The village lies on the A4059 road between Hirwaun and Brecon and is the last settlement on that road in the county of Rhondda Cynon Taf before the border with Powys to the north. The village sits just within the southern boundary of the Brecon Beacons National Park. The River Cynon passes through the area.
Penderyn is the home of Penderyn Whisky, whose distillery is located opposite the local school. The award-winning single malt whisky was launched in 2004 and was the first distilled in Wales for over 100 years.[5]
and 'deryn', an abbreviation of 'aderyn', meaning 'bird'
History
Welsh historian David Watkin Jones (bardic name 'Dafydd Morganwg')[7] documented in his 1874 Hanes Morganwg (History of Glamorgan)[8] that, in 1666, one ‘Mayber’ built a small charcoal-fired furnace near Llygad Cynon, the source of the River Cynon, in an uninhabited place in the parish of Penderyn ('yn mhlwyf Penderyn').
Iron ore didn't exist in the vicinity of the furnace. Consequently, supplies of it needed to be obtained from elsewhere. However, the furnace was successful: it produced on average a ton of iron a week, which was taken to Brecon for finishing (forging), where it would have enjoyed ‘the advantage of proximity to English markets’.[9]
At some point Penderyn became an agricultural village, which supplied the ever growing needs of the nearby local market town of Aberdare.
Until the county's inclusion in Powys in 1974 the village was in the county of Brecknockshire.
Governance
Penderyn is in the community of Hirwaun and, at the lowest tier of local government, is represented by Hirwaun & Penderyn Community Council.
Penderyn is one of two electoral wards in the community, electing 4 members to the community council.[10]
