Llanharan
Encyclopedia
Llanharan is a small village
in the county borough
of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales
. Llanharan thrived during the British industrial revolution
, with several tin
and coal
mines in the location providing employment to the town's residents. With the decline of heavy industry in the South Wales Coalfield
, Llanharan has been in economic decline, though its proximity to the M4 motorway
offers its residents easy commutable access to most of South Wales.
The most recognisable features of Llanharan are its historic town square, Llanharan House and Church of St Julius and Aaron
.
. It was built in 1750 by Rees Powell and stayed with the Powell family until 1795 upon which it was purchased by Richard Hoare Jenkins. Hoare Jenkins was a High Sheriff of Glamorgan
and he was involved in the suppression of the Merthyr Rising
of 1831, and is recorded as stating he found the execution of Dic Penderyn
as the most difficult of his civic duties. Around 1800 some major improvements were made to the house with the addition of a three-storey circular stair hall which includes a dramatic geometrical staircase. Following the death of Hoare Jenkins in 1856 the house and the estate was passed to a Colonel John Blandy-Jenkins. Following his death in 1915 Colonel Blandy-Jenkins's wife kept the house until 1953.
Llanharan house has a strong historical connection with fox hunting
. This Welsh pack was named The Llanharan and was established by Richard Hoare Jenkins in 1805, though the pack was renamed the Llangeinor during the period when Mr John Blandy Jenkins was the squire. The Llangeinor is now based in Coity near Bridgend
.
Llanharan House is a Grade II listed building.
is the Church of St Julius and Aaron whose interior was redesigned in its present form by neo-gothic architect John Prichard
around 1856, with work completed by 1859. The restoration work was financed by the Jenkins family of Llanharan House.
called The High Corner which dates back to roughly 1700. Outside the High Corner is an original red telephone box
.
where a population of 330 people living in 62 buildings was recorded. In 1850 the South Wales Railway
had opened a station in Llanharan making it a strategic location for surrounding industries. Later employment came from the nearby iron mines in Llanharry
and Pontyclun
. Towards the end of the 19th century an additional 80 houses had been built and Llanharan had a population of over a thousand.
With the discovery of coal
an attempt to sink two mine shafts began between 1870 and 1873, but the work was eventually abandoned as the pit was too wet and inclined.
In the early 1880s, in a different location to the first sinking attempt, the first deep mine in Llanharan was opened, the Meiros Colliery. The Meiros was listed in 1888 as owned by thr Llanharan Welsh Estate of Cardiff; employing 228 men. The Meiros shaft was 200 yards deep and it mined the No. 3 seam (Rhondda). Meiros Collieries Ltd took over the colliery in 1913, and in 1915 the colliery underwent considerable modernisation. At its peak in 1923, the colliery was employing 622 men. The Meiros Colliery closed in the 1930s.
The Powell Duffryn
Company restarted the sinking of the original steam coal seams abandoned in the early 1880s in 1922. This was named the Llanharan Colliery and consisted of two pits, Llanharan North and South pits which in 1945 employed a total of 855 and 775 men respectively. Output form the colliery was at its highest in the early and mid 1950s, producing over 234,000 tons of coal in 1952. From 1959 production began to fall sharply, and in 1962 Llanharan Colliery was closed down.
From 1900 until the Powell Duffryn's Llanharn colliery closed in 1962, the area westward along the Bridgend Road became the commercial heart of a relatively flourishing mining village that survived even the depression years.
Since the 1970s the residents of Llanharan have become more reliant on commuting to work as local employment reduces. Local amenities have also closed over the years including Llanharan's cinema, railway station and library.
play of the same title
.
, which reopened in December 2007 after 43 years of closure. The main road running through Llanharan is the A473 Bridgend Road, linking Bridgend
to its West and Talbot Green
to its East.
, who play in the Welsh Rugby Union
Division One East League. The club formed in 1891 and was awarded membership to the WRU in 1919. Llanharan RFC play in black shirts and shorts with three light blue horizontal hoops across the chest. Their nickname, the "Black and Blues", is taken from their colours.
American Football
team. The Warriors
play in the Western Conference of Division Two of the British American Football Association National Leagues
, the primary American Football
league of the United Kingdom
.
