Situated on the banks of the River Taff, the village was named after Cilfynydd farm, which was on the east side of the valley.

Many of the bodies brought to the surface were so badly mutilated that identification was virtually impossible, and there were several instances of corpses being carried to the wrong houses.

Almost everyone in the community lost someone in the disaster, with one family on Howell Street losing 11 members: the father, four sons, and six lodgers.

[4] A nine-day inquiry concluded that the deceased had lost their lives through a gas explosion at the Albion colliery, which was augmented by coal dust.

The mine closed in 1966,[4] but with the tips threatening a disaster similar to Aberfan, a two-phased scheme to reduce the steep gradient of the spoil began in 1974 and was completed two years later.

Damage to property across the area where the storm struck was estimated at £40,000 in terms of repairs required – a considerable sum equivalent to around £5 million in 2023.

The following decade witnessed an even greater rate of increase, as the 1901 census shows the population totalled 3,500 people.

[2] By this point, the village also had four chapels, three public houses, a school, a church, a post office, and a workman's hall.

Pontypridd High School resides on the location of the former pit, and the capped mine shafts are still visible today.

Due to the development of the Albion Colliery, the Llancaiach Branch of the Taff Vale Railway was constructed adjacent to the village, with through passenger services from Pontypridd to Nelson by TVR railmotor.