Gilfach Goch
Encyclopedia
Gilfach Goch is a small former coal mining
village
in Rhondda Cynon Taff
, south Wales
, near the larger community of Tonyrefail
in the Ogmore
(Ogwr Fach) Valley.
It is reputed to have once been home to the author Richard Llewellyn
who based his novel How Green Was My Valley
in a fictional town assumed to be based on Gilfach Goch. Llewellyn would spend long summer holidays with his grandfather in the village.
The oldest building in the village is the Griffin Inn pub, which is situated at the bottom of a country lane.
In the 2001 census
the village had the largest percentage of people (in the whole of England and Wales) who listed their religion as no religion
.
(1921–2005) , the Wales
international footballer was born in Gilfach Goch.
Coal mining
The goal of coal mining is to obtain coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content, and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from iron ore and for cement production. In the United States,...
village
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
in Rhondda Cynon Taff
Rhondda Cynon Taff
Rhondda Cynon Taf, or RCT, is a county borough in the South Wales Valleys of Wales. It consists of 3 valleys: the Rhondda Valley, Cynon Valley and Taff-Ely Valley...
, south Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
, near the larger community of Tonyrefail
Tonyrefail
Tonyrefail is a village and community in Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough, Wales. It is situated north west of Llantrisant at the head of the Ely Valley, south of the Rhondda, being around from Trebanog and around from Williamstown. It is also around from the village of Gilfach Goch...
in the Ogmore
Ogmore
Ogmore may refer to several places in south and southwest Wales:*Ogmore-by-Sea, a village in southwest Wales*River Ogmore, a river in south Wales*Ogmore Castle, a castle in south Wales*Ogmore , south Wales...
(Ogwr Fach) Valley.
It is reputed to have once been home to the author Richard Llewellyn
Richard Llewellyn
Richard Dafydd Vivian Llewellyn Lloyd , better known by his pen name Richard Llewellyn, was a Welsh novelist.Llewellyn Richard Dafydd Vivian Llewellyn Lloyd (8 December 1906 – 30 November 1983), better known by his pen name Richard Llewellyn, was a Welsh novelist.Llewellyn Richard Dafydd...
who based his novel How Green Was My Valley
How Green Was My Valley
How Green Was My Valley is a 1939 novel by Richard Llewellyn, telling the story through narration of the main character, of his Welsh family and the mining community in which they live. The author had claimed to have based the book on his own knowledge of the Gilfach Goch area, but this was proven...
in a fictional town assumed to be based on Gilfach Goch. Llewellyn would spend long summer holidays with his grandfather in the village.
The oldest building in the village is the Griffin Inn pub, which is situated at the bottom of a country lane.
In the 2001 census
United Kingdom Census 2001
A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK Census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194....
the village had the largest percentage of people (in the whole of England and Wales) who listed their religion as no religion
Irreligion
Irreligion is defined as an absence of religion or an indifference towards religion. Sometimes it may also be defined more narrowly as hostility towards religion. When characterized as hostility to religion, it includes antitheism, anticlericalism and antireligion. When characterized as...
.
Famous residents
Bryn AllenBryn Allen
Brynley William "Bryn" Allen was a Welsh footballer who played as an inside forward for various clubs in the 1940s and 1950s and made two appearances for Wales.-Football career:...
(1921–2005) , the Wales
Wales national football team
The Wales national football team represents Wales in international football. It is controlled by the Football Association of Wales , the governing body for football in Wales, and the third oldest national football association in the world. The team have only qualified for a major international...
international footballer was born in Gilfach Goch.