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Merthyr Tydfil

"Merthyr" redirects here. For the suburb in Brisbane, Australia, see Merthyr, Queensland.

Merthyr Tydfil
Town
From the top, The old Town Hall, Richard Trevithick monument, High street
Merthyr Tydfil is located in Merthyr Tydfil
Merthyr Tydfil
Merthyr Tydfil
Location within Merthyr Tydfil
Population43,820 (2011 Census)[1]
OS grid referenceSO 0506
Principal area
Preserved county
CountryWales
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townMerthyr Tydfil
Postcode districtCF47/CF48
Dialling code01685
PoliceSouth Wales
FireSouth Wales
AmbulanceWelsh
UK Parliament
Senedd Cymru – Welsh Parliament
List of places
UK
Wales
Merthyr Tydfil
51°44′35″N 3°22′41″W / 51.743°N 3.378°W / 51.743; -3.378

Merthyr Tydfil[a] (Welsh: Merthyr Tudful)[b] is the main town in Merthyr Tydfil County Borough, Wales, administered by Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council. It is about 23 miles (37 km) north of Cardiff. Often called just Merthyr, it is said to be named after Tydfil, daughter of King Brychan of Brycheiniog, who according to legend was slain at Merthyr by pagans about 480 CE.[4] Merthyr generally means "martyr" in modern Welsh, but here closer to the Latin martyrium: a place of worship built over a martyr's relics. Similar place names in south Wales are Merthyr Cynog, Merthyr Dyfan and Merthyr Mawr.

Noted for its industrial past, Merthyr was known as the 'Iron Capital of the World' in the early 19th century, due to the scale of its iron production.[5][6][7] The world's first steam-powered railway journey happened in Merthyr in 1804, travelling 9 mi (14 km) from the ironworks at Penydarren to the Glamorganshire Canal on the Merthyr Tramroad.[8][9] The 1851 census found Wales to be the world's first industrialised nation, as more people were employed in industry than agriculture, with Merthyr the biggest town in Wales at that time.[10][11] The city of Donetsk in Ukraine (then in the Russian Empire), originally 'Hughesovka', was founded by John Hughes of Merthyr in 1870, when he took iron working to the area.[12] Iron production declined in Merthyr from 1860 on, though Merthyr's population continued to rise due to the emergence of coal mining in the area, peaking with around 81,000 people in 1911.[13]

The area is currently known for its industrial heritage and adventure tourism. Merthyr and the surrounding areas boast the Grade-I listed Cyfarthfa Castle, the world’s fastest seated zip line, the UK's largest mountain bike park, the largest indoor climbing wall in Wales, national cycle routes and plans for the UK's longest indoor ski slope.[14][15]

  1. ^ UK Census (2011). "Local Area Report – Merthyr Tydfil Built-up area (W37000363)". Nomis. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 17 August 2019.
  2. ^ "merthyr-tydfil". Dictionary.com Unabridged (Online). n.d. Retrieved 16 January 2024.
  3. ^ a b "merthyr-tydfil". CollinsDictionary.com. HarperCollins. Retrieved 16 January 2024.
  4. ^ Farmer, David Hugh (1978), "Tydfil". In The Oxford Dictionary of Saints.
  5. ^ CBC, Visit Merthyr-Merthyr Tydfil. "Cyfarthfa Iron & Steelworks | visitmerthyr.co.uk". Visit Merthyr.
  6. ^ "Merthyr Tydfil (33136)". Coflein. RCAHMW.
  7. ^ "The History of Merthyr Tydfil - The Town of Steel". Historic UK.
  8. ^ "Richard Trevithick's steam locomotive". Museum Wales.
  9. ^ "Richard Trevithick". The Melting Pot. 24 January 2023.
  10. ^ "Visit the industrial heritage of South Wales valleys, towns and cities".
  11. ^ "Wales - the first industrial nation of the World". Peoples Collection Wales.
  12. ^ "Review: Dreaming a City - From Wales to Ukraine by Colin Thomas". Nation.Cymru. 2 May 2022.
  13. ^ "Victorian Professions: Merthyr Tydfil". www.victorianprofessions.ox.ac.uk.
  14. ^ Jones, Rachel (12 September 2016). "Adventure Tourism Worth 'More than £66m' to Merthyr Economy". Business News Wales.
  15. ^ "Proposals press ahead for 'world class' £300m ski resort in Merthyr Tydfil". Nation.Cymru. 10 March 2023.


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