Ystrad Mynach
Encyclopedia
Ystrad Mynach is a town
in the County Borough of Caerphilly
, previously within the ancient traditional county
of Glamorgan
, Wales
, and is 5 miles north of Caerphilly town. It has a population of around 13,500 and stands in the Rhymney Valley
http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/372457. Before the Industrial Revolution
and the coming of coal mining
in the South Wales coalfield
the valley was rural and farmed http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/235490. It lies in the community
of Gelligaer
.
, ystrad is a wide flat bottomed valley
. The termination ach is associated with the names of marshy floodplains of rivers and is also found nearby in the names Llanbradach and Llancaiach. Ystrad Mynach is a corruption of Ystrad-Man-Ach (man = place) and is not derived from the Welsh mynach meaning monk
. Prior to erection of defences on the River Rhymney in the 1960's the town was indeed subject to periodic flooding.
offices, as well as Ystrad Mynach College
, a further education
college established in 1959 to provide training for local coal
miners and now claiming a roster of over 12,000 student
s.
The nearby Penallta Colliery
http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/364024 was the last coal mine to close in the valley http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/453396. Other notable buildings and structures are the Ystrad Mynach railway station
http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/83092, opened in 1890, the viaduct http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/22194, a sculpture to commemorate the areas industrial heritage http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/169687, a community hospital, a number of schools, and the Beech Tree, Coopers Arms and Royal Oak pubs.
From 1927 to 1996, Ystrad Mynach hosted the 'F' division headquarters of Glamorgan Constabulary (from 1968, South Wales Police
).
Ystrad Mynach railway station
was a location for one of Ronnie Barker
's Porridge (TV series)
episodes. Records show that Ystrad Mynach railway station was in existence in 1857, when it was known as Ystrad Junction.
A new Local General Hospital is planned to be built in the town. Work started on
the Ystrad Fawr site in September 2007, with the hospital being completed towards the end of 2010.
Situated to the north of Ystrad Mynach, is a collection of houses called Tredomen; these houses were built to house the workers of the since-demolished "Tredomen Works". This collection of houses is one of the best examples of socially graded houses in the world - ranging from two-up two-down, to a six-bedroom manor in Park Lane with adjoining servants' quarters.
is a rugby union
club is based in Ystrad Mynach. The Rugby Club was inaugurated by a group of miners from Penallta colliery in 1952.
It is an affiliated member of the Welsh Rugby Union
and plays in the Welsh National League.
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
in the County Borough of Caerphilly
Caerphilly (county borough)
Caerphilly is a county borough in southern Wales, straddling the ancient county boundary between Glamorgan and Monmouthshire.Its main town is Caerphilly, and also the largest...
, previously within the ancient traditional county
County
A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain modern nations. Historically in mainland Europe, the original French term, comté, and its equivalents in other languages denoted a jurisdiction under the sovereignty of a count A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain...
of Glamorgan
Glamorgan
Glamorgan or Glamorganshire is one of the thirteen historic counties and a former administrative county of Wales. It was originally an early medieval kingdom of varying boundaries known as Glywysing until taken over by the Normans as a lordship. Glamorgan is latterly represented by the three...
, 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 is 5 miles north of Caerphilly town. It has a population of around 13,500 and stands 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...
http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/372457. Before the Industrial Revolution
Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution was a period from the 18th to the 19th century where major changes in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, transportation, and technology had a profound effect on the social, economic and cultural conditions of the times...
and the coming of coal mining
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,...
in the South Wales coalfield
South Wales Coalfield
The South Wales Coalfield is a large region of south Wales that is rich with coal deposits, especially the South Wales Valleys.-The coalfield area:...
the valley was rural and farmed http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/235490. It lies in the 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....
of Gelligaer
Gelligaer
Gelligaer is a town and parish in the County Borough of Caerphilly, Wales, in the Rhymney River valley. The parish also includes the villages of Cefn Hengoed and Hengoed to the south.- History :...
.
Origin of the name
In the Welsh languageWelsh language
Welsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of the Celtic languages spoken natively in Wales, by some along the Welsh border in England, and in Y Wladfa...
, ystrad is a wide flat bottomed valley
Valley
In geology, a valley or dale is a depression with predominant extent in one direction. A very deep river valley may be called a canyon or gorge.The terms U-shaped and V-shaped are descriptive terms of geography to characterize the form of valleys...
. The termination ach is associated with the names of marshy floodplains of rivers and is also found nearby in the names Llanbradach and Llancaiach. Ystrad Mynach is a corruption of Ystrad-Man-Ach (man = place) and is not derived from the Welsh mynach meaning monk
Monk
A monk is a person who practices religious asceticism, living either alone or with any number of monks, while always maintaining some degree of physical separation from those not sharing the same purpose...
. Prior to erection of defences on the River Rhymney in the 1960's the town was indeed subject to periodic flooding.
Amenities and history
The town houses a number of councilCaerphilly County Borough Council
Caerphilly County Borough Council is the governing body for Caerphilly , one of the Principal Areas of Wales.- Current composition :- Historic results :-Electoral divisions:...
offices, as well as Ystrad Mynach College
Ystrad Mynach College
Ystrad Mynach College is a college of further education based in Ystrad Mynach in Caerphilly county borough, Wales. It has over 13,000 students ranging from school leavers to adult mature students...
, a further education
Further education
Further education is a term mainly used in connection with education in the United Kingdom and Ireland. It is post-compulsory education , that is distinct from the education offered in universities...
college established in 1959 to provide training for local 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...
miners and now claiming a roster of over 12,000 student
Student
A student is a learner, or someone who attends an educational institution. In some nations, the English term is reserved for those who attend university, while a schoolchild under the age of eighteen is called a pupil in English...
s.
