Llanbradach
| Llanbradach | |
|---|---|
 Llanbradach
|
|
| Llanbradach shown within Caerphilly | |
| Population | 4,774 (2016) |
| OS grid reference | ST148901 |
| Civil parish |
|
| Principal area | |
| Country | Wales |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Police | Gwent |
| Fire | South Wales |
| Ambulance | Welsh |
| EU Parliament | Wales |
Llanbradach is a village in the Welsh county borough of Caerphilly, within the historic boundaries of Glamorgan, south Wales less than 3 miles north of the town of Caerphilly.
It is mostly residential, and contains three pubs, a primary school, a small local shopping area, a recreation ground, a library, two doctor's surgeries, and a youth centre. Being a traditional long and narrow South Wales Valleys village, its potential for expansion is restricted by the river on its eastern side and the hillside to the west.
The village is served by Llanbradach railway station on the former Rhymney Railway line. The Village is twinned with the village of Ploubezre in Brittany
Ordinarily, "Llan" means church or parish, but in this case the origin of the name may come from "Nant Bradach", which means "the banks of river Bradach" ("Bradach" is an Irish word meaning robbing or pilfering). Alternatively, the Welsh word "brad" (treachery or deceit) could have been coupled with the Irish "-ach" suffix (stream or river), creating "a treacherous stream" - possibly one that is prone to sudden, destructive floods. The name is thought to have come into being from around 1597. It is usually taken to be a hybrid Welsh and Irish Name, Nant-Bradach as above, which would indicate a period long before 1597 (when the Llanbradach Fawr farm and house is mentioned), when the Irish ravaged the Glamorgan coast and the Holms, leaving names around (Rheliw'r Gwyddyl).
Llanbradach Colliery was opened in the 1890s, and reached peak production in the 1930s, but was shut down in 1961. A number of old mine buildings are still visible to the rear of the village.
The Barry Railway circumvented the town of Caerphilly, and crossed the Rhymney Valley by means of the Llanbradach Viaduct. The construction of this viaduct, near Pwllypant, was crucial to the establishment of the busy coal port at Barry, which dealt with nearly 4000 ships a year at its peak.
...
Wikipedia