, either found its origins or was historically successfully bred in Llanharan. Some breeders speak of the “Llanharan Spot”, if one describes the red point in the middle on the head of the Welsh. The Llanharan Spaniel makes up part of the Llanharan RFC
club badge.
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 the county borough
County borough
County borough is a term introduced in 1889 in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland , to refer to a borough or a city independent of county council control. They were abolished by the Local Government Act 1972 in England and Wales, but continue in use for lieutenancy and shrievalty in...
of Rhondda Cynon Taf, 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...
. Llanharan thrived during the British industrial revolution
Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution was a period from the 18th to the 19th century where major changes in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, transportation, and technology had a profound effect on the social, economic and cultural conditions of the times...
, with several tin
Tin
Tin is a chemical element with the symbol Sn and atomic number 50. It is a main group metal in group 14 of the periodic table. Tin shows chemical similarity to both neighboring group 14 elements, germanium and lead and has two possible oxidation states, +2 and the slightly more stable +4...
and coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
mines in the location providing employment to the town's residents. With the decline of heavy industry in the South Wales Coalfield
South Wales Coalfield
The South Wales Coalfield is a large region of south Wales that is rich with coal deposits, especially the South Wales Valleys.-The coalfield area:...
, Llanharan has been in economic decline, though its proximity to the M4 motorway
M4 motorway
The M4 motorway links London with South Wales. It is part of the unsigned European route E30. Other major places directly accessible from M4 junctions are Reading, Swindon, Bristol, Newport, Cardiff and Swansea...
offers its residents easy commutable access to most of South Wales.
The most recognisable features of Llanharan are its historic town square, Llanharan House and Church of St Julius and Aaron
Julius and Aaron
Saints Julius and Aaron are celebrated as two British martyrs who died during the religious persecutions of the Emperor Diocletian in AD 304. Their feast day was traditionally celebrated on July 1....
.
Llanharan House
On the outskirts of Llanharan, overlooking the village, sits Llanharan HouseLlanharan House
Llanharan House is a historic house on the outskirts of Llanharan, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. It is located off the A473 road, just east of Llanharan. Llanharan House is a Grade II listed building.-History:...
. It was built in 1750 by Rees Powell and stayed with the Powell family until 1795 upon which it was purchased by Richard Hoare Jenkins. Hoare Jenkins was a High Sheriff of Glamorgan
High Sheriff of Glamorgan
This page is a list of High Sheriffs of Glamorgan. Sheriffs of Glamorgan served under and were answerable to the independent Lords of Glamorgan until that lordship was merged into the crown. This is in contrast to sheriffs of the English shires who were from the earliest times officers of the crown...
and he was involved in the suppression of the Merthyr Rising
Merthyr Rising 1831
The Merthyr Rising of 1831 was the violent climax to many years of simmering unrest among the large working class population of Merthyr Tydfil in South Wales and the surrounding area....
of 1831, and is recorded as stating he found the execution of Dic Penderyn
Dic Penderyn
Richard Lewis, better known as Dic Penderyn , was a Welsh labourer and coal miner who was involved with the Merthyr Rising of June 3, 1831. In the course of the riot he was arrested alongside Lewis Lewis, one of the primary figures in the uprising, and charged with stabbing a soldier with a bayonet...
as the most difficult of his civic duties. Around 1800 some major improvements were made to the house with the addition of a three-storey circular stair hall which includes a dramatic geometrical staircase. Following the death of Hoare Jenkins in 1856 the house and the estate was passed to a Colonel John Blandy-Jenkins. Following his death in 1915 Colonel Blandy-Jenkins's wife kept the house until 1953.
Llanharan house has a strong historical connection with fox hunting
Fox hunting
Fox hunting is an activity involving the tracking, chase, and sometimes killing of a fox, traditionally a red fox, by trained foxhounds or other scent hounds, and a group of followers led by a master of foxhounds, who follow the hounds on foot or on horseback.Fox hunting originated in its current...
. This Welsh pack was named The Llanharan and was established by Richard Hoare Jenkins in 1805, though the pack was renamed the Llangeinor during the period when Mr John Blandy Jenkins was the squire. The Llangeinor is now based in Coity near Bridgend
Bridgend
Bridgend is a town in the Bridgend County Borough in Wales, west of the capital, Cardiff. The river crossed by the original bridge, which gave the town its name, is the River Ogmore but the River Ewenny also passes to the south of the town...
