Discover 11 hidden attractions, cool sights, and unusual things to do in Pontypridd (United Kingdom). Don't miss out on these must-see attractions: Rhondda Heritage Park, Lido Ponty, and Old Bridge. Also, be sure to include Ynysangharad Park in your itinerary.
Below, you can find the list of the most amazing places you should visit in Pontypridd (Wales).
Table of Contents
Rhondda Heritage Park
Local history museum in Wales. Rhondda Heritage Park, Trehafod, Rhondda, South Wales is a tourist attraction which offers an insight into the life of the coal mining community that existed in the area until the 1980s.
Visitors can experience the life of the coal miners on a guided tour through one of the mine shafts of the Lewis Merthyr colliery. Tours are led by former colliery workers. Rhondda Heritage Park is an Anchor Point of ERIH, The European Route of Industrial Heritage.
Rhondda Heritage Park exists on the site of the former Lewis Merthyr Colliery as a testament to the coal mining history of the Rhondda Valleys, which until the end of the 20th century was one of the most important coal mining areas in the world - in an area only 16 miles (26 km) long, Rhondda alone had over 53 working collieries at one time.[1]
Address: Coedcae Road, CF37 2NP Pontypridd
Lido Ponty
Watersports, Sport complex, Playground, Park, Swimming pool, Swimming
Old Bridge
Arch bridge in Pontypridd, Wales. The Old Bridge, which is now also known as the William Edwards Bridge or Pontypridd Bridge, was originally known as the New Bridge or Newbridge, is an arched single-span footbridge that spans the River Taff at Pontypridd in Wales. The bridge was built by William Edwards and was completed in 1756. The bridge now has statutory protection as a scheduled ancient monument and is grade I listed.[2]
Ynysangharad Park
Ynysangharad Park is a cricket ground in the centre of Pontypridd, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. It is located in Ynysangharad War Memorial Park.
The ground was first established in 1870, but the first recorded match on the ground was in 1924, when Glamorgan played their first first-class match there against Derbyshire. Glamorgan played 43 first-class matches at the ground between 1926 and 1996, playing their final first-class match there against the Pakistanis during their tour of England.
The ground has also held List-A matches. The first List-A match came in the 1970 John Player League between Glamorgan and Essex. Between 1970 and 1999, the ground played host to 9 List-A matches, the last of which saw Glamorgan play Surrey in the 1999 National League.
As well as hosting first-class and List-A cricket, the ground has also held Minor counties matches for Wales Minor Counties. Their first match at the ground came in the 1995 Minor Counties Championship against Oxfordshire. Wales Minor Counties played 5 matches there in the Minor Counties Championship between 1995 and 2004, the last of which saw them play Devon.
In local domestic cricket, the ground is the home venue of Pontypridd Cricket Club.[3]
Address: Ynysangharad Park, Pontypridd
St Dyfrig's Church
St Dyfrig's Church is a listed Roman Catholic church in the village of Treforest near Pontypridd, South Wales. The church was founded in the 19th century, though the present structure dates from the 1920s.[4]
Taff Valley Quad Bike & Activity Centre
Shopping centre, Shopping, Off-road and atv trails, Game and entertainment center, Park, Natural attraction, Outdoor activities, Valley
Address: Cwrt y Celyn Farm, Upperboat, Pontypridd, Pontypridd
Ynysangharad War Memorial
Park in Pontypridd, Wales. 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 have the park established. It was originally designed for those who lived in the surrounding area to have somewhere to relax from their work lives.
Due to the fact that the River Rhondda meets the River Taff at one corner of the park it is prone to flooding, one flood in 1929 left the park severely flooded 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.[5]
Tabernacle
Chapel in Ynysybwl, Wales. Tabernacle, Ynysybwl is a former Independent chapel in Other Street, Ynysybwl, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales.[6]
St. Mary's Church
Anglican church in Pontypridd, Wales. St Mary's Church is a Church in Wales parish church in the village of Glyntaff, near Pontypridd, South Wales. It is the oldest Anglican church in the Pontypridd urban area. Formerly an independent parish, it became part of the Parish of Glyntaff, Rhydyfelin and The Graig, and is now part of the Parish of Pontypridd. It is a member of Pontypridd Christians Together.
The church has a long tradition of following an Anglo-Catholic style of worship, extending at least as far back as the 1920s.[7]
Address: The Vicarage, Glyntaff Rd, Pontypridd
Tiny Tumblers Church Village
Game and entertainment center, Church
Address: Main Road, CF38 1RL Pontypridd
Great Western Mine
Great Western Mine, also known as Hetty Pit, was a coal mine, at Hopkinstown, near Pontypridd, Glamorgan in South Wales.[8]