Things you didn't know about... Mid Glamorgan

Mid Glamorgan—gone but not forgotten

Mid Glamorgan was formed in 1974, but was abolished in 1996 and split into the unitary authorities of Bridgend, Merthyr Tydfil, Rhondda Cynon Taff and part of Caerphilly.

Mid Glamorgan breeds patriots

The Welsh National Anthem—Mae Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau—was written by weaver Evan James and his son in Pontypridd in the Mid Glamorgan area.

Top up that tan

Bridgend County Borough in Mid Glamorgan claims to enjoy more hours of sunshine than Milan.

Mid Glamorgan is at the very centre of things

Mid Glamorgan's administrative centre is none other than the Welsh capital, Cardiff.

Mid Glamorgan's medical pioneer

In 1785, Mid Glamorgan man William Morgan was the first person to record an experiment that produced X-rays.

Mid Glamorgan started the rail revolution

In 1804 a chap named Samuel Homfray made a bet that a newfangled steam engine designed by Cornish engineer Richard Trevithick could haul 10 tons of iron, ten miles along the Methyr Tydfil Tramroad in Mid Glamorgan. It took 4 hours and 5 minutes, averaging a speed of under five miles an hour, but Homfray won his bet, pocketing 500 guineas and landing Mid Glamorgan a place in locomotive history.

Mid Glamorgan's links to Concorde

Mid Glamorgan-born Morien Bedford Morgan started working on a supersonic passenger airliner in 1948 and stayed with the Concorde project until 1959. He was also the first Welshman to be named President of the Royal Aeronautical Society.

Long live The King!

Porthcawl in Mid Glamorgan plays host to "The Elvies", an annual Elvis Presley festival and the biggest event of its kind in Europe.

Mid Glamorgan's high fashion supremo

Fashion designer David Emmanuel was born in Bridgend, Mid Glamorgan. He went on to design Princess Diana's wedding dress in 1981, as well as glamorous outfits for numerous other famous women, including fellow Welsh legend, Dame Shirley Bassey.