Ribbon Housing

Homes that defy gravity

"The houses which have acted to define the Rhondda defy both the law of gravity and the rules of perspective.

They whoosh in banded swathes of form and colour up and over the bumps of roads, driven to geological distraction by faults of nature surpassing even those possessed by the coalowners themselves".

…so wrote Tonypandy-born historian Dai Smith. Many thousands of people still live in those terraced houses that cling to the hillsides of Rhondda Cynon Taf.

Dense Terraces

The dense terraces were hurriedly built on the steep sides of the valleys together with churches, chapels and workmen’s halls, for the workers who flocked to the valleys during the industrial revolution.

During the 19th century, they came to the sparsely populated valleys seeking employment in the emerging iron and steel, tinplate and coal industries which exploited the area’s mineral resources.

Coal mines and urbanisation

The long ribbons of urbanisation in the valleys were interspersed with coal mines with huge waste tips and iron and steel forges. On the cramped valley floor ran the narrow roads, canals and then railway systems serving the growing industrial communities.

Today, the traditional industries have gone from Rhondda Cynon Taf and the landscape is changing back to green, but the thousands of gravity-defying terraced houses remain.

Scotch Terraces

Among the most famous houses in the Rhondda are the Scotch Row terraces in Llwynypia, named after Archibald Hood - the Scottish colliery entrepreneur responsible for their construction, who owned the nearby Glamorgan (Scotch) or Llwynypia Colliery.

Built from 1865 onwards to house Archibald Hood’s workers close to the colliery site, they are rare examples of housing dating to the period before the Public Health Act of 1875, which later had wide-ranging effects on the construction industry.

These attractive terraces were constructed to a high standard, incorporating wide windows and private gardens. They are double-fronted, two-down three-ups, overlooking long front gardens. Bricks used in their construction were made locally at the Llwynypia Colliery, using fireclay from its no. 3 Pit.

To find out more about Destination Rhondda Cynon Taf and to enter one of our draws, please click here

Visit Rhondda Cynon Taf and Destination RCT - Copyright 2008 Rhondda Cynon Taf CBC - This site is best viewed in a 1024x768 resolution