Treharris is a small town and community (and

electoral ward A ward is a local authority area, typically used for electoral purposes. In some countries, wards are usually named after neighbourhoods, thoroughfares, parishes, landmarks, geographical features and in some cases historical figures connected to t ...

) in the Taff Bargoed Valley in the south of Merthyr Tydfil County Borough,

South Wales South Wales ( cy, De Cymru) is a loosely defined region of Wales bordered by England to the east and mid Wales to the north. Generally considered to include the historic counties of Glamorgan and Monmouthshire, south Wales extends westwards ...

. It is located about west of Trelewis, from which it is separated by the Taff Bargoed river, and from Nelson in

Caerphilly Caerphilly (, ; cy, Caerffili, ) is a town and community in Wales. It is situated at the southern end of the Rhymney Valley. It is north of Cardiff and northwest of Newport. It is the largest town in Caerphilly County Borough, and lies wit ...

county borough and has a population of 6,356 from the 2011 Census. As a community, Treharris includes the villages of Quakers Yard and Edwardsville. Due to steepness and narrowness of both the Taff and Taff Bargoed valleys at Treharris several notable bridges and viaducts have been built in the area.Davies (2008), pg 554.

History

The town was formed around Harris's Deep Navigation Colliery, which begun

coal mining Coal mining is the process of extracting 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 ...

excavations in 1878, after sinking started in 1872. The colliery and village were named after F. W. Harris and his Harris Navigation Steam Coal Company. Originally known as Harris's Navigation Pits, the Deep Navigation shafts were the deepest at the time in South Wales. With the some shafts sunk to a depth of 760 yards (2,280 feet, 695 metres) to access the ''Nine Feet Seam'', 200 yards (600 feet, 183 metres) deeper than any other colliery in the coalfield.Thomas (1979), pg 27. Ownership transferred to the Ocean Coal Co. Ltd. in 1893 - so called because the pit supplied the coal for the transatlantic

ocean liner An ocean liner is a passenger ship primarily used as a form of transportation across seas or oceans. Ocean liners may also carry cargo or mail, and may sometimes be used for other purposes (such as for pleasure cruises or as hospital ships). Ca ...

s, including the

Cunard Line Cunard () is a British shipping and cruise line based at Carnival House at Southampton, England, operated by Carnival UK and owned by Carnival Corporation & plc. Since 2011, Cunard and its three ships have been registered in Hamilton, Berm ...

. The pit became known as Deep Navigation Colliery and remained in production until 1991. During the early 21st century, like many ex-mining villages in the area, Treharris underwent significant regeneration to the town/village centre. Most, if not all of the land where Deep Navigation was situated has been landscaped and is now part of the new Parc Taff Bargoed, where many of the local football and rugby teams train and play.

Governance

Treharris is also the name of an

whose boundaries are coterminous with the community. The Treharris ward elects three county councillors to Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council. Since 1995 the ward has elected a mixture of Labour Party or Independent councillors. In May 2017 the Labour Party won all three seats.Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council Election Results 1995-2012
The Election Centre. Retrieved 31 October 2018.

Sport and leisure

The Welsh International Climbing Centre - geograph

The Welsh International Climbing Centre, an indoor climbing centre and caving complex, is built on the site of the former Trelewis Drift mine and is an integral part of the Millennium park complex. Treharris has the oldest Boys and Girls club in the whole of the United Kingdom.Treharris Boys and Girls Club is back in business
University of Glamorgan Treharris Athletic is the local football (soccer) team, once winners of the Western League in

1910 Events January * January 13 – The first public radio broadcast takes place; live performances of the operas '' Cavalleria rusticana'' and ''Pagliacci'' are sent out over the airwaves, from the Metropolitan Opera House in New York C ...

, who now ply their trade in the Welsh Football League. Valley Cougars are an amateur Rugby league that play their home games at

Treharris Rugby Club Treharris is a small town and community (and electoral ward) in the Taff Bargoed Valley in the south of Merthyr Tydfil County Borough, South Wales. It is located about west of Trelewis, from which it is separated by the Taff Bargoed river, and f ...

they play in Rugby Leagues 4th tier, the

Conference League South The Southern Conference League is a British rugby league division in the Rugby Football League's tier 4. It is the highest level of amateur rugby league in the South of England and South Wales. It was one of the leagues that replaced Rugby Leagu ...

Treharris Mini and Junior Rugby Football Club was founded in 1994. The continued success of this club paved the way for the re-introduction of senior and youth rugby in 2009.
Treharris Rugby
is represented at senior level by Treharris Phoenix who compete in th
WRU/SWALEC Leagues
Treharris Youth compete in the

Welsh Rugby Union The Welsh Rugby Union (WRU; cy, Undeb Rygbi Cymru) is the Sports governing body, governing body of rugby union in the country of Wales, recognised by the sport's international governing body, World Rugby. The WRU is responsible for the running ...

br>RAF Youth League

Transport

Treharris is served by Quakers Yard railway station, on the Merthyr Line between Cardiff Central and Merthyr Tydfil.

Arts & entertainment

The sketch "The Worm That Turned", from the BBC series '' The Two Ronnies'', was filmed around Treharris. The 1972 film ''

Sunstruck ''Sunstruck'', also known by the alternative title of ''Education of Stanley Evans'', is a 1972 British–Australian comedy film directed by James Gilbert and starring Harry Secombe, Maggie Fitzgibbon and John Meillon. Plot Stanley Evans, a ...

'' starring Harry Secombe was partly filmed in the two the villages of Treharris and Trelewis. The Welsh school featured, Webster Street School, has now been demolished for housing.

Notable people

:''See :People from Treharris'' St Matthias Church, Treharris - geograph

* Lloyd Daniels, X-Factor finalist * David Davies, Welsh international footballer *

Ivor Davies Ivor Davies may refer to: * Ivor Davies (politician) (1915–1986), British Liberal Party member and parliamentary candidate * Ivor Davies (artist) (born 1935), Welsh artist * Ivor Davies (priest) (1917–1992), British priest and Archdeacon of Lewi ...

, artist * Old Merthyr Tydfil: Treharris
- Historical Photographs of Treharris.

Treharris on Genuki

www.geograph.co.uk : photos of Treharris and surrounding area
{{authority control Towns in Merthyr Tydfil county borough">Treharris"> Towns in Merthyr Tydfil county borough Communities in Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Wards of Merthyr Tydfil County Borough