The township of Trehafod lies on the border between the Rhondda and Taff Ely, or as the 1926 Kelly's Industrial Directory describes it, as being ‘partly in the Parish of Pontypridd and partly Ystradyfodwg'. The 1847 tithe map shows a number of farms on the area that was to become Trehafod, which were named, Hafod Uchaf, Hafod Genol, and Hafod Fawr. It was from these farms that Trehafod was to take its name. Hafod is a Welsh word that can mean both a summer dwelling or upland farm. The mineral rights of these lands were first leased as early as 1809. In addition to these farms, the 1847 tithe map also shows a single cottage in the area and a tramroad and railway.

However, these were small concerns, and the Coedcae and Hafod Collieries suffered major problems. It was with the subsequent purchase of these concerns by W.T. Lewis, later Lord Merthyr, and the sinking of the Trefor and Bertie pits across the river, that Trehafod as a major coal producer really came into being. Although Lewis continued to mine bituminous coal from the Coedcae Pit under the name of Coad Cae Coal Company, it was the sinking of the Hafod, Trefor, and Bertie pits to the rich steam coal measures that made Trehafod. These three steam coal pits became, ‘the nucleus of one of the greatest mining concerns in Britain', employing at its peak nearly 5,000 men and producing nearly one million tons of coal annually.

Hafod and Coedcae Collieries

Bryn Eirw Mission/Church

In common with most mining villages, Trehafod boasted its own church, Saint Barnabus (originally Bryn Eirw Mission), and chapels including Welsh Baptist, Calvinistic, Welsh Congregational, and Wesleyan. As well as its own thriving shopping centre, its proximity to the ‘metropolis' that was Pontypridd meant that residents of Trehafod were well served in terms of cultural, educational, religious and other opportunities.