Treorchy
Treorchy
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 Treorchy
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| Treorchy shown within Rhondda Cynon Taf | |
| Population | 7,694 (2011) |
| OS grid reference | SS955965 |
| Principal area | |
| Ceremonial county | |
| Country | Wales |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | TREORCHY |
| Postcode district | CF42 |
| Dialling code | 01443 |
| Police | South Wales |
| Fire | South Wales |
| Ambulance | Welsh |
| EU Parliament | Wales |
| UK Parliament | |
| Welsh Assembly | |
Treorchy (Welsh: Treorci) is a village in Wales, once a town, retaining the characteristics of a town. Situated in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf in the Rhondda Fawr valley. Treorchy is also one of the 16 communities of the Rhondda, together with the villages of Cwmparc and Ynyswen.
Prior to industrialisation, most of the land was owned by one of the great families of Glamorgan with Treorchy coming under the domain of the Marquess of Bute Estate. The discovery of coal transformed the area. The period following 1851 saw Treorchy becoming an industrial town. The town grew around the coal mining industry during the late 19th and early 20th century, but by the end of the 20th century all the local pits had closed, creating an economic downturn in the community.
Treorchy had been established when the Abergorki Colliery, situated in Cwm Orci to the north, was opened as a level in 1859 by a Mr Huxham, a former manager of the Bute Merthyr Colliery. This was sold to J. H. Insole of Cymmer in 1862. The first deep mine in Treorchy was sunk in the 1860s by David Davies of Llandinam who would later own the Ocean Coal Company. The initial development of the town was linear, based on the main road through the valley, but by 1875 a grid pattern of streets was emerging.
Pre-industrial Rhondda community was Welsh-speaking, and the Welsh language continued to be widely spoken in the valley and in the upper villages of the Rhondda until the mid-twentieth century. The original migrants to the Rhondda were from rural Wales but later a higher proportion came from England. In 1901 64.4% of the population of the Rhondda Urban District were recorded as Welsh-speaking but this proportion fell to 56.6% by 1911.
Ysgol Gymraeg Ynyswen, a Welsh medium primary school, is situated in the nearby village of Ynyswen. Established in 1950, it was the first Welsh medium school in the Rhondda. It serves Treorchy and the surrounding villages, including Treherbert, Cwmparc, Penyrenglyn and Blaencwm.
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Wikipedia