The name Taffs Well appears not to have been recorded
on historical documents before the second half of the eighteenth
century. Indeed, until the beginning of the nineteenth
century, it was not a name given to a village, for there
was none as such, but rather to an ancient warm water well
and some farm holdings beside the River Taff. It's not
known when the name Taffs Well was applied to the present
village. However, it was the name given to the railway
station of the Taff Vale Railway that opened in 1840. It
also appears on the 1841 census.
Right: An illustration showing the hut
covering the warm water well for the privacy of its' occupants
According to the 1841 census Taffs Well was
inhabited by about 300 people, of which a third resided at
the southern end of the village referred to as Walnut Tree.
A striking feature of these records was the diversity of
the population's occupations. They included farmers, publicans,
milliners, shopkeepers, a butcher and a policeman. The village's
greatest source of employment was the Glamorganshire Canal.
As well as directly providing work for boatmen and lock keepers,
it probably was of great importance to the villagers' carpenters,
woodcutters and blacksmith.
The 1841 tithe map and its schedules for the parish of
Eglwysilan is another source that provides valuable information
about the early history of Taffs Well village and its surroundings.
Two bridges are shown located to the south of the village,
one crossing the Glamorganshire Canal and the other crossing
the Taff Vale Railway. Above these bridges are Portobello
Farm fields, some of them having been recently divided by
the railway. Another farm shown on the map is Taffs Well
Farm.
Left: The Glamorgan Canal at Taffs Well
Its fields stretch eastwards from the Taff
River, crossing both the canal and railway while the farmhouse
stands on the site presently occupied by Ty Bryncoch Flats.
A well is clearly shown, although not named, in the field
called Cae Ffynnon. (well field) Immediately above this field
is a farm holding called Tir Ffynnon Taf. Although the dwelling
remains today, the four fields that once were part of the
farm are mainly occupied by Ffynnon Taf County Primary School
and its recreation ground. Unsurprisingly much confusion
was caused by the similar names of the two holdings.
Taffs Well's population had more than doubled in 40 years according to the 1881
census. It also showed that although a significant number of its inhabitants
continued to be shopkeepers, the majority now worked in the Pentyrch and Garth
ironworks that were on opposite sides of the river or the Bryncoch and Rockwood
collieries located on the village's outskirts. As a result of this expansion,
schools and places of worship were established in the village. A National School
known as Walnut Tree Bridge School opened in 1869. The building still exists
today as St James Church in Church Street. There was also a British School that
met in one of the village's chapels as well as a charity school for girls situated
next to the Taff Well Inn. Following the formation of Eglwysilan School Board
in 1871 a board school was started in the mid 1870s, and probably used the same
premises as the former British School, until a new school was built and opened
its doors on January 6th 1879. It continues to be the village school and recently
enjoyed 125 years anniversary celebrations.
Taffs Well Spring
Taff Well Spring, situated
at the northern end of the village on the bank of the River
Taff, remains one of the most remarkable relics of the
Taff Valley. Its early history is shrouded in obscurity.
A book published in 1833 states that it was "sometimes called 'Ffynnon Dwym'
or the tepid well." It goes on to say, "an extraordinary
flood in the year 1799 is said to have laid bare Roman masonry
adjoining the well, which was covered by subsequent inundations
of the River Taff." Although recent investigations failed
to trace this masonry, the claim certainly has validity considering
the proximity of Roman settlements and roads throughout the
Taff Valley. According to the chemist Joseph Thomas, who
surveyed the well in 1877, it had originally stood in the
middle of green fields. However, the building of a weir across
the river, which supplied water to the Pentyrch iron works,
caused the riverbed to move eastwards. As a result, the well
now bordered the river and was often covered in floodwater.
Until the mid eighteenth century, the well was probably used
on a purely local basis. Gradually, people began to travel
from afar attracted by testimonies of the well's healing
powers and aided by the building of the turnpike road, canal
and railway.
The Taffs Well Inn was apparently built to cater for those
who came to stay. Many of the villagers also accommodated
visitors. By the second half of the nineteenth century it
appeared that the well was enclosed. There are, however,
conflicting claims as to whether a wall of stone or sheets
of iron surrounded it. The well appears to have fallen into
disrepair by the beginning of the First World War. In 1929,
a public meeting of villagers decided to repair the well
and it reopened in August 1930. A swimming pool was later
built alongside the building that housed the well, utilising
its water. Unfortunately both fell into disuse during the
1950s following a disastrous flood.
