Llanwonno () is a

hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set in Denmark, the play (the ...

high up on the eastern side of Cefn Gwyngul, in the hills between the historic mining valleys of the

Rhondda Rhondda , or the Rhondda Valley ( ), is a former coalmining area in South Wales, historically in the county of Glamorgan. It takes its name from the River Rhondda, and embraces two valleys – the larger Rhondda Fawr valley (, 'large') and t ...

and the Cynon in

Rhondda Cynon Taf Rhondda Cynon Taf (; RCT; also spelt as Rhondda Cynon Taff) is a Principal areas of Wales, county borough in the South East Wales, south-east of Wales. It consists of five valleys: the Rhondda Fawr, Rhondda Fach, Cynon, Taff () and Ely valleys, ...

, deep in the heart of the

South Wales Valleys The South Wales Valleys () are a group of industrialised peri-urban valleys in South Wales. Most of the valleys run northsouth, roughly parallel to each other. Commonly referred to as "The Valleys" (), they stretch from Carmarthenshire in the ...

. Llanwonno today consists of St Gwynno's Church and an inn – The Brynffynon Hotel.

History

The ancient parish of Llanwynno (or Llanwonno) included

Abercynon Abercynon () is a village and community (Wales), community (and electoral ward) in the Cynon Valley within the unitary authority of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. The community comprises the village and the districts of Carnetown and Grovers Field to ...

Penrhiwceiber Penrhiwceiber is a village and community (and electoral ward) in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales, that lies south of the town Aberpennar and north of the village of Tyntetown, and is one of many villages that lies within the Cyn ...

Ynysybwl Ynysybwl ( ) is a village in Cwm Clydach in Wales. It is situated in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, roughly north-north-west of Cardiff, north of Pontypridd and south of Merthyr Tydfil, and forms part of the community (Wales), commun ...

, most of

Mountain Ash Mountain ash may refer to: * ''Eucalyptus regnans'', the tallest of all flowering plants, native to Australia * Mountain-ashes or rowans, varieties of trees and shrubs in the genus ''Sorbus'' See also

* Mountain Ash, Rhondda Cynon Taf, a town ...

, part of

Pontypridd Pontypridd ( , ), Colloquialism, colloquially referred to as ''Ponty'', is a town and a Community (Wales), community in Rhondda Cynon Taf, South Wales, approximately 10 miles north west of Cardiff city centre. Geography Pontypridd comprises the ...

(the area north of the

River Rhondda The River Rhondda () is a river in South Wales with two major tributaries, ''Rhondda Fawr'' (meaning ''big Rhondda'') and ''Rhondda Fach'' (meaning ''little Rhondda''). Description The river has two major Tributary, tributaries, the ''Rhondd ...

and west of the

River Taff The River Taff () is a river in Wales. It rises in the Brecon Beacons as two rivers, the Taf Fechan ("little Taff") and the Taf Fawr ("great Taff") before becoming one just north of Merthyr Tydfil. At Cardiff, it empties into the Bristol Chan ...

Porth Porth () is a town and community in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, within the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan, Wales. Lying in the Rhondda Valley, it is regarded as the gateway connecting the Rhondda Fawr and Rhondda Fach va ...

, Stanleytown,

Ynyshir Ynyshir (; English pronunciation 'Un-is-heer') is a village and community located in the Rhondda Valley, within Rhondda Cynon Taf, South Wales. The name of the village means "long island" in Welsh and takes its name from a farm in the area, fa ...

, Wattstown and

Blaenllechau Blaenllechau is a small village located in the Rhondda Fach valley, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. The neighbouring villages are Ferndale, Maerdy and Tylorstown. The population of Blaenllechau is less than 1,000. The village is defined by the rive ...

in the Rhondda. The parish boundaries were adjusted in 1894 to remove the parts of the parish in the

Ystradyfodwg Ystradyfodwg or Ystrad Dyfodwg (Vale of Tyfodwg) was an ancient upland parish in Glamorgan, Wales. It is believed to have been named after Dyfodwg (or Tyfodwg) a 6th-century saint or chieftain. The parish included most of the area which would lat ...

(Rhondda) and Pontypridd urban districts, alongside other adjustments to make the parish cover the same area as the Mountain Ash Urban District. The upland area around Llanwonno itself is easily reached on foot or by car, using mountain roads, which lead to

, Mountain Ash, Ferndale,

, and

. The legendary athlete Guto Nyth Brân (1700–1737) is buried in the churchyard. The story of the life, and death, of Guto Nyth Brân is remembered and celebrated in the centre of the nearby town of Mountain Ash every New Year's Eve, with an event known as the Nos Galan Road Races, in which runners hailing from all parts of the world race through the local streets, with the finishing-line placed at the point of the bronze statue of the legendary figure, which sits in the centre of a public seating area known as 'Guto Square' on Oxford Street. A

Victorian Victorian or Victorians may refer to: 19th century * Victorian era, British history during Queen Victoria's 19th-century reign ** Victorian architecture ** Victorian house ** Victorian decorative arts ** Victorian fashion ** Victorian literatur ...

history of the parish, ''Glanffrwd's History of Llanwonno 1843–90'', was published by the Rev. W. Thomas in 1888 in serial form in the ''Darian''. A revised edition by Prof Henry Lewis for the University of Wales Press appeared in 1949. Welsh writer and broadcaster Gwyn Thomas immortalised Llanwonno in his 1968 autobiography ''A Few Selected Exits'', in which he recounted how every Sunday he and his father would begin a journey from their home in Cymmer in the Rhondda Valley to visit family in

* Mountain Ash, Rhondda Cynon Taf, a town ...

. They never completed their journey, the pub in Llanwonno being the only place that would serve Gwyn's father on a Sunday. When Gwyn Thomas died in 1981 his ashes were scattered in the churchyard. Later, Llanwonno was used for location filming of the 1993

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

film adaptation of Thomas' autobiography ''Selected Exits'' starring Sir

Anthony Hopkins Sir Philip Anthony Hopkins (born 31 December 1937) is a Welsh actor. Considered one of Britain's most recognisable and prolific actors, he is known for List of Anthony Hopkins performances, his performances on the screen and stage. Hopkins ha ...

as Thomas. The exterior scenes of the

Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series, created by Sydney Newman, C. E. Webber and Donald Wilson (writer and producer), Donald Wilson, depicts the adventures of an extraterre ...

television episode '' The Hungry Earth'' (BBC, 2010) were shot in Llanwynno. The nearby Llanwynno forestry is the location of the Daerwynno Outdoor Centre, an outdoor pursuits centre run by local people. The centre offers a wide range of activities to visitors, including several training courses for disadvantaged young people.

Gallery

References

{{authority control Villages in Rhondda Cynon Taf