Town in Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales
Pontypridd
Pontypridd gave Wales its national anthem, Britain a record-breaking bridge and the world Tom Jones, all within a few miles of one river junction.
Key information
- County
- Rhondda Cynon Taf
- Nation
- Wales
- Known for
- The Old Bridge, the birthplace of 'Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau', Tom Jones and Ponty rugby
- What locals are called
- Pontypriddians, and the town itself is simply 'Ponty'
- Famous people
- Tom Jones, Evan James, James James, William Edwards
- Football clubs
- Pontypridd United (name adopted in 2022)
About Pontypridd
The bridge that wouldn't fall down
In 1756 a self-taught stonemason and Independent minister named William Edwards finished a single stone arch over the River Taff. It spanned about 43 metres, making it the longest single-span stone arch in Britain at the time. Edwards, minister at Groeswen, had learned the hard way. His earlier bridges at the spot collapsed, undone by floods and by the sheer weight of the masonry. For the successful version he punched circular holes through the haunches of the arch to lighten the load, which gives the Old Bridge its distinctive, almost skeletal look. It worked. The bridge still stands beside the modern road crossing, and its steep, graceful curve is why the town has the name it does. Pont-y-ty-pridd means 'bridge of the earthen house', after a small house near the crossing. Before the name caught on, the growing settlement was known as Newbridge.
A national anthem written over a weaver's shop
Wales sings 'Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau' (Land of My Fathers) before every international, and it was written in Pontypridd in 1856. Evan James, a woollen weaver, wrote the words. His son James James, a harpist and publican, composed the tune. The song spread through eisteddfodau and chapels and was soon adopted by the whole country. Today Evan and James are commemorated in Ynysangharad Park, where a memorial unveiled in 1930 shows the pair together. The park itself began life in the 1920s as a war memorial park, laid out beside the Taff, and it has been the town's green heart ever since.
The druid, the Rocking Stone and a very odd ceremony
On Pontypridd Common stands the Rocking Stone, or Maen Chwyf, a boulder that was once said to wobble at a touch. In the nineteenth century it caught the attention of Dr William Price, a flamboyant physician from nearby Llantrisant who declared himself an archdruid. Price staged ceremonies at the stone and wore elaborate robes. He is also remembered as a pioneer of modern cremation in Britain, after he cremated his infant son on a hillside in 1884 and won the legal argument that followed. The Common is still a fine place for a view over the town and across to the Old Bridge.
From canal to coal to chains
Pontypridd grew because it sat where the Valleys met. Coal from the Rhondda and Cynon valleys funnelled through the town on the Glamorganshire Canal and then the Taff Vale Railway, heading for the docks at Cardiff. As the coal trade boomed in the nineteenth century, Pontypridd became a market and transport hub for the whole region. The heavy industry was just as striking. The Brown Lenox chain works, established in 1818, made huge chains and anchors for the Royal Navy and for Brunel's Great Eastern. When the old industries faded, Treforest Industrial Estate opened in 1936 to bring in new jobs. Treforest is also where the University of South Wales has a campus, which keeps a student crowd in the town.
Tom Jones and the Ponty sound
Tom Jones was born in Treforest in 1940 and grew up in the terraces of Pontypridd. He was working in a glove factory and singing in pubs before 'It's Not Unusual' went to number one in 1965. A career lasting six decades followed, and he is still one of the town's most-quoted exports. Ponty has long been a place for music, from chapel choirs to rock bands. The tradition goes right back to the harp-playing James James and his song. On a Saturday the covered market is worth a wander, with stalls selling Welsh cakes, bara brith and the kind of bargains that have kept shoppers coming for generations.
Valley Commandos and Sardis Road
Rugby is the passion here. Pontypridd RFC was founded in 1876 and is nicknamed the Valley Commandos, a reputation for tough, committed forward play earned in the heart of the coalfield. Their home, Sardis Road, is one of the most atmospheric club grounds in Wales. The club won the Welsh league in 1997, and in 2002 it became the first Welsh club to reach the final of the European Challenge Cup, losing 25–22 to Sale Sharks. The town has also produced generations of Wales internationals. Football has a home too, with Pontypridd United, the name adopted in 2022, flying the flag in the Welsh leagues.