re naming location at Cefn Coed

[bronwen]

Hello everyone-I wonder if you could help me.I have written a book about my father's early life in the early 1900's.One of the stories he told me mentions a place in Cefn Coed-he told me facts about it but not the name of the exact location.My book,'Sunshine on the Mayfield,'is going to be published next year by Tempus Publishers.They would like photographs to put in the book and I wondered if anyone could recognise the description of the place below so that I can try to find a photograph of it.
Here is the description of the place in 1928:
'They continued alongside the lake at Cyfartha Castle, then just before the bridge, crossing the River Taff into Cefn Coed itself, was a small road leading off the main road. They turned on to this and Jim Morrissey led Dai almost to the bank of the river.
There were a few cottages near the bank of the river, and in front of these cottages was quite a large area of flat land.
Best regards Bronwen.

[Alan]

Hello Bronwen,
This is a photograh of the area:-


Along the top of the photograph you can see the Brecon Road with Cefn Coed Bridge just out of view on the left, you will see a building (Which was at one time a school) just at the junction. The comes down past the old Lime Kilns to the river and the Pontycafnau Bridge. At the time the photograph was taken there were no cottages there and I don't know of any being there, but there was a flat area of land. Nowadays an Industrial Estate is there.

I hope this helps.

Alan

[Wales]

Hello Alan-what a brilliant photo.I've been trying to post a reply all day but I'm not exactly the best on computers.Hope I've managed it this time.I think you must have the right location , thank you very much.Is it possible to use this photograph without copyright problems or could you tell me from whom I have to obtain permission?I'm really enjoying the site.best regards Bronwen.You might know my twin brother Bernard Morrissey-he was manager of the shopping precinct at Merthyr Tydfil for a number of years.

[bronwen]

sorry I was not logged in properly.Hope I've got the hang of sending replies now.Regards Bronwen

[gwalion]

It sounds to me like the area that is now a nature reserve that lies along the bank of the Taf Fechan heading towards Vaynor, underneath the bridge carry the heads of the valley road (A470?). I think it is the site of a quarry in days gone by ( no doubt somone will be able to confirm that or refute that) That is a large area of flat land just past the lake heading to the north east of Cefn Coed Y Cymmer. There is a smaller area of flat land, not surprisingly on the bank of the Taf Fawr at the base and to the west of the village, just past the site of the former Teddington works and of course it could be this, but it is a much smaller area.

Unfortunately there is no indication of whether they turned right or left before the bridge into the village!

Good luck with your book too BTW!!!

[bronwen]

Thanks for the information Gwalion-I think Pontycafnau is probably right.I'm collecting as many photos as I can-I have until March to place them all in order in the book before publication.Thanks for the good wishes.Bronwen

[bynwalters]

If one follows the boundary wall of the lake past the Cefn entrance to the bridge, as you say, there's a little road that leads down to the river in front of a house. We follow the feeder canal to the right and the river to the left. Where the feeder goes underground into the river the land opens out and is now a nature reserve with the Heads of the Valley road above the cliffs on the right.We then follow the Taf-Fechan to Pontsarn.

[bronwen]

Thank you for the extra information Byn.I'll be travelling down to Wales sometime after the New Year and will check the area out.Have a great Christmas.Best regards Bronwen.