.
Llanharan House is a Grade II listed building.
The Church of St Julius and Aaron
The local parish churchParish church
A parish church , in Christianity, is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches....
is the Church of St Julius and Aaron whose interior was redesigned in its present form by neo-gothic architect John Prichard
John Prichard
John Prichard was a Welsh architect of the neo-Gothic style. John Prichard was the son of Richard Prichard a rector from Llangan, Glamorgan and was born on 6 May 1817. He established a practice in Llandaff, Cardiff where he became the diocesan architect. Between 1852 and 1863 he set up a...
around 1856, with work completed by 1859. The restoration work was financed by the Jenkins family of Llanharan House.
Llanharan Town Square
Llanharan Town square consists of several historical stone buildings situated by the local river the Ewenny Fach. Llanharan town square is dominated by a public housePublic house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
called The High Corner which dates back to roughly 1700. Outside the High Corner is an original red telephone box
Red telephone box
The red telephone box, a public telephone kiosk designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, is a familiar sight on the streets of the United Kingdom, Malta, Bermuda and Gibraltar, and despite a reduction in their numbers in recent years, red boxes can still be seen in many places and in current or former...
.
Employment
Prior to the British industrial revolution, Llanharan was a small agricultural village, and this was reflected in the 1851 censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
where a population of 330 people living in 62 buildings was recorded. In 1850 the South Wales Railway
South Wales Railway
The South Wales Railway was a broad gauge railway that linked the Gloucester and Dean Forest Railway with Neyland in Wales.-History:The need for the railway was created by the need to ship coal from the South Wales Valleys to London, and secondly to complete Brunel's vision of linking London with...
had opened a station in Llanharan making it a strategic location for surrounding industries. Later employment came from the nearby iron mines in Llanharry
Llanharry
Llanharry is a small village in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales.Historically Llanharry has been inextricably linked with iron mining as far back as the Roman period and Elizabethan era, and for a period in the 20th century it boasted the only iron mine in Wales.-Employment:Llanharry...
and Pontyclun
Pontyclun
Pontyclun is a village in the County Borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. It is served by the South Wales Main Line and has its own local rugby union club...
. Towards the end of the 19th century an additional 80 houses had been built and Llanharan had a population of over a thousand.
With the discovery of coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
an attempt to sink two mine shafts began between 1870 and 1873, but the work was eventually abandoned as the pit was too wet and inclined.
In the early 1880s, in a different location to the first sinking attempt, the first deep mine in Llanharan was opened, the Meiros Colliery. The Meiros was listed in 1888 as owned by thr Llanharan Welsh Estate of Cardiff; employing 228 men. The Meiros shaft was 200 yards deep and it mined the No. 3 seam (Rhondda). Meiros Collieries Ltd took over the colliery in 1913, and in 1915 the colliery underwent considerable modernisation. At its peak in 1923, the colliery was employing 622 men. The Meiros Colliery closed in the 1930s.
The Powell Duffryn
Powell Duffryn
PD Ports is a Middlesbrough-headquartered British ports operator.Formerly known as Powell Duffryn, it dug its first coal mine in South Wales in 1840, and later expanded into various sorts of manufacturing...
Company restarted the sinking of the original steam coal seams abandoned in the early 1880s in 1922. This was named the Llanharan Colliery and consisted of two pits, Llanharan North and South pits which in 1945 employed a total of 855 and 775 men respectively. Output form the colliery was at its highest in the early and mid 1950s, producing over 234,000 tons of coal in 1952. From 1959 production began to fall sharply, and in 1962 Llanharan Colliery was closed down.
From 1900 until the Powell Duffryn's Llanharn colliery closed in 1962, the area westward along the Bridgend Road became the commercial heart of a relatively flourishing mining village that survived even the depression years.
Since the 1970s the residents of Llanharan have become more reliant on commuting to work as local employment reduces. Local amenities have also closed over the years including Llanharan's cinema, railway station and library.
