History of the River Taff

The City of Cardiff is the Welsh Capital and can be traced back 2,000 years to the time of Roman rule. More recently, between the 18th and 20th Century, Cardiff became an industrial powerhouse and a succesful port, its riches earned through iron, steel and coal.

Merthyr Tydfil was once the world's premier iron-producing town. However, its foundries have now sunk into decline with the last one closed back in the 1930s. In 1939 Merthyr Tydfil was nearly consigned to the history books with plans afoot to level the town and relocate its inhabitants. In a bizarre twist of fate, the outbreak of World War Two proved to be a stroke of fortune for the town, as it led to all such plans being shelved indefinitely.