Rhondda Valley, South Wales (18. Hillside above Llanwonno Road)

The name means the ‘top of the hill where the trees look like a joist’. A coal pit was sunk in Penrhiwceiber in 1872 and seven members of Emily’s family worked there. A major preoccupation at the time of Emily’s walk was the great wave of industrial unrest sweeping the Welsh coalfields. There were major disputes over the method of calculating wages. Miners’ wages were linked to the amount of coal they extracted, making no allowance for difficult or dangerous conditions. From October to December 1910, 8,000 men went on strike in the Cynon Valley. Some 12,000 went on strike from October 1910 to September the following year at Tonypandy in the Rhondda valley. Riots occurred in Tonypandy that remain controversial to this day because troops were used to supress strikers. Directions From beneath the overhead power lines make your way down through the small quarry to the road. Turn left down Llanwonno Road and then fork back right into Arthur Street. Follow Arthur Street to the very end then turn left down Irene Street.  At the T-junction at the bottom turn right along Woodfield Terrace. Go along Woodfield Terrace for about 500 metres until you reach Number 1. Go down the set of steps opposite Number 1 to Penrhiwceiber Road. Stop outside the Chapel on the right side.