Ystrad (also known as Ystrad Rhondda or Ystrad-Rhondda) is a 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 ...
(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 t ...
) in 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 ...
Fawr valley,
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, ...
, Wales.
Description
As a community and ward Ystrad contains the neighbouring district of Gelli. Ystrad is a former
coal mining
Coal mining is the process of resource extraction, extracting coal from the ground or from a mine. Coal is valued for its Energy value of coal, energy content and since the 1880s has been widely used to Electricity generation, generate electr ...
village which was once housed the most profitable collieries belonging to the Cory brothers.
Ystrad is long and narrow, a main road where most amenities can be found, and a series of smaller residential streets lined with the terraces associated with the area. The majority of housing stock is the classic
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 ...
terrace with infills of new build.
The Rhondda Fawr River runs through the village, separating it from Gelli on the southern bank.
Like most former
coal mining
Coal mining is the process of resource extraction, extracting coal from the ground or from a mine. Coal is valued for its Energy value of coal, energy content and since the 1880s has been widely used to Electricity generation, generate electr ...
communities in the
South Wales Coalfield
The South Wales Coalfield () extends across Pembrokeshire, Carmarthenshire, Swansea, Neath Port Talbot, Bridgend, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Merthyr Tydfil, Caerphilly, Blaenau Gwent and Torfaen. It is rich in coal deposits, especially in the South Wales ...
, Ystrad is remarkably self-contained. There is a very strong community in Ystrad Rhondda - a common feature of these mining towns. The Ystrad Rhondda railway station is on the Rhondda Line opened by
British Rail
British Railways (BR), which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was a state-owned company that operated most rail transport in Great Britain from 1948 to 1997. Originally a trading brand of the Railway Executive of the British Transport Comm ...
.
Religion
The oldest Baptist chapel in the Rhondda, and originally known as Ynysfach Chapel, Nebo was located at Ystrad. It was demolished in the early 1980s.
The Church of St Stephen is part of the Church in Wales Parish of Trealaw with Ystrad Rhondda with Ynyscynon in the Diocese of Llandaff. The church was built in 1895–1896.
Governance
The Ystrad
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 t ...
is coterminous with the borders of the Ystrad community and elects two county councillors to
Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council
Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council () is the governing body for Rhondda Cynon Taf, one of the principal areas of Wales. The council headquarters are at the Llys Cadwyn development in Pontypridd.
History
The council was established on 1 Ap ...
. From 1995 to 2004 it was represented by
Plaid Cymru
Plaid Cymru ( ; , ; officially Plaid Cymru – the Party of Wales, and often referred to simply as Plaid) is a centre-left, Welsh nationalist list of political parties in Wales, political party in Wales, committed to Welsh independence from th ...
Ystrad Rhondda RFC
Ystrad Rhondda Rugby Football Club is a Welsh rugby union team based in Ystrad in the Rhondda Valley. Ystrad Rhondda RFC play home games in royal and blue hooped shirts with black shorts and black socks. Today, Ystrad Rhondda RFC plays in the ...
, a
Welsh Rugby Union
The Welsh Rugby Union (WRU; ) is the 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 of rugby in Wales, overseeing 320 member clu ...
affiliated team who play in the 2nd tier of the Welsh rugby leagues. It is also the location of the Rhondda Sports Centre.
Name
''Ystrad'' is Welsh for "vale". "Ystrad" is in Welsh "Yr Ystrad", with the definite article. It is a short form of the village name Ystradyfodwg or Ystrad-dyfodwg ("vale of Tyfodwg", the name of a saint) which gave its name to an extensive parish, and from 1887 the name of a local government district, renamed as "Rhondda" in 1897.
The Taff Vale railway station at Ystradyfodwg, opened in 1861, was given the short name "Ystrad". In 1930 it was renamed Ystrad Rhondda, possibly to avoid confusion with other stations with “ystrad” (Ystradmynach and Ystradgynlais).
Ystrad Rhondda is "the Ystrad which is the Rhondda district". Sometimes Ystrad Rhondda is said to mean "Vale of the Rhondda" but this is not the correct explanation.
See also other townships in Wales containing "Ystrad" as part of their name:
Jill Evans
Jill Evans (born 8 May 1959) is a Plaid Cymru politician who served as a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for Wales from 1999 to 2020. She was the first person to use the Welsh language in debate at the European Parliament.
In June 199 ...
,
Plaid Cymru
Plaid Cymru ( ; , ; officially Plaid Cymru – the Party of Wales, and often referred to simply as Plaid) is a centre-left, Welsh nationalist list of political parties in Wales, political party in Wales, committed to Welsh independence from th ...
Mike Griffiths
Michael Griffiths (born 18 March 1962) is a former Welsh rugby union player and British Lion,Mel Hopkins, Wales international football player
* Nathan Jones, Welsh footballer and manager
* Maurice Richards, dual code rugby international and British Lion
*
Rex Willis
William Rex Willis (25 October 1924 – 19 January 2000) was a Welsh international rugby union scrum-half who played club rugby for Cardiff and invitational rugby for the Barbarians. He won 21 caps for Wales and was selected to play in the Bri ...
, Wales rugby union captain and British Lion
* Ernest Zobole, artist