Vanished Wales: Remembering Troedrhiwfuwch, the village lost to a moving mountain

Troedrhiwfuwch was once home to 600 people, now only two houses remain. Credit: Alan Parfit

Drive along the A469 between New Tredegar and Pontlottyn and you’ll find vast open countryside.

However, up until the 1980s this corner of the Rhymney Valley was home to a vibrant village of 600 people. There were churches, shops, pubs, a school and row upon row of tightly packed terraced houses.

The village was called Troedrhiwfuwch. It was an old mining community dating back to the 1850s and residents fondly called it ‘Troedy’.

Bernadette Cooper and Wendy Williams lived in the village, just as their parents and grandparents had before them.

Those who lived in the village remember it fondly.

Bernadette told ITV’s Vanished Wales: “It was a vibrant place to live. It was full of life and you took it for granted.

“There was a sense of belonging and knowing everybody. It was a gorgeous place to grow up.

“I can’t explain it really, it was just so lovely.”

Wendy continued: “The doors were always open. All our aunties, uncles, the neighbours; they were just fabulous. 

“It will always be home to us.  And if somebody said we had the chance to come back to Troedy we’d be there like a shot.” 

Very little of the village now remains.

Today, the landscape is silent and still.  There's scarcely a sign that Troedrhiwfuwch had even existed.  

A clue to its disappearance lies in the steep mountainside overlooking the former village.  For years there had been concerns about the geology in the area. Little by little, the mountain was moving.

The Council feared that a landslide could engulf the village without warning. The residents were moved out.  In 1985 Troedrhiwfuwch was demolished brick by brick, building by building.

Of the 100 hundred houses, only two remain today.

Like so many valleys villages, Troedrhiwfuwch was characterised by its tightly packed houses and community spirit.

But something very special survived the wrecking ball: the village war memorial.  It stands as a precious reminder of the past. 

During the First World War, there were 96 houses in the village.  Of the 110 men that went to fight in that conflict, 16 were killed, while many more were injured and scarred for life. 

Liz Jones’ great uncle is one of the names engraved into the memorial.

Many people still visit the viullage's war memorial each year.

“He was killed at the age of 22 at Mametz Wood in July 1916,” she reflected.

“The war memorial was paid for from collections house to house by the whole village. They all contributed and it took from 1918 until 1933 before they could afford to pay for it.”

“Although Troedrhiwfuwch was demolished, we still gather at the war memorial each year for our Remembrance Day service.

“Our ancestors paid for it to be there so it’s that continuation of the generations.  It’s a way of remembering Troedrhiwfuwch because it means so much.”

You can see more on this story, and many other lost landmarks, in Vanished Wales. Tuesday April 4 at 8pm on ITV Cymru Wales. You can also catch up with the series here.