| Creigiau is a hamlet in the Parish of Pentyrch, and is an area
which contains evidence of Bronze Age activity. There is
a cromlech (a Bretonion/Welsh word for prehistoric building,
in this case a burial chamber) in Creigiau, located in the grounds
of the garden of Cae-yr-arfau House, which is named after the
ancient tomb. For hundreds of years the area was mainly used
by farmers, and still even by the 1800's, as the population started
to increase most of the miners and iron workers lived in or around
Gwaelod-y-Garth to the North East, whilst farming was still the main
activity in the small community. Apart from its limestone
quarries, Creigiau had been almost forgotten about, that is until
the Barry Railway Company built a station there. The district
became popular with ramblers and cyclists and soon Creigiau was
being hailed as one of the healthiest places in Glamorgan to live
in.
During the second World War, Creigiau Railway Station was used to
transport many American military personnel from the Normandy
Landings, to the Prince of Wales hospital at Rhydlafar a few miles
away. The hospital was converted into an orthopaedic hospital
in 1953. In order to raise funds, the local Health Authority
sold the hospital in the year 2000, and it was demolished a few
years later. A housing estate now occupies the site. |
