Homes that defy gravity
"The houses which have acted to define the Rhondda defy both the law of gravity and the rules of perspective.
They whoosh in banded swathes of form and colour up and over the bumps of roads, driven to geological distraction by faults of nature surpassing even those possessed by the coalowners themselves".
…so wrote Tonypandy-born historian Dai Smith.
The dense terraces were hurriedly built on the steep sides of the valleys, together with churches, chapels and workmen's halls, to accommodate the thousands of workers who flocked to the valleys during the Industrial Revolution.
Many thousands of people still live in those terraced houses that cling to the hillsides of Rhondda Cynon Taf. Each terrace follows the curves of the landscape perfectly and houses are painted in an array of rainbow colours.
Dotted among the terraces are the churchs and workmen's halls in which the people of Wales found their voices - and shared them with the rest of the world.
Take a driving tour up, over, around and behind the terraces and enjoy a peek into valleys life.