Penrhys
Penrhys | |
---|---|
Y Ffynon Centre | |
Location within Rhondda Cynon Taf | |
OS grid reference | ST004951 |
Principal area | |
Preserved county | |
Country | Wales |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Post town | Ferndale |
Postcode district | CF43 |
Dialling code | 01443 |
Police | South Wales |
Fire | South Wales |
Ambulance | Welsh |
Rhondda | |
Penrhys is a village in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales, situated on a hillside overlooking both valleys of Rhondda Fawr and Rhondda Fach. It is situated around 1,100 ft above sea level and is a district of Tylorstown. Until the late 16th century, Penrhys was an important Christian pilgrimage site.
The site of Penrhys has a rich religious history dating back to medieval times, though few settlements other than farmsteads can be traced to the area. Penrhys is significant for a medieval monastery, the shrine of "Our Lady" built at the holy spring of Ffynnon Fair. During the early 16th century the antiquarian John Leland wrote during his visit to the area that he saw "Penrise Village, where the Pilgrimage was",[1] suggesting that a settlement had built up in the area. In 1538 the shrine was destroyed during the English Reformation, and the area appeared to fall into decline. With the arrival of industrialisation in the Rhondda Valley during the 19th century interest in the religious history of Penrhys increased. An archaeological dig at the old chapel was carried out in 1912 and a new statue of the Virgin Mary was unveiled in 1953. In February 1927 the first burial took place at Penrhys cemetery.
History
Early history
Three Bronze Age funerary sites have been identified in the locality of Penrhys, with the cemetery at Erw Beddau (English: Acre of graves), also associated with a latter battle between Iestyn ap Gwrgant and Rhys ap Tewdwr (c. 1085–88).[2]
The community was named Pen-Rhys-ap-Tewdwr (English: Rhys ap Tewdwr's Head), and a variety of traditions record Rhys ap Tewdwr of
Penrhys is often listed as one of the
Centre of Pilgrimage
In the medieval period the area became an important pilgrimage centre, known for Ffynnon Fair (English: Mary's Well), a well that still exists. Its chapel, shrine and
Penrhys was a pilgrimage site until the
Industrial Penrhys
In 1904 the mining population of Rhondda was over 110,000 and still expanding rapidly. Although a 'fever hospital' had been constructed in nearby
In 1927 Penrhys was chosen as the starting point for 'Red Sunday in Rhondda Valley' hunger march. The march was organised by the South Wales Miners' Federation and the Rhondda District, but lost support due to opposition from the TUC.[5] It was supported by the Communist party and the march went ahead supported by 270 marchers.
Modern Village
The village of Penrhys that exists today was first developed in 1966 as a new modern council housing development. Built between 1966 and 1969 by Alex Robertson, Peter Francis & Partners, the houses consisted of short two and three storey terraces with cement rendered concrete walls and monopitch roofs.[6] When it was officially opened in 1968, it consisted of 951 houses, at the time the largest public sector housing venture in Wales.[7]
One of the innovative features of Penrhys village was the district heating system; under an agreement with the National Coal Board, water was heated in a central coal-fired boiler, and a network of insulated pipes served each house with space heating and hot water for domestic use, with the cost of heating included in the rent. This was designed and built during a period of low bulk energy costs, but proved very expensive following the Oil Crisis of 1973 which increased the cost of energy. As heating cost increases had to be absorbed into the rent, the village became uneconomic for those residents who were not reliant on state benefits (which paid housing costs), and many of those in employment left the estate to move to other housing where they could have more control of heating costs.
The outflow of employed residents led to a process of social engineering (whether intentional or not) whereby those on unemployment or other state benefits were relocated into Penrhys from other council-run estates, with the initial prospect of saving on separate heating costs. As a result of the concentration of socially-impoverished residents during the 1970s and 1980s, the village gained a poor reputation and was seen by many as an undesirable location. In an attempt to rejuvenate the village, the Priority Estate Programme was undertaken in the late 1980s with all houses refurbished and environmental improvements made throughout the community. This, though, proved unsuccessful as the reputation of Penrhys was so low that new occupants could not be found; this led to newly refurbished houses being vandalised as they stood empty. This in turn fuelled the area's negative reputation.