The nearby Penallta Colliery
Penallta Colliery
Penallta Colliery was a coal mine, located close to Hengoed in the Rhymney Valley in the South Wales Valleys. A coal mine which in 1935 held the European record for coal wound in a 24-hour period, it is now the site of an original redevelopment project which will make use of the former pit head...
http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/364024 was the last coal mine to close in the valley http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/453396. Other notable buildings and structures are the Ystrad Mynach railway station
Ystrad Mynach railway station
Ystrad Mynach railway station is a railway station serving the town of Ystrad Mynach, south Wales. It is a stop on the Rhymney Line of the Valley Lines network.There is a dedicated rail linc bus that links with the train...
http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/83092, opened in 1890, the viaduct http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/22194, a sculpture to commemorate the areas industrial heritage http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/169687, a community hospital, a number of schools, and the Beech Tree, Coopers Arms and Royal Oak pubs.
From 1927 to 1996, Ystrad Mynach hosted the 'F' division headquarters of Glamorgan Constabulary (from 1968, South Wales Police
South Wales Police
South Wales Police is one of the four territorial police forces in Wales. Its headquarters are based in Bridgend.Covering Wales' capital city, Cardiff, as well as Bridgend, Merthyr Tydfil, Swansea, and the western South Wales Valleys, it is the largest police force in Wales in terms of population,...
).
Ystrad Mynach railway station
Ystrad Mynach railway station
Ystrad Mynach railway station is a railway station serving the town of Ystrad Mynach, south Wales. It is a stop on the Rhymney Line of the Valley Lines network.There is a dedicated rail linc bus that links with the train...
was a location for one of Ronnie Barker
Ronnie Barker
Ronald William George "Ronnie" Barker, OBE was a British actor, comedian, writer, critic, broadcaster and businessman...
's Porridge (TV series)
Porridge (TV series)
Porridge is a British situation comedy broadcast on BBC1 from 1974 to 1977, running for three series, two Christmas specials and a feature film. Written by Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais, it stars Ronnie Barker and Richard Beckinsale as two inmates at the fictional HMP Slade in Cumberland...
episodes. Records show that Ystrad Mynach railway station was in existence in 1857, when it was known as Ystrad Junction.
A new Local General Hospital is planned to be built in the town. Work started on
the Ystrad Fawr site in September 2007, with the hospital being completed towards the end of 2010.
Situated to the north of Ystrad Mynach, is a collection of houses called Tredomen; these houses were built to house the workers of the since-demolished "Tredomen Works". This collection of houses is one of the best examples of socially graded houses in the world - ranging from two-up two-down, to a six-bedroom manor in Park Lane with adjoining servants' quarters.
External links
- Ystrad Mynach College
- Welsh Coal Mines - check out the local pit history
- An old photo of Ystrad Mynach in 1938
- Ystrad Mynach Hospital
- Ystrad Mynach Air Training Corps
- The local Welsh Male Voice Choir
- Penallta RFC
- Shotokan Karate Club
- the wardrobe
Notable natives / residents
- Author and historian Hywel DaviesHywel Davies-Biography:Hywel Davies is a freelance fashion writer and journalist based in London.Previously the fashion editor at iconic lifestyle magazine Sleazenation, he has also written for Arena, Vogue, ELLE, Wallpaper, Nylon, Dazed and Confused, Dansk, Self Service, Fashion Inc, Grafik, Time Out, The...
- Composer Mervyn BurtchMervyn BurtchMervyn Burtch MBE is a Welsh composer born and resident in Ystrad Mynach, Wales.In 1991 Burtch received the John Edwards Memorial Award, one of Wales' most prestigious music honours, for the promotion of Welsh Music and in 2003 was awarded the MBE for services to Welsh Music.-External references:* *...
MBEMBEMBE can stand for:* Mail Boxes Etc.* Management by exception* Master of Bioethics* Master of Bioscience Enterprise* Master of Business Engineering* Master of Business Economics* Mean Biased Error... - Guitarist Andy Fairweather-LowAndy Fairweather-LowAndrew Fairweather Low is a Welsh guitarist, songwriter and vocalist. He was a founding member of 1960s British pop band, Amen Corner, and in recent years has toured extensively with Roger Waters, Eric Clapton and Bill Wyman's Rhythm Kings.-Early career:Fairweather Low first found fame as a...
- Film producer/Director Paul AthertonPaul AthertonPaul Atherton is managing director of and its sister not-for-profit company, . He is the first producer/ director to have his work broadcast on the Coca-Cola billboard in Piccadilly Circus, London with his film The Ballet of Change....
Penallta Rugby Football Club
Penallta RFCPenallta RFC
Penallta Rugby Football Club is a Welsh rugby union team based in Ystrad Mynach in the county borough of Caerphilly. Penallta RFC is a member of the Welsh Rugby Union and is a feeder club for the Newport Gwent Dragons.-History:...
is a rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
club is based in Ystrad Mynach. The Rugby Club was inaugurated by a group of miners from Penallta colliery in 1952.
It is an affiliated member of the Welsh Rugby Union
Welsh Rugby Union
The Welsh Rugby Union is the governing body of rugby union in Wales, recognised by the International Rugby Board.The union's patron is Queen Elizabeth II, and her grandson Prince William of Wales became the Vice Royal Patron of the Welsh Rugby Union as of February 2007.-History:The roots of the...
and plays in the Welsh National League.