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The town was founded with the establishment of the Union ironworks in 1801, with the Rhymney Iron Company later being founded from a merger between the Bute and Union Ironworks in 1837. The ironworks used local coking coal, iron ore and limestone.

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Caerphilly Castle was built in the second half of the 13th century, as part of the Anglo-Norman expansion into South Wales. The Normans began to make incursions into Wales from the late 1060s onwards, pushing westwards from their bases in recently occupied England.

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The town's site has long been of strategic significance. Around AD 75 a fort was built by the Romans during their conquest of Britain. An excavation of the site in 1963 showed that the fort was occupied by Roman forces until the middle of the second century.

This view looks up the Rhtmney Valley with Hengoed in the far distance.

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During the Industrial Revolution and mass-extraction of coal from South Wales, there was a resultant growth in construction of railways into the South Wales Coalfield. The Taff Vale Railway monopolised the trade of shipping coal to Cardiff Docks, so mine owners were desperate for a competitor-railway to improve speeds of shipping, provide access to new markets, and hence reduce shipping rates.

The route for the Taff Vale Extension required the construction of two significant viaducts across two major river valleys: one across the Ebbw River (the Crumlin Viaduct), and one 4 miles (6.4 km) further west across the Rhymney River, the Hengoed Viaduct.

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Pen y Fan (Welsh pronunciation: [pen e van]) is the highest peak in South Wales, situated in Brecon Beacons National Park (Bannau Brycheiniog). At 886 metres (2,907 ft) above sea-level, it is also the highest British peak south of Cadair Idris in Snowdonia.

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From the 17th century onward Machen was a village rooted in the iron and coal industries. Though little trace remains, the village was the site of the Machen Forge and several coal mines. A local history trail visits some of these sites. Machen Forge was an early adopter of the Osmond process for the production of wrought iron.

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Tucked away in the Darran Valley Parc Cwm Darran is a peaceful, picturesque country park and a winner of a Green Flag Award. This beauty belies its history as the site of the former Ogilvie Colliery. Whilst most traces of this previous life have disappeared there's still a few reminders of that past for you to discover.

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Carved from a former coal tip, Parc Penallta is well known as the "place with the horse". As one of the largest figurative earth sculptures in the country, "Sultan the Pit Pony" attracts visitors from far afield who come to see and admire him. But Parc Penallta is not just about Sultan, impressive though he is. Climb to the High Point Observatory and you will be rewarded with panoramic views across the South Wales valleys. As you explore this diverse site it's hard to imagine that this beautiful and tranquil place was a black coal tip only 30 years ago.

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