which renders it efficacious in curing sprains and weakness of the sinews." Until the mid 19th century Radyr was a collection of small farms, crofts and cottages, but after Radyr railway station opened in 1863, the population rose from 400 to more than 600 in 20 years. The Taff Vale Railway and its successor, the Great Western Railway, brought significant employment to Radyr. Junction Terrace (the first street in Radyr) was built to house the railway workers. It was the start of strong demand for housing in Radyr that transformed the hamlet. The Barry Railway's Walnut Tree Viaduct, built in 1901, dominated the village for some 70 years. Wartime In the First World War the community raised funds for a "Radyr bed" at the nearby Welsh Metropolitan Military Hospital in Whitchurch and established a "Citizen Guard" made up of those too old or too young to enlist. Losses suffered by the village are recorded on the War Memorial in Heol Isaf. In the Second World War thousands of children were evacuated from metropolitan areas such as London, Birmingham and Liverpool. One evacuee from Woolwich, Patricia Armstrong aged nine, was knocked down by a passenger train and killed on a Saturday afternoon in May 1943 while using the Gelynis foot crossing at Morganstown. She was lodged with a family in Morganstown. As air raids on Cardiff increased, even younger children from Radyr were evacuated to boarding schools at Rhoose and Bridgend. Post-war history An extensive housebuilding programme started in the 1960s, and Radyr's population grew rapidly — particularly children. In 1964 Radyr Comprehensive School had 135 pupils on its roll. This number more than trebled in the next decade. A new development, the Danescourt estate, was built on land surrounding Radyr Court and St John the Baptist parish church, and the land was officially incorporated as a suburb of Cardiff in 1974. Danybryn Woods, near the development, was retained as the entire forest is protected by a tree preservation order and is home to many species of plants and wildlife. Radyr railway station was renovated in 1998 and the tracks through the station were renewed, reducing journey times to Cardiff city centre. In 2017 construction started on the first phase of a new Cardiff suburb of 7,000 houses, named Plasdwr, on countryside along the Llantrisant Road between Radyr and St Fagans. Governance UK Parliament and Senedd Radyr is in the Cardiff