Taff's Well
| Taff's Well Welsh: Ffynnon Taf | |
| Glamorgan | |
|---|---|
 Taff's Well Railway Station | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | ST122835 |
| Location: | 51°32’43"N, 3°16’13"W |
| Data | |
| Population: | 3,672 (2011[1]) |
| Post town: | Cardiff |
| Postcode: | CF15 |
| Dialling code: | 029 |
| Local Government | |
| Council: | Rhondda Cynon Taf |
| Parliamentary constituency: |
Pontypridd |
Taffs Well is a semi-rural village in Glamorgan located six miles north of Cardiff. It is known locally as the 'Gates to the Valleys'. The village is separated from Gwaelod Y Garth by the River Taff. Taff's Well is distinguished because it contains the only thermal spring in Wales. The tepid water is thought to rise along a fault-line from the Carboniferous Limestone, in somewhat similar manner to the warm springs at Bristol and Bath. It may be regarded as a spiritual site by various religious groups. Taff's Well grew into an important railway junction during the mid- to late nineteenth century, when Cardiff was a major global exporter of coal.
The Garth Mountain overlooks the village and was the inspiration for the fictional "Ffynnon Garw", featured in the book, and film The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill But Came Down a Mountain.
Name
The name "Taff's Well" is derived from the situation of the village alongside the River Taff and the presence of the warm spring within Taff's Well Park.
Thermal spring
Taffs Well Park is the site of the Taff's Well Thermal Spring, a well that reached its height of popularity for visitors to the village in the mid to late 1800s.[2] It enjoys temperatures which are typically 18.9 degrees C, 66 degrees F.
Sport
Taff's Well A.F.C. are the local football team, while Taff's Well RFC are the local Rugby union representatives.
Transport
Taffs Well railway station, which opened in 1863,[3] is situated on the Rhondda and Merthyr Lines. Services are provided northbound to Treherbert, Aberdare, Merthyr Tydfil via Pontypridd and southbound to Cardiff. The average journey time to Cardiff Central is 20 minutes at a frequency of six trains per hour.[4]
Bus service 132 between Maerdy and Cardiff central bus station stops in the village every 15 minutes at peak times.[5]
The A470 road runs through the village between Cardiff Bay (nine miles to the south) and Llandudno (179 miles to the north). Taff's Well is situated two miles north of Junction 32 (Cardiff North) of the M4 motorway.
Churches
The village has a number of churches, including Taffs Well United Church whose ministers are Helen and Andy Fyall.
References
- ↑ "community population 2011". http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadKeyFigures.do?a=7&b=11129419&c=Taffs+Well&d=16&e=62&g=6495063&i=1001x1003x1032x1004&m=0&r=1&s=1447755726468&enc=1. Retrieved 17 November 2015.
- ↑ "Waters From The Deep: Taff's Well thermal spring" (pdf). Natur Cymru. Summer 2014. pp. 30–33. http://nora.nerc.ac.uk/508618/1/Waters%20from%20the%20deep%20-%20Taffs%20Well%20Thermal%20Spring.pdf. Retrieved 10 January 2016.
- ↑ Hutton, John (2006). The Taff Vale Railway, vol. 1. Silver Link. ISBN 978-1-85794-249-1.
- ↑ Arriva Trains Wales Timetable: Valleys and Cardiff local routes
- ↑ Stagecoach service 132 timetable