I.

Introduction

Rhondda Cynon Taff (Welsh, Rhondda Cynon Taf), county borough and unitary authority, South Wales, bounded on the north by the county of Powys, on the east by the county boroughs of Merthyr Tydfil and Caerphilly, on the south by the county of Cardiff and by the county borough of the Vale of Glamorgan, and on the west by the county boroughs of Bridgend, and Neath Port Talbot. The county borough came into existence as a unitary authority on April 1, 1996, under the provisions of the Local Government Act 1994, which changed the structure of local administration in Wales from a two-tier system of country and district councils to a single-tier system of unitary authorities. It comprises the central area of the former county of Mid Glamorgan: all the districts of Rhondda and Cynon Valley in the north, and the majority of the district of Taff-Ely in the south. Before 1974, when Mid Glamorgan was created under the local government reorganization implemented in that year, the territory covered by the county borough was part of the county of Glamorgan. Rhondda Cynon Taff has an area of 424 sq km (164 sq mi).

II.

Land and Resources

Rhondda Cynon Taff consists in the north of high, barren moorlands, rising to a maximum height of 601 m (1,969 ft). These uplands are cut by deep, incised valleys that run parallel north-west to south-east on the South Wales coalfield. These are the valleys of the Cynon, and the two Rhondda rivers, the Rhondda Fawr and the Rhondda Fach, both of which are tributaries of the Taff. The other main river is the Ely. The Taff and the Ely both eventually reach the Severn estuary at Cardiff. Towards the south the area is less elevated. Some 54 sq km (21 sq mi) in the north of the county borough lies within the Brecon Beacons National Park.

The climate of the county borough is comparatively mild, with an average temperature in January of 3° C (38° F) and in July of 20° C (68° F). The average annual rainfall is in the region of 1,000 to 1,520 mm (40 to 60 in). The northern part of the county borough is colder and less sunny than the south.

III.

Population and Administration

The population of the county borough is 231,952 (2001). According to the 2001 census, Welsh is spoken by around 21 per cent of the population (see Celtic Languages). The main towns are Aberdare (1991, 29,040), and Mountain Ash (14,300), Pontypridd (population, 1991, 28,487), Porth (16,300), and Tonypandy (19,500). The administrative centre of the unitary authority is in Clydach-Vale.

Glamorgan University, founded in 1992, is in Pontypridd. The police authority is the South Wales Constabulary, which has its headquarters in the town of Bridgend in Bridgend county borough.

IV.

Places of Interest

Aberdare stands at the head of the Cynon Valley, at the southern edge of the Brecon Beacons National Park, with Graig Mountain forming a scenic backdrop. In the centre of the town is a statue to Griffith Rhys Jones, who led the South Wales Choral Union to victory in the first choir contest, held at London's Crystal Palace in 1872. Jones's choir was an exemplar in the famed choral tradition of the Welsh mining valleys, which had at its roots the need to provide music in the chapels. The Treorchy Male Voice Choir is one of the well-known contemporary choirs. Pontypridd is where Evan James and his son James wrote the Welsh National Anthem, Mae Hen Wlad fy Nhadau (Land of My Fathers). Llantrisant is the home of the Royal Mint.

Just to the west of Pontypridd is the Rhondda Heritage Park, which offers an insight into the history, heritage, and culture of the local area. Visitors can descend into the mine shaft and take a guided tour through the underground roadways of the colliery, experiencing what it would have been like to work on a coalface in the 1950s. There are forests and woodland parks within the county. With 200 hectares (495 acres) of varied landscape, Dare Valley Country Park was once the site of 19 coal mines. The park’s woodland and lakes are an important habitat for bird life, including peregrine falcons, kestrels, buzzards, and sparrowhawks.

V.

Economy

With the closure of the coal mines, the mainstay of the economy since the 19th century, the area has turned to other forms of employment. The manufacture of metal goods and of vehicles is of importance, as are the service industries, including hotels, catering, and distribution. There is also some light manufacturing. The chainworks established at Pontypridd in 1816 made the gigantic ships' chains for famous liners such as the Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth. The town was badly hit by the depression of the 1930s; as part of an effort to regenerate the area, large industrial estates have been built and new industries brought in. Pontypridd is now an important service centre for the county borough.

VI.

History

There is evidence in the area of prehistoric settlement. Iron Age inhabitants of the area put up considerable resistance to the Roman invasion in the latter part of the 1st century ad. The Normans came in their turn to conquer the territory in the late 11th century, and built their castles in an effort to subdue the local people. The Industrial Revolution transformed the previously remote agricultural region. The iron industry flourished and once the extensive coal reserves of south Wales were recognized in the mid-19th century—the Treherbert mines were opened in 1855—coal became supreme. The industry was stimulated by the construction of railways to link the mines with the ports of Cardiff, Barry, and Port Talbot. The Rhondda Valley (properly the twin river valleys of the Rhondda Fawr and Rhondda Fach) was the most famous of all coal-producing areas, and its population soared, increasing from 542 in 1801 to 113,00 in 1901, as miners and their families moved in. The early 20th century saw a drop in the demand for coal and a simultaneous drop in prices, a trend that has continued to the present day as the lucrative late 19th-century coal market dwindled and coal suppliers faced stiff competition from abroad. Subsequently the economy of the area declined sharply, and the collieries have shut. Local unemployment is high, despite government schemes and initiatives aimed at attracting light industry to the area. Depopulation has been rapid and widespread. The area is presently much more residential than industrialized.