Archibald Hood

Statue of Hood at Llwynypia (2008)

Archibald Hood (1823-1902) was a Scottish engineer and coalowner who became an important figure in the industrial growth of the Rhondda Valley. Born in Kilmarnock and brought up by his widower father, Hood received a limited education and was working in the local mine by the time he was a teenager.

The son of a Scottish colliery official, Hood would make his name as a coalowner of collieries first in Scotland and later in Gilfach Goch and Llwynypia in South Wales. His colliery at Llwynypia was known for the high level of Scottish workers who followed Hood to the area and the quality of the coke from the site. In 1900 government analyst stated that the coke was the best in the world. Hood was also a promoter of the Barry Railway Company.

External sites

• The Rhondda.co.uk Archibald Hood profile