Cwmbach is a village and community (and electoral ward) near Aberdare, in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales.

[2] Prior to the industrial revolution, Cwmbach consisted of a number of farms and homesteads; in the early to mid-19th century it became a significant coal mining community.

The Craig-y-Gilfach earthwork is ideally situated at the top of the mountain, giving protection from both the Cynon and Merthyr valleys.

Despite its early inhabitation, Cwmbach like most of the Cynon Valley was a quiet isolated area made up of farms and homesteads before the coming of industry.

The Lletty Shenkin explosion of 1849, in particular, led to demands by the local middle classes in Aberdare for improved safety in the mines.

However, the closures of the pits (the final colliery Lletty Shenkin closed in 1922)[5] resulted in high emigration and poverty.

A number of the crowd watching the game became uninterested in the play and began to sing hymns and part songs.

The choir has shared a concert platform with some world-famous artists, including Paul Robeson, Sir Geraint Evans, Stuart Burrows, Dame Gwyneth Jones, Constance Shacklock, Patricia Kern and the internationally renowned guitarist John Williams.

Bethania Baptist chapel was badly damaged by wartime bombing in 1941 but was subsequently restored.

(Sites of Importance for Nature Conservation) and support a wide variety of birds, insects and plants.

Some notable examples are otter, mink, kingfisher, dipper, willow tit, bogbean, lesser water plantain, six dragonfly species and a variety of wading birds and summer migrants.