Prior to industrialisation, most of the land was owned by one of the great families of Glamorgan with Treorchy coming under the domain of the Marquess of Bute Estate.[2] The discovery of coal transformed the area. The period following 1851 saw Treorchy becoming an industrial town. The town grew around the coal mining industry during the late 19th and early 20th century, but by the end of the 20th century all the local pits had closed, creating an economic downturn in the community.
Treorchy had been established when the Abergorki Colliery, situated in Cwm Orci to the north, was opened as a level in 1859 by a Mr Huxham, a former manager of the Bute Merthyr Colliery. This was sold to J. H. Insole of Cymmer in 1862.[3] The first deep mine in Treorchy was sunk in the 1860s by David Davies of Llandinam who would later own the Ocean Coal Company.[4] The initial development of the town was linear, based on the main road through the valley, but by 1875 a grid pattern of streets was emerging.[3]
Language
The pre-industrial Rhondda community was Welsh-speaking, and the Welsh language continued to be widely spoken in the valley and in the upper villages of the Rhondda until the mid-twentieth century. The original migrants to the Rhondda were from rural Wales but later a higher proportion came from England. In 1901 64.4% of the population of the Rhondda Urban District were recorded as Welsh-speaking but this proportion fell to 56.6% by 1911.[5]
Ysgol Gymraeg Ynyswen, a Welsh-medium primary school, is situated in the nearby village of Ynyswen. Established in 1950, it was the first Welsh-medium school in the Rhondda. It serves Treorchy and the surrounding villages, including Treherbert, Cwmparc, Penyrenglyn and Blaencwm.
A 2018 review of electoral arrangements by the Local Democracy and Boundary Commission for Wales would see Treorchy's representation reduced from three to two councillors. The proposals would take effect from the 2022 council elections.[8]
Economy
After being a town whose employment relied almost entirely on coal mining in the Abergorki, Tylecoch, Parc and Dare collieries,[9] by the end of the 1970s all of these collieries had closed.[9] Treorchy became a commuter village, with the working population seeking employment in the larger towns and cities nearby, such as Cardiff and Bridgend.[10] Employment in Treorchy is now mostly in retail.[10]
In 2020, Treorchy was named by the Great British High Street Awards as the UK High Street of the Year, succeeding 2019 winner and fellow Welsh town Crickhowell.[11] It was praised for the number of independent shops in the town, and for organising a number of events, from Christmas parades to arts festivals, as well as a gay pride gathering which was a first for the area.[11]The Guardian reported that the town has grown its chamber of trade from 30 members to 120, and nearly 30 businesses have opened in recent years, producing an occupancy rate of 96%.[11] The town has a number of cafes, pubs, and shops on its high street.[11]
Religion
In its early days as an industrial settlement, Treorchy was considered a nonconformist stronghold, with many chapels, the largest of which was Noddfa, a Welsh Baptist chapel which could seat upwards of a thousand people and which had a proud choral tradition.
Education
Treorchy has two main schools: Treorchy Primary School and Treorchy Comprehensive. The primary school is not on the original site of Treorchy Boys and Treorchy Girls schools, but is built 100m further along Glyncoli Road. It is built to the original plans used on many of the older schools in the upper Rhondda.
Treorchy Comprehensive school was built on the old site of the Tylecoch colliery. Its western athletics track was named the "Red Ash", being the remnants of the mine shaft. This was removed in 2006 to build an astroturf sportsfield. The school is officially 500m from the main gate to the rear gate, and runs from Chepstow Road, Cwmparc, to the Tylecoch Bridge, Treorchy.
Treorchy also has 6 tennis courts, situated in Ystradfechan Park, and is the home of the Rhondda Lawn Tennis Club.
Upper Rhondda Cricket Club play on Ystradfechan Fields in Treorchy. The club was founded in 2002 when Blaenrhondda CC and Treorchy CC merged, they also have a women's side which was the first women's cricket team in the Rhondda when they started in 2019.
