Everything about The South Wales Valleys totally explained
The
South Wales Valleys are a number of industrialised valleys in
South Wales. Many of them running roughly parallel to each other, they stretch from eastern
Carmarthenshire in the
west to western
Monmouthshire in the
east. Located in roughly the centre is the famous
Rhondda valley.
History
Until the mid-
nineteenth century, the south Wales valleys were lightly inhabited (as was most of
Wales) and known for their natural beauty. The
Industrial Revolution changed this as the valleys became important centres for both the
coal mining and
iron industries.
Merthyr Tydfil, at the northern end of the
Taff valley became Wales's largest
town thanks to its growing
iron works at
Dowlais and
Cyfarthfa Ironworks.
Although iron was the first industry to develop, the valleys would become most famous for their
coal mines. The
South Wales coalfield attracted huge numbers of people from
rural areas to the valleys. This meant that many rows of
terraced housing were built along the valley sides to accommodate the influx. The
coal mined in the valleys was transported south along
railways and
canals to
ports on the
Bristol Channel, notably
Cardiff,
Newport and
Swansea.
Cardiff was soon among the most important
coal ports in the
world and
Swansea among the most important
steel ports.
The heavy industries boomed here, as they did in the industrial heartlands all over
Britain, but after
World War I the
1926 United Kingdom general strike hit the coal industry hard, a legacy felt until well after
World War II and indeed echoed in the
UK miners' strike (1984-1985) by families who were often affected by all these events through several generations.
Decline
The
Second World War marked the beginning of the end of these
heavy industries in the Valleys.
Steel works and
coal mines began to close, despite
nationalisation by the
UK government. In
1966, the village of
Aberfan in the
Taff valley suffered one of the worst
disasters in
Welsh history. A mine waste tip on the top of the mountain slid down the valley side and destroyed the village
primary school, killing 144 people, 116 of them children.
In
1979,
Margaret Thatcher became
Prime Minister of the
United Kingdom.
Her policies of
free market economics soon clashed with the loss-making, government-owned
National Coal Board. In
1984 and
1985, after the government announced plans to close many mines across the UK,
mineworkers went on strike. The ultimate failure of this strike led to the virtual destruction of the UK's coal industry. No deep coal mines are left in the valleys since the closure in 2008 of
Tower Colliery in the
Cynon Valley. This was bought by the
workers in
1994, despite government attempts to close it. In the new millennium, the last of valleys the
steel industry closed, as
Corus Group (formerly
British Steel) closed its plant in
Ebbw Vale.
The valleys today
The closure of the
heavy industries led to very high
unemployment in the valleys and whilst measured unemployment has fallen considerably since the early 1990s, high levels of economic inactivity remain, particularly in the upper sections of the Valleys. In the
1990s, the
government attracted
light industries to try and reduce the level of
unemployment. Many of these companies were from the
Far East although these are increasingly being replaced by European and American owned operations. However, the
economy remains weak and virtually the entire area is poor enough to qualify for
European Union Objective 1 funding. Official statistics are somewhat misleading however in suggesting a rather uniform level of underperformance. The lower Valleys have typically performed more strongly economically, with the lower Taff and Ely Valleys in particular attracting inward investment and migration from firms and families priced out of Cardiff.
Culture
The South Wales valleys became a symbol of the whole of
Wales for many foreign people (including those in the other parts of the
United Kingdom). Some visitors to other parts of Wales are surprised when they don't find
coal mines and
terraced housing. The valleys do, however, contain a
large percentage of the Welsh population and remain an important centre of
Welsh culture, despite the growing domination of
Cardiff. The UK parliament's first
Labour Party (
Socialist)
MP,
Keir Hardie was elected from the area and the Valleys remain a stronghold of
Labour Party power.
Rugby union is very
popular and
rugby union pitches can be seen along the valley floors.
Football is also popular in the valleys, as in the rest of the British Isles. The area was overwhelmingly
Welsh speaking at the end of the nineteenth century, but today,
English is the everyday language, except for the western valleys around
Ammanford and the Upper Swansea valley, where Welsh is still widely spoken.
The geographical shape of the valleys have their effect on culture. Many roads stretch along valleys connecting the different settlements in the valley. Consequently the different towns in a valley are more closely associated with each other than they're with towns in the neighbouring valley, even when the towns in the neighbouring valley are closer on the map. The Heads of the Valleys road, the
A465 road, is significant due to its connection of valleys with each other, and there are hopes that the dualling of this road will improve the economic performance of the region as the road becomes the main thoroughfare to Swansea and West Wales from the Midlands and North of England.
Transport
In terms of rail transport, many settlements in the Valleys are served by an extensive commuter metro network known as the
Valley Lines, which link them to
Cardiff Queen Street and
Cardiff Central with connections onto the
South Wales Main Line.
Stagecoach Wales link many towns and villages directly to
Cardiff central bus station.
List of important valleys in South Wales
From west to east:
Further Information
Get more info on 'South Wales Valleys'.
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