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Aberdare is situated within the Valley some 23 miles north of Cardiff
and a few miles south of the Brecon Beacons national park boundary. in
common with many other town is situated in the valleys Aberdare was a
secluded agricultural area until 1757 when an Ironworks open at Hirwaun
and then within Aberdare itself. the presence of iron ore, wood, limestone
and coal ensure that Aberdare became one of the foremost iron making
localities in the world in the 18th and 19th century. initially coal was
extracted from seams close to the surface. however in 1837 the first
deep mine was sunk at Cwmbach in Aberdare. This marked the start of the
second phase in the industrial development of Aberdare and the Cynon
Valley. the valley was a rich in black gold and in time it outstripped the
Ironworks as the major employer. In the latter half of the 19th century, the movement
of people into great valleys of South Wales ranked second only to the United States as a
centre
for immigration. many were farm workers from the declining rural
communities of Wales attracted by higher wages. Row upon row of terrace
houses snaking along the valley sides were build to accommodate the miners
and iron workers. A style of housing that was to largely define the
architectural appearance of Aberdare and the Valleys. By 1913 over 250,000 miners in south Wales were producing over 57 million tons of coal each year.
as Aberdare enters the 21st century ironically the first major coal
producer Valley South Wales is also home to the last the coal mine in
Wales, to Tower Colliery.
1994 the Conservative government attempted to close the tower coal mine.
led by the national union of Mineworkers Lodge secretary for Tower Tyrone
O'Sullivan and minus fought back in a bid to save the day jobs and a
source of major employment in the Aberdare Valley. the miners succeeded in
taking over the mine and forming a cooperative. it can do is to imply a
large number of people and makes a profit every year.
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