Hirwaun

The village of Hirwaun (Welsh “Long Meadow”) is accessible via the Heads of the Valleys road (A465) and comes under the post town of Aberdare, just four miles away.

Hirwaun has a rich industrial history most notably known for the Hirwaun Ironworks opened in 1765 by Anthony Bacon and later acquired by the powerful Crawshay family, where iron was produced from the early 19th Century until its closure in 1859. The Hirwaun Ironworks prospered during times of war such as the Napoleonic wars and the War of American Independence and manufactured cannons used on the HMS Victory.

Coal mining replaced the ironworks as a major employer until the second half of the 20th Century. Tower Colliery, the last remaining deep coal mine in Wales in the wake of the miners’ strike of 1984-1985 was subsequently purchased and reopened by its workers until its second closure in 2008. Following the closure of the deep mine, the redevelopment and remediation of the site and returning the area in large part to the community in the form of nature conservation and public access land.

Saint Lleurwg’s Church remains at the centre of the village having opened its doors to worshippers in 1858, when it was dedicated by the Bishop of Llandaff. The church building appears to be the gift of the trustees of the Marquis of Bute and has a gallery, which is untypical of an Anglican church. There is also a Roman Catholic Church in the village as well as several non-conformist chapels.

The area is popular with tourists and walkers and Hirwaun boasts a number of fine pubs and restaurants in and around the village. The village has two football clubs, Hirwaun Sports and Hirwaun Fc and both compete in the local Aberdare Valley Football League. The Hirwaun Recreational Ground, known as the Welfare Ground offers one soccer field, a Rugby Union field, two hard surface tennis courts and a bowling green with a floodlit training area between the fields.

Penderyn

The historic village of Penderyn is a rural village nestled within the southern boundary of the Brecon Beacons National Park. It’s origins and expansion begun as an agricultural market village, which supplied the ever growing needs of the nearby local market town of Aberdare. Within the village, there are two chapels (Siloam Chapel and Soar Chapel) and one Church (St Cynog’s Church).

There are also two pubs steeped in history within the village, The Red Lion and The Lamb Hotel – The latter of which proudly displays a blue plaque recognising it as being a 400-year-old inn which has a cellar that was used as a place of incarceration for Lewis Lewis The Huntsman – a famous revolutionary and chief protagonist who played a major role in the Merthyr Rising of 1831.

Penderyn is also the gateway to one of the walking trails through the famous ‘Waterfall Country’ with several waymarked trails leading through this beautiful region, to the most dramatic waterfalls such as Sgwd-yr-Eira, the Snow Waterfalls who’s land has been used by different people, from early farmers to rock miners and climbers.

In more recent times, Penderyn has had its name put on the global map for being the home of Penderyn Whisky - produced by the Penderyn Distillery (formerly the Welsh Whisky Company). The award-winning single malt whisky is the only whisky distilled in Wales, launched in 2004 after an absence of whisky distilling in Wales for more than 100 years.

Penderyn has also had its fair share of notable people coming from the village. The composer, David Wynne. The Welsh language writer and bard who joined the Gorsedd in 2003, Nansi Selwood. The author of 'Hanes Plwyf Penderyn', David Davies and Richard Games, Squire of Bodwigiad who was appointed High Sheriff of Breconshire in 1625.