Pencoed
Pencoed (pronounced "Pen-coyd" or "Pen-code", in
English meaning End or Head of the wood), is a
town in the county borough of
Bridgend,
traditional county of
Glamorgan, south
Wales, mid-way between Wales' two largest cities of
Cardiff and
Swansea.
Lying on the
Ewenny River it has a population of around 11,000. It is believed that there was a
Norman castle in what is now the town, but Pencoed did not develop until the late
nineteenth century, around the
coal mining industry. The coal mines have now closed.
The town nestles in the
Ewenny valley, straddling the
M4 Motorway at junction 35. About a mile to the north of the town, lies the comparitively different relief of the south Wales valleys (Blaenau). To the south lies the rolling countryside of the
Vale of Glamorgan and the rugged 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 metres) of
Cefn Hirgoed (Long Wooded Ridge). To the west is
Hendre (Winter Settlement) 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 flat 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 the 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.
The current Deputy
Mayor is
Councillor Richard Williams,
Labour Party Member for the Hendre Ward of Bridgend County Borough.
Pronunciation of the name Pencoed is always the cause of some argument within the town. The correct
Welsh pronunciation of the name is "Pencoyd", although many locals pronounce it "Pencode" (the old Glamorganshire pronunciation).
*
Pencoed Town Council*
Pencoed Cricket Club*
Ysgol Pencoed School (Pencoed Comprehensive School)
