Thornhill, Cardiff

Thornhill (Welsh "Draenen Pen-y-Graig" "draen" thorn + "-en" one + "pen" top + "craig" rock) is a suburb in the county of , Wales, south of Caerphilly and north of the city of Cardiff. It is a modern area with plenty of new housing. Locally, there is a community centre (Thornhill Church Centre), Sainsbury's supermarket, Martins newsagents, Lloydspharmacy and a Blockbuster. There are four pubs located in Thornhill: the Old Cottage, Pendragon, Pentre Gwilym House and the Ffynnon Wen. A fifth pub, The Traveller's Rest is geographically closer to Thornhill than to Caerphilly; although it is "de facto" in Caerphilly based on its postcode and council locale. The aforementioned Pendragon Pub was extensively refurbished, and re-opened in late November 2007. The re-fit included installation of a longer bar, and major adaptation to an open plan layout, with flat screen televisions for live sporting events. Despite being placed directly off the M4 corridor, Thornhill has no motorway junction; although it is generally theorised amongst residents that the long awaited 'Junction 31' will serve Thornhill.

Thornhill Crematorium was built during the 1950s as a dedicated crematorium. This differs from the crematorium that was set up in nearby Glyntaff; this in contrast was a chapel that was originally used for traditional burials and modified to serve as a crematorium.

Most of Thornhill's residential development took place during the 1990s, Cardiff County Council originally planned Thornhill as "The Villages of Thornhill"; with clusters of houses interspersed by large "green" areas. These green areas were short lived as rapid development of the area resulted in homes being built in areas adjoining the "Villages".

In early August 2007, Thornhill Medical Centre, located near Thornhill Shopping Centre suffered an arson attack [http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/cardiff-news/tm_headline=surgery-gutted-in-rubbish-bin-blaze&method=full&objectid=19605672&siteid=50082-name_page.html] . The building has since been demolished and a new surgery is in plans for construction. A temporary surgery has been placed in the car park of the Church Centre

Thornhill also houses a few tucked away historical sites including the remains of a castle situated close to the Caerphilly/Thornhill border known as Castell Morgraig.

Thornhill falls into the Llanishen Ward on Cardiff County Council.

Transport

Train

Thornhill is served by Lisvane and Thornhill railway station which replaced Cefn Onn Halt railway station which was closed in 1986.

Bus

Thornhill is also served by bus services operated by Cardiff Bus. The 28 service, plus the newly named Capital City Green (service 27) runs through Thornhill and both terminate at the Central Bus Station at regular intervals. The 85 and 85A services also terminate at the Heath Hospital (anti-clockwise) and the Central Bus Station (clockwise).

Road

The M4 motorway passes through Thornhill between junctions 30 and 32 but there is no interchange.

Education

Primary

* Thornhill Primary School

econdary

* There are no secondary schools within Thornhill. The nearest secondary school is Llanishen High School.

External links

* [http://www.cardiff.gov.uk/ Cardiff County Council]
* [http://www.urban75.org/photos/wales/cefn_onn.html Cefn Onn Halt station]
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/4414417.stm Thornhill Cemetery]
* [http://www.urban75.org/photos/wales/w103.html Sainsbury's Thornhill]
* [http://www.thornhillcentre.co.uk/ Community Centre]
* [http://www.mytafc.com/ Thornhill Athletic FC]
* [http://www.castlewales.com/morgraig.html Castell Morgraig]

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