By the 1990s the local authorities had begun a relocation programme for Penrhys, with many buildings demolished once the tenants had been relocated. By the early 21st century much of the village had been demolished, leaving around 300 buildings remaining.
Historic buildings and religious sites
Medieval monastery
Many legends surround the old monastery at Penrhys, though the historicity of most has now been dismissed. It was originally believed that the monastery was Franciscan and built under the orders of
Ffynnon Fair
Ffynnon Fair (also: Ffynon Mair), St. Mary's Well, is a holy well which lies on the hillside overlooking the village of Llwynypia. The well has been the focus of religious activity in Penrhys and is the oldest recorded Christian site in the Rhondda. It is recognised by some historians that the site may date back further, and could be pagan in origin. The waters from the well were believed to have the ability to cure ailments, particularly rheumatism and poor eyesight,[8] and were reported by Rhisiart ap Rhys as:
"There are rippling waters at the top of the rock
Farewell to every ailment that desires them!
White wine runs in the rill,
That can kill pain and fatigue!"
A vaulted stone building was built around the well which, although heavily restored, still exists today. The structure over the well is entirely built of local Pennant Sandstone, with one side built into the sloping hillside.[9] The interior of the small rectangular building consists of stone benches around three walls; a cistern occupies the south wall. A niche in the north wall was said to have held a statue of Mary. The floor is paved with dressed flagstones.
The Shrine of "Our Lady"
Legend tells that a statue of the
The Shrine of Our Lady was still visited throughout the following centuries with records showing devotion up until 1842; though by this date little of the original shrine survived.
Penrhys chapel
Penrhys chapel was originally built as part of the manor. Little remains of the building, though excavations in 1912 discovered that the chapel was made up of a nave and chancel divided by a cross-wall, with a series of buttresses on the outside of the nave. This original building was at some time destroyed or demolished and a new chapel rebuilt on the original foundations. Dressed stones and fragments of green glass discovered at the site place the chapel at no earlier than the 14th century.[13] The site now houses the modern statue of the Virgin Mary.
Transportation
Penrhys is served by the B4512 linking it to the A4058 at
Sport
The Penrhys golf course is situated nearby.
References
- ^ Leland, John Itinerary of John Leland Vol.4, folio 55
- ^ a b c "Historic Landscape Characterisation The Rhondda". Glamorgan-Gwent Archaeological Trust (25 Mynachdy Penrhys).
- ^ a b May, pg9.
- ^ a b John Ward (1914). 'Our Lady of Penrhys', Glamorganshire Volume 69 (1914) pp. 382. Archaeologia Cambrensis.
- ^ Coalfield Web Materials
- ISBN 0-14-071056-6.
- ^ Penrhys.com
- ISBN 0-9508556-3-4
- ^ Slater, pg2.
- ^ "Medieval miracles shrine restored". The BBC. 16 December 1999. Retrieved 11 July 2008.
- ^ a b c Slater, pg8.
- ^ "Pilgrims converge on Penrhys". WalesOnline. 12 June 2008. Retrieved 11 July 2008.
- ^ John Ward (1914). 'Our Lady of Penrhys', Glamorganshire Volume 69 (1914) pp. 363-368. Archaeologia Cambrensis.
Bibliography
- Chidgey, Rev. Paul (1982). Our Lady of Penrhys. Cardiff: The Catholic Truth Society (Welsh Province).
- Hurlock, K. (2018) Medieval Welsh Pilgrimage, c. 1100-1500. New York: Palgrave. ISBN 978-1-137-43098-4 https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-43099-1
- Newman, John (1995). Glamorgan. London: Penguin Group. ISBN 0-14-071056-6.
- Slater, Rev. F. Our Lady of Penrhys, The National Shrine of Wales. South Western Printers Ltd.