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Pentyrch (sometimes Welsh: Pen-tyrch; Welsh pronunciation: [pɛnˈtɪrχ]) is a village and community located on the western outskirts of Cardiff, the capital city of Wales. The village gives its name to a Cardiff local authority electoral ward, Pentyrch, which covers the village and immediate surrounding area. The Pentyrch community includes the neighbouring village of Creigiau and Gwaelod y Garth. People living in Pentyrch are commonly known as "Penterchyians".
| Pentyrch | |
|---|---|
  Pentyrch Location within Cardiff | |
| Population | 3,483 (2011)[1] |
| OS grid reference | ST101819 |
| Community |
|
| Principal area | |
| Preserved county | |
| Country | Wales |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | CARDIFF |
| Postcode district | CF15 |
| Dialling code | 029 |
| Police | South Wales |
| Fire | South Wales |
| Ambulance | Welsh |
| UK Parliament | |
| Senedd Cymru – Welsh Parliament | |
On 26 February 2016, multiple witnesses reported seeing UFOs.[3]
Geography
editThe village is situated approximately 6 miles north-west from Cardiff city centre, next to the Garth Mountain, high above the River Taff.
The village can be reached from junction 32 of the M4 Motorway, then A470, then via Heol Goch, a hill flanked by a quarry and nature reserve. Alternatively, Church Road provides access from Llantrisant Road near St Fagans.
Other approaches are from Creigiau and Gwaelod-y-Garth.
There was a separate location, Pentyrch Crossing, a flat railway crossing believed to have been removed in the 1960s, between Morganstown and the River Taff.
Demographics
editAt the 2001 census, Pentyrch contained 3,535 individuals, in 1,358 households.
Governance
editPentyrch became the newest addition to the Cardiff unitary authority in 1996.[4] The electoral ward of Pentyrch elects one councillor to Cardiff Council.
It falls within the parliamentary constituency of Cardiff West and is represented by the Labour Party in the House of Commons and the Senedd. The ward is bounded by Rhondda Cynon Taf to the north; and by the wards of Whitchurch & Tongwynlais to the east; Radyr & Morganstown to the southeast; and Creigiau & St. Fagans to the southwest.
Local elections
editPentyrch was represented by Conservative councillor Craig Williams on Cardiff Council until he stepped down in 2015, following his election to Parliament for Cardiff North. A by-election for the Pentyrch ward took place on Tuesday 30 June 2015 which, despite a 27% swing to Plaid Cymru's Hywel Wigley, resulted in a narrow win for Conservative candidate Gavin Hill-John by 18 votes.[5]
At the Cardiff Council election on 4 May 2017 Cllr Hill-John successfully defended his seat, increasing the margin between himself and Hywel Wigley to 215 votes. The turnout was 56%.[6]
Community Council
editThe Pentyrch Community Council has thirteen elected (or co-opted) members, representing the villages of Pentyrch, Creigiau (including Capel Llanilltern) and Gwaelod y Garth (the three community wards) on a ratio of 6:5:2.[7]
Elections are held every five years.
2017 Community Council Election
editTen candidates (6 Independent, 3 Welsh Labour, 1 Plaid Cymru) stood for election during the 2017 Cardiff Council election. All candidates were therefore elected unopposed.[8]
The following by-elections took place between May 2017 and the next election in 2022.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independent | Ian Jones | 190 | |||
| Conservative | Gary Dixon | 126 | |||
| Turnout | 316 | 16.6 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independent | Simon Roberts | No contest | |||
Political affiliation recorded as 'Welsh Conservative' on the Pentyrch Community Council website (March 2020).
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independent | Jena Quilter | No contest | |||
Political affiliation recorded as 'Welsh Conservative' on the Pentyrch Community Council website (March 2020).
2022 Community Council Election
editThe next election is due to be held in May 2022.
Amenities
edit
Acapela Studio, a concert hall and recording studio, is owned by harpist Catrin Finch and music and television producer Hywel Wigley. Acapela studio has hosted a series of Welsh acts such as Gruff Rhys, Cerys Matthews and Charlotte Church as well as local and international music acts. Many programmes for S4C and the BBC are filmed there. The building itself is converted from the former presbyterian Capel Horeb. Opposite Acapela is the Lewis Arms public house.
Housing is split between older housing and large post-1970s developments. The older buildings in the village are reached by forking left after entering the village, travelling down to the King's Arms pub, and St. Catwg's Church, at the lowest point of the village. Along with St. Catwg's Church and its lychgate, the King's Arms is a Grade II Listed building. Originally a seventeenth-century copyhold farm called Cae Golman, the King's Arms became established as a public house in the eighteenth century. The bar has a fireplace with a chamfered beam, dated 1711. Sport in the village is centred on the Pentyrch Rugby Football Club. There is also a cricket pitch and other facilities at the club. Pentyrch Rangers football club is based in the village. The club has nearly 200 registered players and runs 10 junior and mini football teams in the Cardiff and District League. Other amenities include a village hall and primary school.
Craig-y-parc House, in wooded grounds outside the village, is a former country house, now a residential school for children and young adult with disabilities. Designed by Charles Edward Mallows for the colliery owner Thomas Evans, and built between 1914 and 1918, it is a Grade II* listed building.[12]
Notable people
edit- Lucie Jones, singer and model
- Robin Sowden-Taylor, rugby player, raised in Pentyrch
- Craig Williams MP, lives in Pentyrch and served as Cardiff City Councillor for Pentyrch ward from 2008 to 2015 [13]
References
edit- ^ "Ward population 2011". Retrieved 8 April 2015.
- ^ "Cyngor Cymuned Pentyrch Community Council". pentyrch.cc.
- ^ "The strange Welsh night involving 'huge UFO lights', explosions and the military". 22 October 2018.
- ^ "The suburb of Pentyrch". Cardiffians.co.uk. 1 August 2010. Retrieved 9 April 2013.
- ^ Ruth Mosalski (1 July 2015). "Tories hold on to Pentyrch - but story of the night is a huge swing to Plaid's candidate Dafydd Wigley's son Hywel". Wales Online. Retrieved 14 January 2018.
- ^ "Election results for Pontprennau & Old St Mellons - Cardiff Council Elections 2017 - Thursday, 4th May, 2017". Cardiff Council. 4 May 2017. Retrieved 14 January 2018.
- ^ "Home - Protecting the environment, quality of life, and rural character of the four villages". Cyngor Cymuned Pentyrch Community Council. Retrieved 14 January 2018.
- ^ "Elections". Pentyrch Community Council. Retrieved 1 April 2020.
- ^ "Pentyrch Community Ward - Thursday, 19th March, 2020". City of Cardiff Council. 19 March 2020. Retrieved 24 March 2020.
- ^ "Pentyrch Community Ward - Friday, 9th November, 2018". City of Cardiff Council. 9 November 2018. Retrieved 24 March 2020.
- ^ "Creigiau Community Ward - Thursday, 23rd August, 2018". City of Cardiff Council. 23 August 2018. Retrieved 24 March 2020.
- ^ Cadw. "Craig-y-parc House (Grade II*) (22816)". National Historic Assets of Wales. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
- ^ "New Cardiff North MP Craig Williams steps down as city councillor". Wales Online. 21 May 2015. Retrieved 25 June 2015.