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Tours > Wales > The Rhondda Valley
The Rhondda Valley
Wherever in the world Welshmen and women gather, one of the hymns always sung is to the tune "Cwm Rhondda" (the Valley of the Rhondda). For those not familiar with Wales, this was the valley that epitomized the Welsh coal industry. The Hollywood Movie "How Green Was My Valley" gave an unforgettable portrait of life in the Valley. For over a century, it was one of the greatest coal-producing regions of the world, having been rapidly transformed from a quiet backwater on the western edge of Europe.
At the end of the 19th century, Cardiff would be exporting more coal than any other port in the world, and more than a million people had crowded the valleys that radiated out in the valleys north of the city. South Wales coal was the ideal fuel for the domestic fireplaces of London and other rapidly growing urban centers of England. It was also the preferred fuel for the ever-expanding navies of the world when steam replaced sail and iron replaced wood. In 1839, to export the vast amounts of coal now reaching the city from the Rhondda Valleys, there was feverish activity to complete the Bute Docks out of the mud in the Severn Estuary.
The Rhondda is really two valleys, Rhondda Fawr (including Treherbert, Treorchy, Tonypandy, and Porth) and Rhondda Fach (including Maerdy, Ferndale, and Tylorstown) separated by the nearly 2000 ft high Cefn Rhondda Ridge. The decline of the coal industry beginning in the 1930's brought tremendous hardship to the whole valley, dependent as it was upon one main industry, and the government has been very concerned and involved in the setting up of light industries to alleviate one of the highest unemployment levels in Britain.
Next Stop: Pontypridd
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