Cwmdare
Cwmdare
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 Elim Chapel, Bwllfa Road, Cwmdare |
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 Cwmdare
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| Cwmdare shown within Rhondda Cynon Taff | |
| Principal area | |
| Ceremonial county | |
| Country | Wales |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | ABERDARE |
| Police | South Wales |
| Fire | South Wales |
| Ambulance | Welsh |
| EU Parliament | Wales |
| UK Parliament | |
| Welsh Assembly | |
Cwmdare (Welsh: Cwmdâr) is a village near Aberdare, in Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. The village's history is intertwined with coal-mining, and since the decline of the industry in the 1980s, it has become primarily a commuter base for the larger surrounding towns of Aberdare and Merthyr Tydfil and Pontypridd, as well as the cities of Cardiff and Swansea.
The village's name literally translates as "Dare Valley". The Dare (Welsh: Dâr) is tributary that flows down from the Darren mountain, down through the village and on to Aberdare (literally "Mouth Of The Dare"), where it joins the larger River Cynon, one of the largest tributaries of the River Taff.
Before the exploitation of the South Wales Coalfield, Cwmdare was a scattering of a few houses and farms. However, in the 1850s with the Industrial Revolution fuelling the demand for coal, several deep coal mines were constructed in the area, and workers began to migrate there from other parts of Wales, as well as the South West of England.
The influx of miners naturally necessitated the construction of housing to support them, and between 1853 and 1859, the first streets were laid down on the west side of the Dare Valley, which would become the centre of the village of Cwmdare. At the same time, a small collection of houses were constructed on the east side of the valley, near the Merthyr Dare Colliery, known as Pithead. As the collieries grew over the next century, Cwmdare grew with it, with rows of terraced miner's cottages being built to the north-west of the original hamlet to create homes for the expanding workforce.
Cwmdare had four large collieries in operation during its history, all of which had closed by 1977. The Cwmdare, Merthyr Dare and Bwllfa Dare collieries were all sunk in the 1850s, while work began on Nantmelyn Colliery in 1860. Over the next 120 years, the seams in the Maerdy mountain were gradually used up, with Merthyr Dare closing in 1884, Cwmdare in 1936, Nantmelin in 1957, and finally Bwllfa Dare in 1977.
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Wikipedia