Pencoed
Coordinates: 51°31′22″N 3°30′17″W / 51.52275°N 3.50474°W
Pencoed is a heavily urbanized community and town in the county borough of Bridgend, Wales. It straddles the M4 motorway north east of Bridgend and is situated on the Ewenny River. As of the 2011 census it had a population of around 9,170.
Early habitation
The earliest evidence of habitation in the area is the Ogof y Pebyll Bone Cave,(51°30′57″N 3°30′47″W / 51.5159°N 3.5131°W, Grid Ref: SS951807) which is a scheduled monument and appears to have been inhabited during Neolithic or Bronze Age periods. Worked flint flakes have been found, along with the teeth of numerous mammals of many different species.[2]
Etymology
According to Morgan Thomas, writing in 1887, the name Pencoed in its simplest terms means head (pen) of the woods (coed); top of the woods.[3]
The correct pronunciation of the name Pencoed is a cause of some argument within the town. The English approximation of the standard Welsh pronunciation of the name, which means end or head of the wood, is /ˈpɛnkɔɪd/ PEN-koyd, though many locals pronounce it /ˈpɛnkɔːd/ PEN-kawd which reflects the normal pronunciation of the standard Welsh "oe" sound as it is modified in the southern dialects or /ˈpɛnkoʊd/ PEN-kohd.
Present town
Pencoed as a town developed in the late nineteenth century, around the coal mining industry; the coal mines have now closed.
The town is in the Ewenny Valley and is bisected by the M4 motorway at Junction 35. A mile north of the town lies the upland relief of the South Wales Valleys. To the south are the rolling countryside of the Vale of Glamorgan and the rugged north coast of the Bristol Channel.
The town consists of three distinct areas, which were once four small hamlets. To the north is Penprysg ('end of the brush wood'), a hilly region backing on to the low ridge (100 m) of Cefn Hirgoed ('long wooded ridge'). To the west is Hendre ('old town') which rises from the railway line in the centre of the town to the common land at Ystadwaun ('flat moorland'). The central part of the town, which lies on the valley floor east of the railway, consists of Pencoed itself and Felindre (Mill Town). There are numerous streams rising and running through the town and two main rivers, the Ewenny Fawr (the Big Ewenny) and the Ewenny Fach (the Small Ewenny). At the centre of the town, close to Pencoed railway station, is the war memorial (known locally as the Monument), the shopping centre and the local Community Hall (Pencoed Miners' Welfare Hall). The town is well provided with sports facilities, schools, pubs and clubs. A new development, 'Earlswood Parc', was announced in 2002 and now has been completed, incorporating various 'Westbury' built homes and Bocam business park.
The current Mayor is Councillor Jim Hancock OBE.
Pencoed hosted the National Eisteddfod in 1998.
Twinning
Pencoed has twinning arrangements with:
References
- ↑ "Town population 2011". Retrieved 7 November 2015.
- ↑ Coflein.gov.uk NPRN: 307635. Glamorgan-Gwent Archaeological Trust (search for PRN: 00384m). Cadw SAM: GM434: Ogof y Pebyll Cave
- ↑ Morgan, Thomas (1887). The Place Names of Wales. p. 194.
External links
- Pencoed Town Council website
- www.geograph.co.uk : photos of Pencoed and surrounding area
- 2426 (Pencoed) Squadron - Air Training Corp
| Communities |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Towns and villages |
| |
| Castles | ||
| Rivers | ||
| Topics | ||