History

The Taff Vale Railway was the first major locomotive railway in Wales. It was incorporated in 1836, built 1837-40 and opened in 1840-1 from Merthyr Tydfil to Cardiff, primarily to serve the ironworks of Merthyr Tydfil. The chief engineer was Isambard Kingdom Brunel. As branch lines were built to the Cynon and Rhondda valleys later in the C19 mineral traffic, largely coal, increased dramatically, making Pontypridd an important focal point of the S Wales railway network. The signal box was sited at the Rhondda Branch Junction. The design, by McKenzie and Holland, is a modified version of their Type 3 design. It was built after 1895 and is possibly contemporary with the 1907 reconstruction of the station.

Exterior

A 2-storey red brick building with slate roof. At the S end 2 bays have been reduced to a single storey with a flat roof, but was formerly 6 1-bays long. A name plate reads 'Pontypridd JCSB'.

Interior

The signal box once contained 230 levers.

Reasons for Listing

Listed for group value with other listed railway items in the centre of Pontypridd.

External Links

• Cadwr Listing
• Wikidata Q29491578

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

• 
  Wiltshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Hampshire: Winchester and the North (The Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990
• 
  Setting up a Listed Building Heritage Partnership Agreement: Historic England Advice Note 5
• 
  [(Cumberland and Westmorland)] [By (author) Nikolaus Pevsner] published on (January, 1967)
• 
  Building Small Projects (New Best of Fine Woodworking)