Rudry () is a small village and

community A community is a social unit (a group of people) with a shared socially-significant characteristic, such as place, set of norms, culture, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given g ...

located to the east of

Caerphilly Caerphilly (, ; , ) is a town and community (Wales), community in Wales. It is situated at the southern end of the Rhymney Valley and separated from the Cardiff suburbs of Lisvane and Rhiwbina by Caerphilly Mountain. It is north of Cardiff an ...

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

. As a community Rudry contains not only the village of Rudry, but also the villages of Draethen, Garth and Waterloo. The population of the community at the 2011 census was 1,053.

Description

The village is in a rural location, surrounded by wooded hills with walks along the Rhymney Valley Ridgeway Walk. The village's main attractions include the Maen llwyd Inn; the site of another historic public house, The Griffin; and the 13th-century St James's church

St James's Church

The church has been in existence since at least ; it is thought that the site was home to a

wayside shrine A wayside shrine is a religious image, usually in some sort of small shelter, placed by a road or pathway, sometimes in a settlement or at a crossroads, but often in the middle of an empty stretch of country road, or at the top of a hill or mount ...

used by pilgrims for some time before this. The church is the centre of a local belief that

Oliver Cromwell Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English statesman, politician and soldier, widely regarded as one of the most important figures in British history. He came to prominence during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, initially ...

sought refuge in St James's during the

Second English Civil War The Second English Civil War took place between February and August 1648 in Kingdom of England, England and Wales. It forms part of the series of conflicts known collectively as the 1639–1653 Wars of the Three Kingdoms, which include the 164 ...

. While there is little evidence today to support this, it is known that Cromwell was actively leading forces in the area and that Charles I spent time at nearby Ruperra Castle. In the late eighteenth century the priest at St James's was one William Price. While Price was known as an eccentric in his own right, his son, William Price, gained great renown as a Chartist, Neo-

druid A druid was a member of the high-ranking priestly class in ancient Celtic cultures. The druids were religious leaders as well as legal authorities, adjudicators, lorekeepers, medical professionals and political advisors. Druids left no wr ...

, political activist, Welsh nationalist and as a pioneer of

cremation Cremation is a method of Disposal of human corpses, final disposition of a corpse through Combustion, burning. Cremation may serve as a funeral or post-funeral rite and as an alternative to burial. In some countries, including India, Nepal, and ...

History

The community was formerly known as Yr-Yw-Dre (English: The Yew-tree Town), deriving from the large number of yew trees which are a feature of the mountains surrounding the village. In the mid-nineteenth century, lead ore was extracted from the

limestone Limestone is a type of carbonate rock, carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material Lime (material), lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different Polymorphism (materials science) ...

hills surrounding Rudry, with miners being brought into the area from North Wales. The community was also served by two railway stations, Waterloo Halt and Fountain Bridge Halt, with each station serving trains travelling in one direction only. Both stations were closed in 1956.Hutton, J. ''The Newport Docks & Railway Company''. Silver Link. 1996. p. 101 There is a small primary school, not far from the parish hall. The school was built in around 1902. File:Rudry Close, Rudry - geograph.org.uk - 372641.jpg, Rudry Close File:Rudry Parish Hall - geograph.org.uk - 3062986.jpg, Rudry village hall

References

External links

www.geograph.co.uk : photos of Rudry and surrounding areaRudry Community Council
Villages in Caerphilly County Borough Communities in Caerphilly County Borough {{Caerphilly-geo-stub