Fochriw () is a village located in Caerphilly County Borough, Wales, United Kingdom. It was well known for its neighbouring collieries, which employed nearly the entire local population in the early 20th century. It lies within the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan. The village appears as the backdrop on the BBC Wales sitcom High Hopes credits. The villages population was recorded as 1,250 in 2011. History Fochriw's growth was germinated to a lesser extent by the Rhymney Iron Company’s requirement for ironstone, and to a greater extent by the Dowlais Ironworks’ requirement for coal, the quality of which was so good that it was used directly in the iron making process without the need for its conversion to coke. Over a period of about 130 years, the landscape changed from rural to industrial, and back to rural, as it is today. However, the latter changes did not take place until relatively recently when nearly all the remnants of the coal mining industry were removed from around the village. The memories of the industrial landmarks, or eyesores, that remained following the closure of the Fochriw and South Tunnel collieries are only retained by those of a certain age, and the younger generation no longer have the “experience” of living in a community which is centred on coal. The History of Fochriw website can be accessed at the following link https://www.webarchive.org.uk/wayback/en/archive/20160112101258/http://www.fochriwhistory.co.uk/index.htm Location Fochriw is a typical South Wales Valleys coal mining village that developed from its rural existence by the need for iron and coal during the 19th century. It is located on the north-east flank of Mynydd Fochriw at the head of the Bargoed Fach (now called the Darran) valley, approximately north of Bargoed, and south east of Merthyr Tydfil. The village straddles two ancient hamlets in the parish of Gelligaer, these being the Ysgwyddgwyn and Brithdir hamlets, the dividing line being the brook (Bargoed Fach) which flows in the bottom of the valley. The boundaries of these hamlets were walked by a number of parishioners of the parish on 24th day of May, 1750, and a document detailing the boundaries of each hamlet, namely Keven, Hengode, Garthgynyd, Ysgwyddgwyn, and Brithdecr (Brithdir) was produced, extracts of same are reproduced below. Ysgwyddgwyn Hamlet It begins where Nant Goch goes to Bargoed by Pont Cradoc then along Nant Goch upwards to the stone standing on the Common opposite Mardy Bach house then from