The well during restoration
In more recent times, the well's waters rescued the village
bowling greens from the effects of a drought in 1978. Interest
in the well was rekindled and at the end of the seventies
a campaign was launched to restore it and its surroundings.
The well was cleaned out and several actually swam in its
waters. However, it wasn't until the mid 1990s that a redevelopment
of the area was completed. The building housing the well
was given a new fascia and the swimming pool filled and replaced
by a landscaped garden.
Right: The well building July 2004
Taffs Well Transport
Taffs Well's geographical location ensured that communication
and transport were important factors in its history and development.
The village was situated in a narrow gorge on the route between
Cardiff and the South Wales Valleys.
It's not surprising therefore, that a canal, two roads and four railways should
have passed through it, as well as the Taff river. On some occasions the river
served as a means of communication but on others it became an obstacle for those
who wanted to cross from one side to the other. We see from looking at the 1875
Ordnance Survey map that several fords existed up and down the river. One of
these according to this map was situated near the present day police station.
Right: The canal near Taffs Well
However, before the building of any footbridges, the majority
of those who crossed the river did so on one of the village's
ferryboats. Pentyrch ferry, as it was known, crossed the
river from the Junction Hotel while the landlord of the Portobello
Inn operated another ferry. Both would have transported workers
in the Pentyrch ironworks to and fro across the river from
their homes in the Taff Well area. The ferry known as Taff
Well ferry crossed the river from Ty'r Ffynnon farm, more
commonly known as Ferry Farm located behind the school.
The Saunders family ran Taffs Well ferry for many years. Tragically, Mrs Saunders
was swept away and drowned while collecting a passenger in the early twenties.
There were immediate calls for a footbridge. Mainly as a result of John Philips's
generosity a bridge, after who it was named, was completed. Station Bridge,
located at the Pentyrch Ferry crossing, had already been built at the turn of
the century.
Left: Taffs Well ferry at Ty'r Ffynnon
farm. The school can be seen to the right behind the tree
branches
Walnut Tree Viaduct
Taffs Well was seen as an important communication
link between the South Wales Valleys and the coast following
the establishment of Merthyr's ironworks in the second half
of the eighteenth century. The Merthyr-Cardiff turnpike road
was built in the 1770s and the Portobello Inn at Taffs Well
was one of the principal inns and staging posts along it.
Despite these developments, Merthyr's ironmasters realised
that horse drawn transport was not only slow and expensive
but also handicapped the industry's expansion. With their
financial support, the Glamorgan Canal began to be constructed
in 1791. The section that ran through Taffs Well opened in
1794. Three of the canal's fifty-one locks, Taff Well Lock,
Caegias Lock and Portobello Lock, were situated in the village.
A short distance north of Taffs Well at Glan y Llyn were
the impressive treble locks that had a rise of thirty-three
feet.
It wasn't long before the rapid growth of the iron industry placed an intolerable
burden on the Glamorgan canal. It became obvious to the ironmasters that a railway
from Merthyr to Cardiff needed to be built. The first section of the Taff Vale
Railway opened in 1840 and included Taffs Well station. It was later renamed
Walnut Tree Junction after the opening of the Rhymney Valley Railway connection
with the TVR at Taffs Well in 1858.
By 1880, the TVR and Rhymney Railway were so congested
with coal traffic that coalowner David Davies established
the Barry Dock and Railways Company in 1884 together with
other frustrated coal owners. As the Barry Railway was one
of the last private lines to be built in South Wales, it
meant that considerable engineering work had to be undertaken,
as earlier companies had chosen the more favourable and easier
graded routes to the coalfields. Walnut Tree Viaduct, built
in 1901, was an example of civil engineering brilliance.
Left: Walnut Tree Viaduct
Designed by Sir James Szlumper, the 120 feet high and
1548 feet long viaduct comprised of seven steel lattice girders
spans resting on brick piers. It was slightly curved at its
western end to enable the line to bend on to a shelf on the
hillside. After dominating the southern end of the village
for nearly 70 years, it was demolished in 1969 though two
of its pillars still remain today. The last line to be built
that ran past Taffs Well was Cardiff Railway. Although completed
in 1911 it was used purely for local traffic because of TVR's
refusal for the line to join its own line at Treforest.
The Glamorgan Canal fell into disuse in 1942. On its site and that of the Cardiff
Railway, the A470 trunk road, connecting Merthyr to Cardiff, was built in 1969.
Only the TVR remains of the four lines that once passed through Taffs Well gorge.
Right: The demolition of Walnut Tree Viaduct
in 1969
