| Aberdare Canal / Camlas Aberdâr | |
|---|---|
 The cast iron bridge of 1811 which carried the canal tramway over the Afon Cynon | |
| Specifications | |
| Locks | 2 (locks rise 13 ft) |
| Status | Built over |
| History | |
| Original owner | Aberdare Canal Co |
| Principal engineer | Thomas Sheasby junior |
| Date of act | 1793 |
| Date of first use | 1812 |
| Date closed | 1900 |
| Geography | |
| Start point | Aberdare 51°42′41″N 3°25′52″W / 51.7115°N 3.4312°W |
| End point | Abercynon 51°38′59″N 3°19′01″W / 51.6496°N 3.3169°W |
| Connects to | Glamorganshire Canal |
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The Aberdare Canal (Welsh: Camlas Aberdâr) was a canal in Glamorgan, Wales which ran from Aberdare to a junction with the Glamorganshire Canal at Abercynon. It opened in 1812 and served the iron and coal industries for almost 65 years. The arrival of railways in the area did not immediately affect its traffic, but the failure of the iron industry in 1875 and increasing subsidence due to coal mining led to it becoming uneconomic. The Marquess of Bute failed to halt its decline when he took it over in 1885, and in 1900 it was closed on safety grounds. The company continued to operate a tramway until 1944. Most of the route was buried by the construction of the A4059 road in 1923, although a short section at the head of the canal remains in water and is now a nature reserve. The company was wound up in 1955.