Treforest

Treforest (Welsh: Trefforest) is a village in the south-east of Pontypridd, in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. It is situated in the Treforest electoral ward, along with the village of Glyntaff (or Glyn-Taf). It is part of the Pontypridd Town community. Treforest runs along the west bank of the River Taff (Welsh: Afon Taf), while Glyntaff runs along its east bank. Treforest extends from immediately south-east of Ynysangharad Park, where the A4058 link from the A470 joins the A473 Broadway (south of the adjoining wards of Graig and Trallwn), all the way to join the Tonteg ward in the south (part of the community of Llantwit Fardre). The village is historically connected with the Crawshay family, who established a major tinplate works in 1835. Treforest is now known for its association with the University of South Wales, originally established as the Newport Mechanics Institute in the 1840s, the campus in Treforest was established as the School of Mines in 1913. Treforest Industrial Estate is not part of Treforest or its electoral ward, most of which is not even within Pontypridd. Instead, this falls partly within the area of Upper Boat (Pontypridd), but mostly within the Willowford area of Ton-Teg (Llantwit Fardre) and Nantgarw (Taffs Well ward).