Tawe Uchaf
Encyclopedia
Tawe Uchaf is a community
in the Brecknockshire
district of Powys
, Wales
. Situated north-east of Ystradgynlais
in the upper valley of the River Tawe
(hence the name), it includes the villages of Caehopkin
, Coelbren
, Glyntawe, Pen-y-cae
, and Ynyswen
. It had a population in 2001 of 1,516.
There are many caves in the area, the most famous of them being Dan-yr-Ogof, one of the largest cave systems in western Europe and a popular attraction for visitors.
A part of Tawe Uchaf lies within Fforest Fawr Geopark
and the Brecon Beacons National Park.
A complex of Bronze Age
monuments known as Cerrig Duon (the "black rocks") – consisting of a stone circle
, avenue, and three-stone row – and Maen Mawr (the "great stone") can be seen near the source of the Tawe at the northern end of the community area.
Tawe Uchaf is also home to Craig-y-Nos Castle
, a country house built in 1841 and subsequently purchased and much extended by the renowned operatic singer Adelina Patti
.
Opencast coal mining is an important activity in the area.
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....
in the Brecknockshire
Brecknockshire
Brecknockshire , also known as the County of Brecknock, Breconshire, or the County of Brecon is one of thirteen historic counties of Wales, and a former administrative county.-Geography:...
district of Powys
Powys
Powys is a local-government county and preserved county in Wales.-Geography:Powys covers the historic counties of Montgomeryshire and Radnorshire, most of Brecknockshire , and a small part of Denbighshire — an area of 5,179 km², making it the largest county in Wales by land area.It is...
, 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 north-east of Ystradgynlais
Ystradgynlais
Ystradgynlais is a town on the River Tawe in south west Powys; it is the second largest town in Powys, Wales. The town grew around the iron-making, coal-mining and watch-making industries....
in the upper valley of the River Tawe
River Tawe
The River Tawe is a river in South Wales. It flows in a principally south-westerly direction for some from its source below Moel Feity in the Old Red Sandstone hills of the western Brecon Beacons to the Bristol Channel at Swansea. Its main tributaries are the right bank Upper and Lower Clydach...
(hence the name), it includes the villages of Caehopkin
Caehopkin
Caehopkin is a village in Powys, Wales....
, Coelbren
Coelbren
Coelbren may mean:* Coelbren, Powys, a village in the south-west of the Brecon Beacons National Park in Wales.* Coelbren , a supposed "druidic" alphabet invented by Iolo Morganwg ....
, Glyntawe, Pen-y-cae
Pen-y-cae
Pen-y-cae may refer to one of these places in Wales:*Pen-y-cae, Bridgend*Pen-y-cae, Neath Port Talbot*Pen-y-cae, Powys*Penycae, Wrexham...
, and Ynyswen
Ynyswen
Ynyswen is a village in the community of Treorchy, in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taff, Wales.Ynyswen railway station is on the Rhondda Line....
. It had a population in 2001 of 1,516.
There are many caves in the area, the most famous of them being Dan-yr-Ogof, one of the largest cave systems in western Europe and a popular attraction for visitors.
A part of Tawe Uchaf lies within Fforest Fawr Geopark
Fforest Fawr Geopark
Fforest Fawr Geopark was the first Geopark to be designated in Wales having gained membership of both the European Geoparks Network and the UNESCO-assisted Global Network of National Geoparks in October 2005. The Geopark aims to promote and support sustainable tourism and other opportunities to...
and the Brecon Beacons National Park.
A complex of Bronze Age
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...
monuments known as Cerrig Duon (the "black rocks") – consisting of a stone circle
Stone circle
A stone circle is a monument of standing stones arranged in a circle. Such monuments have been constructed across the world throughout history for many different reasons....
, avenue, and three-stone row – and Maen Mawr (the "great stone") can be seen near the source of the Tawe at the northern end of the community area.
Tawe Uchaf is also home to Craig-y-Nos Castle
Craig-y-Nos Castle
Craig-y-Nos Castle , is a Victorian-Gothic country house in Britain. Built on parkland beside the River Tawe in the upper Swansea Valley, it is located on the southern edge of Fforest Fawr in Powys. The former estate of opera singer Adelina Patti, part of the complex is now used as a boutique...
, a country house built in 1841 and subsequently purchased and much extended by the renowned operatic singer Adelina Patti
Adelina Patti
Adelina Patti was a highly acclaimed 19th-century opera singer, earning huge fees at the height of her career in the music capitals of Europe and America. She first sang in public as a child in 1851 and gave her last performance before an audience in 1914...
.
Opencast coal mining is an important activity in the area.