An inspiring gateway sculpture celebrating the unique history of Pontypridd was erected at the entrance to the famous valleys town. “Unity” is an iconic piece of artwork erected at the A470 entrance to Pontypridd and once more illustrates Rhondda Cynon Taf Council’s ongoing commitment to the regeneration of the market town.

This staggering piece of public art, measuring 15 metres in height and weighing 1,3280kg in steel, was created by award-winning sculptor Andy Hazell.

He was chosen out of 77 national and international artists to design an iconic landmark feature for Pontypridd. His ‘Wheel of Drams’ has become a popular landmark in Hengoed and his giant ‘Thumbprint’ sculpture attracts attention outside the Swansea police headquarters.

The central theme of the sculpture is “convergence” in that Pontypridd is the town where two rivers and many roads, railways and people meet. Following a series of workshops, Andy Hazell completed the initial designs for the work by incorporating three main elements of Pontypridd’s history.

The three elements, representing the three valleys of Rhondda Cynon Taf, are “rail”, “bridge” and “bows”. Firstly the image of a wheel signifies the massive contribution made to the rapid population increase in Pontypridd by the coming of the Taff Vale Railway.

It was this main artery that allowed easy access for the coal industry to reach Cardiff and in 1913 a staggering 57million tones of the precious “black gold” traveled through Pontypridd railway station alone.
The second element of the “bridge” refers to William Edwards’s ffeat of engineering with the creation of the iconic Old Bridge in 1756 which was the longest single-span bridge in Europe.

The element of “bows” represents the mining industry that fuelled the British fleet and refers to the chains forged at the former Brown Lenox Chainworks.

This visually impressive sculpture has been built to instill a sense of confidence in the community in celebration of the many attractive aspects of Pontypridd. It is intended to encourage more people to foster and harbour a sense of pride not only in Pontypridd but the whole of Rhondda Cynon Taf.

The £99,000 commission contract for “Unity” was raised through a joint funding package from a variety of sources, including Arts Council of Wales, Welsh Assembly Government, Art and Business, Pontypridd Town Council, Pontypridd Market Company and Rhondda Cynon Taf Council.