Porth railway station

The Cymmer Colliery explosion occurred in the early morning of 15 July 1856 at the Old Pit mine of the Cymmer Colliery near Porth (lower Rhondda Valley), Wales, operated by George Insole & Son. The underground gas explosion resulted in a "sacrifice of human life to an extent unparalleled in the history of coal mining of this country": 141  in which 114 men and boys were killed. Thirty-five widows, ninety-two children, and other dependent relatives were left with no immediate means of support. The immediate cause of the explosion was defective mine ventilation and the use of naked flames underground. Factors contributing to the explosion included the rapid development of the mine to meet increased demand for coal, poor mine safety practices allowed by management despite official warnings, and deteriorating working relationships between miners and management. After the explosion, mine owner James Harvey Insole and his officials were accused of "neglecting the commonest precautions for the safety of the men and the safe working of the colliery".: 2  At the coroner's inquest into the deaths, Insole deflected responsibility onto his mine manager Jabez Thomas and the jury brought a charge of manslaughter against Thomas and the four other mine officials. To the outrage of the local mining communities, the subsequent criminal proceedings resulted in the exoneration of the mine officials from any blame for the disaster. The Cymmer Colliery disaster influenced the introduction of mine safety improvements including legislation for improved mine ventilation and the use of safety lamps, employment of children, and qualifications of mine officials. The tragedy highlighted the need for a workable compensation scheme for miners and their dependents to reduce their reliance on public charity after such disasters.

Porth (Welsh: Y Porth) is a town and a community in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, within the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan, Wales. Lying in the Rhondda Valley, it is regarded as the gateway connecting the Rhondda Fawr and Rhondda Fach valleys due to both valleys meeting at Porth. The Welsh word "porth" means "gate". Porth is a predominantly English-speaking community. Neighbouring villages include Trealaw, Trebanog, Trehafod and Ynyshir.

Glynfach (Welsh for 'small valley') is a district of the community and electoral ward of Cymmer, within the town of Porth, Rhondda Cynon Taf. There are no shops in Glynfach, however there is one pub - The Colliers Arms - and one parish church - St. John's Church. Glynfach consists of only a handful of streets, most of which are terraces. Adjoining Glynfach is the small district of Britannia. Glynfach was also once the location of Glynfach Colliery, sunk in 1851.

The Rhondda by-pass, also known as the Porth and Lower Rhondda Fach Relief Road, is a relief road running through the Rhondda, a valley in South Wales. It is built partly on the former Maerdy Branch of the Rhondda Line and a former branch line to Cymmer Colliery. The road runs from Trehafod at the eastern edge of the Rhondda to Pontygwaith in the Rhondda Fach via Porth. The route includes the Rheola Bridge, which crosses near the point the Rhondda Fawr and Rhondda Fach divide. It opened in December 2006, and a plaque commemorating the road was unveiled by the First Minister for Wales, Rhodri Morgan, the following year. Local residents have complained about the noise on the road, as the imposing local geography of the Rhondda means it has to pass as close as 40 feet (12 m) to residential streets.

The South Wales Bible Training Institute was a Bible college in Porth. It was started by R. B. Jones in 1919. Classes were initially held in his church's vestry in Ynyshir, but later moved to Tynycymmer Hall in Porth. It was inspired by American fundamentalist Bible schools, especially Moody Bible Institute. It closed in 1937.South Wales Bible Training Institute trained men and women in Bible knowledge "for all kinds of Christian work at home and abroad." Densil D. Morgan has called it and the Bible College of Wales "Welsh fundamentalism's two most visible inter-war manifestations".

The Tynewydd Colliery disaster occurred on 11 April 1877, when water from a nearby closed colliery flooded the Newydd Colliery in Porth and 14 miners became trapped, of which five died. For his efforts in the rescue, Henry Naunton Davies received the first BMA Gold Medal.

The River Rhondda (Welsh: Afon Rhondda) is a river in South Wales with two major tributaries, Rhondda Fawr (meaning big Rhondda) and Rhondda Fach (meaning little Rhondda).

Llwyncelyn (English: Hollybush) is a district of Porth, Rhondda Cynon Taf. Consisting of five long terraces and two modern housing developments, Llwyncelyn has one shop and a parish church, St. Luke's Church. Llwyncelyn is also where Porth Harlequins RFC play their home rugby union matches. Nearby Nyth-Brân Farm was the home of athlete Guto Nyth Brân.

Porth Community School is a Community School located in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. The school was formed in 1973 by the amalgamation of two leading grammar schools, Porth County Girls and Porth County Boys, along with the amalgamation of the Secondary Modern Schools of Llwyncelyn, Trealaw and Ynyshir. Porth is now described as a good school and the previous Porth Infants and Porth Juniors schools have all moved to the Porth Community School to form the new school. Children of various ages attend the school, ranging from 3–16 years old.

Ysgol Gyfun Cwm Rhondda (English: Cwm Rhondda Secondary School) is a Welsh-medium secondary school located in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, situated near Porth.

Rhondda , or the Rhondda Valley (Welsh: Cwm Rhondda [kʊm ˈr̥ɔnða]), is a former coalmining area in South Wales, previously in Glamorgan, now a local government district, of 16 communities around the River Rhondda. It embraces two valleys – the larger Rhondda Fawr valley (mawr large) and the smaller Rhondda Fach valley (bach small) – so that the singular "Rhondda Valley" and the plural are both commonly used. In 2001, the Rhondda constituency of the National Assembly for Wales had a population of 72,443; while the Office for National Statistics counted the population as 59,602. Rhondda forms part of Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough and of the South Wales Valleys. It is most noted for its historical coalmining industry, which peaked between 1840 and 1925. The valleys produced a strong Nonconformist movement manifest in the Baptist chapels that moulded Rhondda values in the 19th and early 20th centuries. It is also famous for male voice choirs and in sport and politics.

Ynyshir is a village and community located in the Rhondda Valley, within Rhondda Cynon Taf, South Wales. Ynyshir is pronounced (ənɪs-hiːr) according to the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA), and means "long island" in Welsh. The village takes its name from a farm in the area, falling within the historic parishes of Ystradyfodwg and Llanwynno (Llanwonno). The community of Ynyshir lies between the small adjoining village of Wattstown and the larger town of neighbouring Porth. Ynyshir has its own library, post office, doctor's surgery and a number of shops and other significant amenities, although these represent a fraction of the businesses that once fronted the main road – Ynyshir Road during the village's heyday. It is also home to local football teams Ynyshir Albions and Ynyshir and Wattstown Boys Club.