Pontypridd

The name Pontypridd is from the Welsh for Bridge by the earthern house. The bridge in question was a footbridge across the River Taff[?]. Pontypridd is, however, more famous for the Old Bridge, a stone bridge across the Taff[?] built in 1755 by William Edwards[?]. The bridge was the third attemped by Edwards, and at the time of construction was the longest stone-built single-arch bridge in Europe. Pontypridd was known as Newbridge from shortly after the construction of this bridge until the 1860s.

The history of Pontypridd is closely tied to the coal and iron industries. Sited as it is at the junction of the Rhondda[?] and Cynon[?] valleys, it became an important location for the transportation of coal from the Rhondda and iron from Merthyr Tydfil[?], first via the Glamorganshire Canal[?] and later via railway, to the ports at Cardiff and Barry[?].

Notable people from Pontypridd include

• Tom Jones, singer of such classics as Delilah and The Green Green Grass of Home
• Evan James[?] and James James[?], writers of Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau, the national anthem of Wales
• William Price, who carried out the first cremation in the UK in modern times at the Common in Pontypridd
• Opera singers Stuart Burrows[?] and Geraint Evans[?] who were born in nearby Cilfynydd[?]