently play in the Welsh Football League First Division
(second tier) and were members of the highest league in Welsh football - the League of Wales
- from 1993 until resignation from this division in 1996. Despite winning six Welsh Football League First Division title since then, they have not been promoted back to the League of Wales due to financial difficulties as well as the inadequacy of their facilities at Ynys Park.
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...
and community
Community (Wales)
A community is a division of land in Wales that forms the lowest-tier of local government in Wales. Welsh communities are analogous to civil parishes in England....
, near Treorchy
Treorchy
Treorchy is a village, although it used to be and still has characteristics of a town, in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales, lying in the Rhondda Fawr valley...
in 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...
valley, falling within 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...
. The village's name is taken from the Welsh word Pentref, which translates as homestead, though Pentre is named after a large farm that dominated the area before the coming of industrialisation. The community takes in the neighbouring village of Ton Pentre
Ton Pentre
Ton Pentre is a village in the Rhondda Valley in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. Ton Pentre, a former industrial coal mining village, is a district of the community of Pentre. The old district of Ystradyfodwg was named after the church at Ton Pentre...
.
Early and industrial history
Dinas Rhondda
Dinas is a village near Tonypandy in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. Dinas is often referred to as Dinas Rhondda as in the railway station such as to avoid confusion with Dinas Powys in the Vale of Glamorgan...
it was not long until expeditions reached the mid valleys. In 1857 Edward Curteis of 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...
leased the mineral rights of Tyr-y-Pentre from Griffith Llewellyn of Baglan
Baglan
Baglan is a village in Wales. The village is named after Saint Baglan . Baglan is also the name of a community which is coterminous with the village and an electoral ward, in the administrative region of Neath Port Talbot county borough...
and soon had two levels opened, the Pentre and Church. During the early part of 1864 deeper shafts had been sunk by the Pentre Coal Company. The mines in the Pentre were some of the most profitable of all the collieries in the Rhondda.
By the early 20th century, Pentre was a busy town and the main shopping area for the upper Rhonnda and was also the centre for local government, with the local council offices built in Llewellyn Street in 1882. Pentre is also home to St Peters Church (1890), the 'Cathedral of the Rhondda', the largest religious building in either valley.
Two of the most notable businesses to have existed in the Rhondda were both formed in Pentre; the Pentre Breweries and the Rhondda Engine Works.
Sport and leisure
The town also shares its border with the village of Ton Pentre, which is home to Ton Pentre Football ClubTon Pentre F.C.
Ton Pentre Football Club is a football team based in Ton Pentre, Wales, which plays in the Welsh Football League Division Two.Nicknamed the "Rhondda Bulldogs", the team plays at Ynys Park, Ton Pentre, Rhondda Cynon Taff, which once accommodated 2700 seated spectators...
, who currently play in the Welsh Football League First Division
Welsh Football League First Division
The Welsh Football League Division One, known as the MacWhirter Welsh League First Division for sponsorship reasons, is a football league in Wales...
(second tier) and were members of the highest league in Welsh football - the League of Wales
League of Wales
The Welsh Premier League is the national football league for Wales. It has both Professional and Semi-Professional status clubs and is at the top of the Welsh football league system. Prior to 2002, the league was known as the League of Wales, but changed its name as part of a sponsorship deal...
- from 1993 until resignation from this division in 1996. Despite winning six Welsh Football League First Division title since then, they have not been promoted back to the League of Wales due to financial difficulties as well as the inadequacy of their facilities at Ynys Park.
Notable former residents
- Alan CurtisAlan Curtis (footballer)Alan Thomas Curtis is a former Welsh international footballer, who played as a forward. He played 35 times for Wales scoring 6 goals...
(born 1954) Welsh footballer won 35 caps for Wales - Johnny JonesJohnny Jones (boxer)Johnny Jones was a Welsh boxer who held the Welsh flyweight title in 1924. His village of residence was Pentre in the Rhondda Valley.-Boxing career:...
, Welsh flyweight boxing champion - Rhydwen WilliamsRhydwen WilliamsRobert Rhydwenfro Williams, known as Rhydwen Williams , was a Welsh poet, novelist and Baptist minister. His work is mainly written in his native Welsh language, and is noted for adapting the established style and context of Welsh poetry from a rural and bygone age to that of a modern industrial...
(1916–1997), poet and novelist, winner of the National Eisteddfod Crown.