Page 5 - Tourism Guide 2015

The first mine was sunk in the
Rhondda by Walter Coffin in 1812,
changing the region’s industry and
landscape forever. And although
most of the signs of mining’s heyday
are long gone, our museums still tell
its story.
Rhondda Heritage Park on the site of
the former Lewis Merthyr Colliery
allows visitors to experience first-
hand what life was like down the
pits. Former miners accompany
visitors on their tour around the Park
and offer their own personal
commentary on a bygone age.
The more genteel industry at
Nantgarw Chinaworks was
established in 1813, when artist and
potter William Billingsley and his
son-in-law Samuel Walker
purchased Nantgarw House on the
eastern bank of the Glamorganshire
Canal and set about transforming
the building into a small porcelain
pottery. The world-famous pottery
now houses its own museum with a
collection of the famous Nantgarw
porcelain on show.
At nearby Taff’s Well you will find
one of Wales’s greatest wonders - a
5,000 year old thermal spring. Taff’s
Well is the only thermal spring in
Wales, travelling to depths of more
than 400 metres and rising to a
temperature of 21 degrees. For
hundreds of years, people travelled
there from far and wide in the hope
of curing illnesses.
Bustling Pontypridd is home to what
was once the world’s longest train
station platform and the majestic
single span William Edwards Bridge
which exceeded the Rialto bridge in
Venice when it was completed in
1756, after three failed attempts.
Heritage and Blue Plaque Trails
bring the area’s wonderful history to
life, allowing you to visit the homes,
inspirations and communities of our
local icons. Walk or drive these trails
- and you can select audio
commentary, internet downloads or
leaflets to accompany you.
Every year, Open Doors month
celebrates the county’s fantastic
architecture and culture by offering
free access to properties which are
usually closed to the public or
normally charge for admission.
The region also boasts staggering
Bronze Age finds at Llyn Fawr and
The Garth, an Iron Age fort at
Rhiwsaeson, a Roman camp in
Miskin and Llantrisant’s ruined
Norman Castle and statue to
cremation pioneer Dr William Price.
Nantgarw Chinaworks The Spring at Taff’s Well Llyn Fawr, Rhigos Mountain