Porth
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Porth (Welsh: Y Porth) is a town in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taff, within the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan, South Wales, lying in the Rhondda Valley and is regarded as the gateway to the Rhondda Fawr and Rhondda Fach valleys because both valleys meet at Porth. The Welsh word "porth" means "gate" when translated into English, however, Porth is a predominantly English-speaking community.
Porth grew around the coal mining industry and all coal mines in the area have since closed. The Rhondda Heritage Park, Trehafod is situated near the town.
Presently, Porth is home to around 10,000 people living in different areas of the town, namely Birchgrove, Britannia, Cymmer, Glynfach, Llwyncelyn, Mount Pleasant and Porth town centre.
Neighbouring towns and villages include Trealaw, Trebanog, Trehafod and Ynyshir.
Secondary school age children are most likely to attend Porth County Community School, or Ysgol Gyfun Y Cymmer, situated in the Cymmer area of Porth. Despite the English language dominance of the area, the number of enrolments to Welsh language medium schools in the area continues to rise and these schools are nearing, or at, full capacity.
Porth railway station resides in the town centre with services to Treherbert and Cardiff departing twice every hour. Arriva Trains Wales is responsible for the railway service available in Porth.
The centre of Porth is home to the shopping district based around Hannah Street. Most other business are located on nearby Pontypridd Road and Porth Street. There is also a library in Porth.
The recent construction of the Porth-Tylorstown bypass (Porth Relief Road) has caused traffic jams and detours. The bypass was opened on December 28th 2006 but landscaping work finished on April 2007. The construction of the bypass was first discussed over 50 years ago.
The town is also the home of The Pop Factory, opened in 2000 with an opening ceremony attended by Tom Jones, Cerys Matthews and Kelly Jones. It is both a television studio and recording studio. The owners of the building also contribute to the local area, and organised the Tom Jones homecoming concert at Ynysangharad Park, Pontypridd on May 28 2005.
Porth crater on Mars is named after the town.
[edit] External links
- Porth Chamber of Trade
- Porth Relief Road
- Porth Library
- www.geograph.co.uk : photos of Porth and surrounding area
