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==History== ===Etymology=== The name Pontypridd derives from the name {{lang|cy|Pont y tΕ· pridd}}, [[Welsh language|Welsh]] for "bridge by the earthen house", referring singly to successive wooden bridges that once spanned the [[River Taff]] at this point. ===Old Bridge=== Pontypridd is noted for its [[Old Bridge, Pontypridd|Old Bridge]], a stone construction across the [[River Taff]] built in 1756 by [[William Edwards (architect)|William Edwards]]. This was Edwards's fourth attempt, and at the time of construction, was the longest single-span stone [[arch bridge]] in the world. Rising {{convert|35|ft}} above the level of the river, the bridge forms a perfect segment of a circle, the [[chord (geometry)|chord]] of which is {{convert|140|ft}}. Notable features are the three holes of differing diameters through each end of the bridge, the purpose of which is to reduce weight. On completion, questions were soon raised as to the utility of the bridge, with the steepness of the design making it difficult to get horses and carts across. As a result, a new bridge, the Victoria Bridge, paid for by public subscription, was built adjacent to the old one in 1857. Pontypridd was known as Newbridge from shortly after the construction of the Old Bridge until the 1860s. [[File:Drinking fountain, Taff St, Pontypridd.jpg|thumb|The drinking fountain in Taff St, Pontypridd, donated in 1895 by Sir Alfred Thomas, MP for East Glamorgan]] [[File:Pontypridd New Bridge (b).jpg|thumb|[[Old Bridge, Pontypridd|Old Bridge]], dating from 1756]] ===Coal=== The history of Pontypridd is tied to the [[coal]] and [[iron]] industries; before their development Pontypridd was a hamlet of a few farmsteads, with [[Treforest]] initially becoming the main urban settlement in the area. Sited at the junction of three valleys, it became an important location for transporting coal from the Rhondda and iron from [[Merthyr Tydfil]], first by the [[Glamorganshire Canal]], and later by the [[Taff Vale Railway]], to the ports at [[Cardiff]], [[Barry, Vale of Glamorgan|Barry]] and [[Newport, Wales|Newport]]. Its role in coal transport lengthened its railway platform, which is thought to have once been the longest in the world in its heyday.<ref>Huw Williams, 1981. ''Pontypridd: Essays on the History of an Industrial Community''. University College, Department of Extra-Mural Studies.</ref> Pontypridd in the second half of the 19th century was a hive of industry, once nicknamed the "[[Wild West]]".<ref>Lucy Ellis, 2009. ''Tom Jones Close Up''. 0711975493</ref> There were several collieries within the Pontypridd area itself, including: [[File:Pontypridd Railway Station 1910s.jpg|thumb|right|Tonypandy & Trealaw railway station during an early 1910s coal strike]] [[File:The Pontypridd Chronicle Jan 15 1881.jpg|thumb|Front page of the earliest surviving copy of the Welsh newspaper ''The Pontypridd Chronicle''; 15 January 1881]] *[[Albion Colliery|Albion Colliery, Cilfynydd]] *Bodwenarth Colliery, Pontsionnorton *Daren Ddu Colliery, Graigwen & Glyncoch *Dynea Colliery, Rhydyfelen *Gelli-whion Colliery, Graig *Great Western/Gyfeillion Colliery, Hopkinstown *Lan Colliery, Hopkinstown *Newbridge Colliery, Graig *Pen-y-rhiw Colliery, Graig *Pontypridd/Maritime Collieries, Graig & Maesycoed *Pwllgwaun Colliery/'Dan's Muck Hole', Pwllgwaun *Red Ash Colliery, Cilfynydd *Ty-Mawr Colliery, Hopkinstown & Pantygraigwen *Typica Colliery, Hopkinstown & Pantygraigwen, and *Victoria Colliery, Maesycoed As well as deep-mined collieries, there were many coal levels and trial shafts dug into the hillsides overlooking the town from Cilfynydd, Graig, Graigwen and [[Trehafod|Hafod]]. The Albion Colliery in the village of Cilfynydd in 1894 underwent one of the worst explosions in the South Wales coalfield, with the death of 290 colliers (see [[Keir Hardie]]). ===Iron and steel=== Other instrumental industries in Pontypridd were the [[Brown Lenox & Co Ltd|Brown Lenox]]/Newbridge Chain & Anchor Works south-east of the town, and [[Crawshay]]'s Forest Iron, Steel & Tin Plate Works and the Taff Vale Iron Works, both in Treforest near the now [[University of South Wales]]. ===Buildings=== The town has a hospital, [[Dewi Sant Hospital]] and acts as the [[headquarters]] of [[Transport for Wales Rail]] at Llys Cadwyn.
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