The Industrial Revolution transformed the South Wales Valleys. Sleepy hamlets were transformed into bustling towns almost overnight. As these communities grew, so did the need for places of worship. One such example was St Mabon’s Church. Sited on the top of Llanfabon, St Mabon’s had been a place of worship since medieval times. As the … More A Brief History Of St Cynons Church
Ebenezer Richards was born in the parish of Llanfabon in 1875. A miner employed at Abercynon Colliery, he resided at 49 Avondale Street, Ynysboeth, Abercynon. He was married and had 7 children. During World War One, Mr Richards served with the 2nd / 5th battalion of the Gloucestershire Regiment. He was killed in action on … More Private Ebenezer Richards
Just a quick update. I’m not going anywhere and plan to continue updating this site. However, I have also started a substack blog looking at wider Welsh history. If you want to check it out here is a link to today’s post which tells the story of Taff Vale Park in Treforest. https://open.substack.com/pub/cymruuncovered/p/taff-vale-park?r=2a6fwa&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web Thanks for … More Update
Lock y waun was the name given to a small community centered around two pairs of double locks on the Abercynon section of the Glamorganshire canal. Taking its name from the lower pair of locks, Lock Y Waun consisted of a shop, 6 small workmen’s cottages and a lock keepers cottage. A well located to … More The Forgotten Community of Lock Y Waun
St Donat’s celebrates its 125th anniversary this year.Located on Cardiff Road, at its junction with Aberdare Road, the church was designed by architect G. E. Halliday of Cardiff. Construction began in 1897 and was completed the following year. Interestingly, because of the sloping ground on which it sits, St Donat’s is aligned North to South, … More St Donats Church
On the 21st of February, 1804 Richard Trevithick’s Penydarren Locomotive successfully carried 10 tons of iron, 5 wagons and 70 men (including the two ironmasters) from Penydarren along the Merthyr Tramroad to Navigation House, Abercynon. The locomotive took just over 4 hours to complete the trip at an average speed of roughly 2.4 mph. However, due … More The 219th Anniversary of the Penydarren Locomotive
The sinking of the RMS Titanic on the 15th of April, 1912 remains the deadliest sinking of an ocean liner in peace time. Thanks to the 1997 movie of the same name, the disaster also retains a place in the popular consciousness. But what is less known is the connection that the disaster has to … More Abercynon and the RMS Titanic
On the 27th of October, 1913 a tornado struck the South Wales Valleys. For more on how the tornado hit Abercynon, check out our earlier post here: https://abercynonhistoryblog.wordpress.com/2016/10/27/the-abercynon-tornado/
The following image shows the area now known as Abercynon woods. The viaduct in the foreground is still standing and in use as a bridge across the river Taff. The cottage behind the viaduct was, for many years, the home of Gomer Morgan. In front of the cottage, on the side of the path, a … More A Quick Snap
Built on the site of the old toll house, the Cynon Star Garage was located at the bottom of Glancynon Terrace. The garage took its name from the nearby bridge which crosses the River Taff.
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