Ynysangharad War Memorial Park is located in the town of Pontypridd, Wales. The area that now makes up the park was bought by the people of Pontypridd in 1919 after workers raised the money to establish the park. It was originally designed for those who lived in the surrounding area to have somewhere to relax from their work lives. The park is designated Grade II on the Cadw/ICOMOS Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in Wales.
As the River Rhondda meets the River Taff at one corner of the park, it is prone to flooding; a 1929 flood left the park severely flooded [1] and led to the original layout of the park being changed to what it is today with the memorials being placed way from the River Taff. The memorials in the park include the War Memorial and the Evan and James James statues, as well as some smaller ones. A cricket ground, Ynysangharad Park, is located within the park. There is also a lido that was reopened on 31 August 2015 after it received funding, after being closed for two decades.
In 1923 Field Marshal Viscount Allenby renamed the park the Ynysangharad War Memorial park in memory of the soldiers who died in the line of duty in the First World War. [2] In November 2011 a war memorial was reopened in the park to remember the soldiers who died from the Pontypridd area in the First World War and Second World War, as well as subsequent smaller wars like the Suez Crisis and the Falklands War. There was already a small memorial in the park to remember the soldiers who died, but it was decided that a roll of honour should also be erected so that the names of the dead would not be forgotten. The memorial consists of two parallel walls with the names of the dead inscribed onto black granite plaques that run along each wall. There are 1,319 [3] names on the memorial, which includes the names of 821 people who died in the First World War, and 491 who died in the Second World War. The memorial also includes the names of servicemen who died in the line of duty in Palestine, Korea and Suez Canal (Egypt) wars, and the four Welsh Guards who died during the Falklands War. [3] The memorial cost an estimated £80,000 to build and was completed thanks to fundraising appeals by local residents of Pontypridd. [3]
The park is designated Grade II on the Cadw/ICOMOS Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in Wales. [4]
In the park there is memorial to Evan James and his son James James who wrote Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau, the Welsh National Anthem. Evan James and his son James were weavers who lived in Pontypridd when they composed the National Anthem in 1856; [6] James wrote the words while Evan composed the music. Although originally called Glan Rhondda (Banks of the Rhondda) [7] it was quickly renamed Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau (Land of My Fathers) when it gained huge popularity after being performed at the 1858 Llangollen National Eisteddfod. [8] Unlike many anthems it was not written to represent a particular occasion in history, but by 1905 was largely accepted as the National Anthem by the Welsh population simply because of how popular it had become. This means that even though Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau is accepted as the Welsh National Anthem, it is neither officially or legally recognised as it in British Law, [7] since legally the National Anthem of Wales is God Bless the Prince of Wales. [8] Following James James' death in 1902 many local residents felt that a memorial should be erected to both Evan and James James to remember the authors of the National Anthem and started a campaign to have one built. However the Senghenydd colliery disaster in 1913 and the outbreak of the First World War in 1914 stopped the campaign. Then in 1929 Rhys Morgan put an advert in the Western Mail appealing for money to have a memorial built, stating that he expected a "prompt response" from every "Welsh man or woman"; [8] the money was quickly raised. The memorial was designed by Sir William Goscombe John and unveiled by Lord Treowen on 23 July 1930 before a crowd of 10,000 people. [9] The monument consists of two life size bronze figures, one woman who represents poetry and a male harpist who represents music. [10] There is an inscription under the memorial that reads:
The lido was opened in 1927 and was reputed to be the largest open–air swimming pool in Wales [2] and at its most popular the lido could have up to 1,000 visitors a day. [12] The lido was built with a distinctive Mediterranean influence, like many other lidos around Britain, and features outdoor changing rooms that ran parallel to the edge of the lido. [12] After years of not being maintained the lido was officially closed in 1991 after it was badly damaged by a fire. Over the next two decades, it fell into disrepair but could not be demolished because it is a Grade II Listed Building. [10] In 2013, following a £6.3m investment [12] from the Welsh Government, using the European Regional Development Fund and Heritage Lottery Funding, plans for the lido to be refurbished and reopened were started. [13] Many of the original features of the Grade II Listed Building, like the turnstile and the outdoor wooden changing rooms, were kept. New features were added, including a café, visitors centre, an observation deck, and heated changing facilities with internal and external showers for those who use the lido. [13] While the old lido only had one large pool, the updated lido now includes a main pool alongside an activities pool and a splash pool for small children. [13] The lido was officially reopened on 31 August 2015.
"Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau" is the unofficial national anthem of Wales. The title, taken from the first words of the song, means "The Old Land of My Fathers" in Welsh, usually rendered in English as simply "Land of My Fathers". The words were written by Evan James and the tune composed by his son, James James, both residents of Pontypridd, Glamorgan, in January 1856. The earliest written copy survives and is part of the collections of the National Library of Wales.
Pontypridd, colloquially referred to as Ponty, is a town and a community in Rhondda Cynon Taf, South Wales, approximately 10 miles north west of Cardiff city centre.
Evan James, was a Welsh weaver and poet from Pontypridd, originally from Caerphilly, Wales, who wrote the lyrics of "Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau", the national anthem of Wales.
"Bro Gozh ma Zadoù" is the anthem of Brittany. It is sung to the same tune as that of the national anthem of Wales, "Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau", and has similar lyrics. The Cornish anthem, "Bro Goth Agan Tasow", is also sung to the same tune.
James James (1832–1902) was a Welsh harpist and musician from Hollybush, Blackwood, Wales. He composed the tune of the Welsh national anthem Hen Wlad fy Nhadau. Today, the same tune is also used for the Breton anthem, Bro Gozh ma Zadoù, and the Cornish anthem, Bro Goth agan Tasow.
The River Taff is a river in Wales. It rises in the Brecon Beacons as two rivers, the Taf Fechan and the Taf Fawr before becoming one just north of Merthyr Tydfil. At Cardiff, it empties into the Bristol Channel.
Rhondda may refer to:
Events from the year 1856 in the United Kingdom.
John Owen, also known by his bardic name Owain Alaw Pencerdd, was a Welsh-language poet and also a musician.
Côr Meibion Pontypridd is a male voice choir from the Pontypridd area of the Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. It was formed in 1949 as a traditional Welsh singing choir and is based in Pwllgwaun, a suburb of Pontypridd.
The national symbols of Wales include various official and unofficial images and other symbols.
Pontypridd F.C. is an amateur Welsh football team based in Pontypridd, formed in 2018 and inspired by the former professional club Pontypridd AFC that existed between 1911 and 1926. The club was reformed in May 2018 by former members of the Pontypridd Town reserve team. and play in the TERV Division One.
Thomas Williams was a Welsh rugby union forward who played club rugby for Cardiff and Pontypridd and international rugby for Wales. A solicitor by profession, Williams would later become a national selector for the Welsh Rugby Union. Williams was also responsible for suggesting the singing of the Welsh national anthem in a match in 1905, the first time a national anthem was sung before a sporting event.
Trallwn is a district, and as Trallwng, an electoral ward, within the town of Pontypridd, Rhondda Cynon Taf, South Wales, sited along the banks of the River Taff and falling within the historic parish of Eglwysilan. Trallwn comprises the subdistricts of Coedpenmaen (Coed-Pen-Maen), Ynysangharad and Pontypridd Common. Until recently Trallwn was also home to the famous Brown Lenox (Newbridge) Chain & Anchor Works at Ynysangharad, which was recently demolished. Also at Ynysangharad are some of the last remains of the Glamorganshire Canal which was used to transport coal and iron from the South Wales Valleys to the city of Cardiff. Ynysangharad is also home to Pontypridd's War Memorial Park - Ynysangharad Park.
Tich Gwilym, born Robert Gwilliam, was a Welsh rock guitarist who was most notable for his Hendrix inspired version of the Welsh national anthem, Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau, considered one of the most famous renditions of the song.
Robert Rees was a Welsh tenor and musician. He was a successful competitor at eisteddfodau for which he adopted the pseudonym Eos Morlais, and in 1867 he won the main prize as a vocalist at the National Eisteddfod of Wales. He was recognised as one of the leading Welsh soloists of his time.
Rhondda Cynon Taf is a county borough in South Wales. It is located to the north-west of Cardiff and covers an area of 424 km2 (164 sq mi). In 2021 the population was approximately 237,500.
The Welsh National Memorial Park is a war memorial in Langemark near Ypres (Belgium) for soldiers of World War I, located near the Pilkem Ridge in the former Ypres Salient. It commemorates the service of men and women of Welsh origin, wherever they served during the Great War as part of the Allied Powers, as well as the non-Welsh soldiers serving in Welsh formations.
The Big Welsh Bite Food Festival is an annual food festival that is held in Pontypridd.
Rhondda Cynon Taf is a county borough in South Wales. It is located to the north-west of Cardiff and covers an area of 424 km2 (164 sq mi). In 2021 the population was approximately 237,500.