Arts and Entertainment
In 1997 Llanharan rugby ground was used in the box office smash film Up 'n' Under is a 1998 film adaptation of the John GodberJohn Godber
John Harry Godber is an English dramatist, known mainly for his observational comedies. In the 'Plays and Players Yearbook' for 1993 he was calculated as the third most performed playwright in the UK behind William Shakespeare and Alan Ayckbourn. He has a wife and 2 children.-Biography:Godber was...
play of the same title
Up 'n' Under
Up 'n' Under is a comedy by English playwright John Godber, first staged at the Hull Truck Theatre in 1984. The sequel, Up 'n' Under II, followed in 1985....
.
Education
There are two Primary Schools presently serving the community of Llanharan, they are Dolau Primary School and Llanharan Primary School.Transportation
Llanharan is served by many buses and also Llanharan railway stationLlanharan railway station
Llanharan railway station serves the village of Llanharan in Wales. Funded in part by SEWTA and at a cost of £4.3m, it opened in December 2007.A former station was on the site until 1964, when it was closed under the Beeching Cuts...
, which reopened in December 2007 after 43 years of closure. The main road running through Llanharan is the A473 Bridgend Road, linking Bridgend
Bridgend
Bridgend is a town in the Bridgend County Borough in Wales, west of the capital, Cardiff. The river crossed by the original bridge, which gave the town its name, is the River Ogmore but the River Ewenny also passes to the south of the town...
to its West and Talbot Green
Talbot Green
Talbot Green is a village just north of the M4 motorway, in the County Borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales in the United Kingdom...
to its East.
Llanharan RFC
The village hosts a Rugby Football team, Llanharan Rugby Football ClubLlanharan RFC
Llanharn Rugby Football Club is a rugby union club based in Llanharan, South Wales. Llanharan RFC were formally established in 1891-92 when Llanharan was little more than an agricultural hamlet. The earliest photograph on the club house wall is dated 1898...
, who play in the Welsh Rugby Union
Welsh Rugby Union
The Welsh Rugby Union is the governing body of rugby union in Wales, recognised by the International Rugby Board.The union's patron is Queen Elizabeth II, and her grandson Prince William of Wales became the Vice Royal Patron of the Welsh Rugby Union as of February 2007.-History:The roots of the...
Division One East League. The club formed in 1891 and was awarded membership to the WRU in 1919. Llanharan RFC play in black shirts and shorts with three light blue horizontal hoops across the chest. Their nickname, the "Black and Blues", is taken from their colours.
South Wales Warriors
As of the 2009 season, the Dairy Fields in Llanharan has been the home field of the South Wales WarriorsSouth Wales Warriors
The South Wales Warriors are an American Football team currently competing in Division 2 West of the BAFA National Leagues . The team was formed after the Tiger Bay Warriors had disbanded due to the departure of head coach Rob Mota, along with key staff and players, by the remaining players and...
American Football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
team. The Warriors
South Wales Warriors
The South Wales Warriors are an American Football team currently competing in Division 2 West of the BAFA National Leagues . The team was formed after the Tiger Bay Warriors had disbanded due to the departure of head coach Rob Mota, along with key staff and players, by the remaining players and...
play in the Western Conference of Division Two of the British American Football Association National Leagues
BAFA National Leagues
The BAFA National Leagues are the primary American football competition in England, Scotland and Wales. They were formed by the British American Football Association in 2010 to coordinate contact football and flag football across all age ranges...
, the primary American Football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
league of the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
Welsh Springer Spaniel
It is thought that the breed of dog, the Welsh Springer SpanielWelsh Springer Spaniel
The Welsh Springer Spaniel is a breed of dog and a member of the spaniel family. Thought to be comparable to the old Land Spaniel, they are similar to the English Springer Spaniel and historically have been referred to as both the Welsh Spaniel and the Welsh Cocker Spaniel...
, either found its origins or was historically successfully bred in Llanharan. Some breeders speak of the “Llanharan Spot”, if one describes the red point in the middle on the head of the Welsh. The Llanharan Spaniel makes up part of the Llanharan RFC
Llanharan RFC
Llanharn Rugby Football Club is a rugby union club based in Llanharan, South Wales. Llanharan RFC were formally established in 1891-92 when Llanharan was little more than an agricultural hamlet. The earliest photograph on the club house wall is dated 1898...
club badge.