Human settlement in Wales
Cwmbran
(
kuum-
BRAHN
, koom-
;
Welsh
:
Cwmbran
[k?m?braːn]
, also in use as an alternative spelling in English) is a town in the
county borough
of
Torfaen
in
South Wales
.
Lying within the
historic boundaries
of
Monmouthshire
, Cwmbran was designated as a
New Town
in 1949 to provide new employment opportunities in the south eastern portion of the
South Wales Coalfield
.
Geography
[
edit
]
Comprising the villages of
Old Cwmbran
,
Pontnewydd
,
Upper Cwmbran
,
Henllys
,
Croesyceiliog
,
Llantarnam
and
Llanyrafon
, its population had grown to 48,535 by 2011.
[2]
This makes it the
sixth largest urban area in Wales
.
Sitting as it does at the corner of the
South Wales Coalfield
, it has a hilly aspect to its western and northern edges, with the surrounding hills climbing to over 1,000 feet (300 m). The
Afon Llwyd
forms the major river valley, although the most significant water course is probably the remains of the
Monmouthshire & Brecon Canal
. To the east of Cwmbran the land is less hilly, forming part of the
Usk valley
.
Etymology
[
edit
]
The name of the town in Welsh means "valley (
cwm
) of the crow (
bran
)",
[3]
).
Cwmbran was the name of one of several villages located in the valley, which had grown up around the tinplate works of the Cwmbran Iron Company. As the new town of Cwmbran was formed in 1949, the area of the old village became known as Old Cwmbran.
History
[
edit
]
Cwmbran was founded in 1949 as a
new town
,
[4]
to provide new employment opportunities in the south eastern portion of the
South Wales Coalfield
, but the area has a long history.
There is evidence that
Neolithic
and
Bronze Age
people used the area, with the
Iron Age
Silures
tribe also occupying the region before being subdued by the
Roman legions
based at nearby
Usk
and
Caerleon
.
Around 1179, Hywel, Lord of Caerleon gave a gift of money and land to found the
Cistercian
abbey
at
Llantarnam
. At the
dissolution of the monasteries
by
Henry VIII
the abbey was closed and was bought by a succession of wealthy landowners. By the 18th century the abbey had passed into the ownership of the Blewitt family, who were to become key figures in the early industrialisation of Cwmbran. Brick making,
lime kilns
,
iron ore
mining, quarrying and
coal mining
were established during this period, along with a
canal
to transport goods to the docks at
Newport
.
In 1833 the
Ordnance Survey
map of Monmouthshire shows Cwmbran as a farm situated in the area now known as Upper Cwmbran, in the valley named Cwm Bran. Cwmbran now covers about 3,000 acres (12 km
2
) and has a population of around 50,000.
Following some investigation by local residents Richard Davies and Mike Price, the Ancient Cwmbran & The Cistercian project was designed and created by Richard Davies and Torfaens Heritage Officer Claire Dovey-Evans. A £48,000 grant has been provided by the
Heritage Lottery Fund
and Torfaen Borough Council to explore some previously unrecorded sites of interest in Fairwater,
Greenmeadow
and
Thornhill
areas of Cwmbran. In a national Heritage Lottery Fund publication the project was described as exemplified community project.
[5]
The
Cistercian Way
also passes through
Llantarnam
, Old Cwmbran,
Greenmeadow
and Thornhill before reaching the ancient chapel of
Llanderfel
on
Mynydd Maen
, and then onwards to
Twmbarlwm
.
In the 19th and 20th centuries, Cwmbran was the site of heavy industrial development. Coal and iron ore were extracted on Mynydd Maen, and moved by inclined planes and tramways into the Eastern Valley for use in factories such as the
Patent Nut and Bolt Company
(which became
Guest Keen and Nettlefolds
in 1900),
[6]
various tin plate works and brickworks. This industry drove the creation of the
Monmouthshire Canal
, the
Newport and Pontypool Railway
and the
Pontypool, Caerleon and Newport Railway
. Very little of this industrial heritage remains today, though many of today's light industrial or retail estates were created on the sites.
Following the
New Towns Act 1946
, ministries and county councils were asked to nominate sites for housing. For Wales, the Ministry of Housing and Local Government proposed Church Village and Cwmbran. The Church Village proposal was vetoed by the Ministry of Power as new housing there would have interfered with plans for the expansion of coal mining in the area; however, Cwmbran was passed in 1949.
[7]
Cwmbran was a civil parish and, from 1974, a
community
in its own right, one of only five in the new district of Torfaen. In 1985 the Cwmbran community was abolished, replaced by Cwmbran Central,
Fairwater
,
Llantarnam
,
Pontnewydd
and
Upper Cwmbran
.
[8]
Economy
[
edit
]
The longest established employer in Cwmbran is biscuit maker
Burton's Foods
, who employ 1000 people to make its
Jammie Dodgers
and
Wagon Wheels
biscuits.
[9]
As of 2005, the Cwmbran plant produces over 400 million Wagon Wheels a year.
[10]
Safran
Seats Great Britain (formerly
Zodiac Aerospace
)
[11]
[12]
is the current owner of a factory in Cwmbran which employs 1000 people for manufacturing aircraft seats.
Cwmbran Centre
[
edit
]
Constructed from 1959 to 1981, the pedestrianised Centre hosts supermarkets, high street retailers, banks, theatre, cinema, bowling alley, restaurants, creche, trampoline park, gym, police station, magistrates court, youth centre, pub, library, arts centre and office space. The 170+ shops can be accessed by the bus station located in the Centre, a train station a few minutes walk north-east or with the 3000 free parking spaces located around the Centre's ring road.
SME-businesses include the Cwmbran Brewery in Upper Cwmbran, which opened in 1996 as Cottage Spring Brewery.
[13]
Education
[
edit
]
The town has two secondary education schools:
Croesyceiliog School
and
Cwmbran High School
. There are numerous primary
[14]
and nursery schools including a Welsh medium primary school,
Ysgol Gymraeg Cwmbran
.
‘Crownbridge Special School’ is located in Cwmbran. Age range - 2?19 years old.
Further education, vocational training and some higher education is provided at
Torfaen Learning Zone
of
Coleg Gwent
in Cwmbran centre.
Sport
[
edit
]
Cwmbran Stadium
is a multipurpose Stadium with an athletics track and 3G Pitch, an eight court sports hall, fitness suite, swimming pool and an indoor bowling rink.
Athletics
[
edit
]
Cwmbran Stadium
[15]
was home to international athletics events in the 1970s and 1980s. British athletics coach Malcolm Arnold used to train some of his athletes at Cwmbran in the 80s and early 90s while he was the Welsh National Coach.
Athletes who trained there regularly under Malcolm include former World 110m Hurdle Champion and World Record Holder,
Colin Jackson
; Commonwealth 110m Hurdle medallist, Paul Gray; and
Nigel Walker
who had two sporting careers, first as an Olympic hurdler and then later as a Welsh rugby union international player.
The 1999 World Indoor 400m Champion
Jamie Baulch
also used the stadium as a regular training track under a different coach. The stadium is also the home of Gwent Hockey Club (men's and ladies).
The town has three
athletics
clubs: Cwmbran Harriers,
[16]
Fairwater Runners
[17]
and Griffithstown Harriers.
[18]
The three main
football
teams in Cwmbran are
Cwmbran Town
,
Cwmbran Celtic
and
Croesyceilog
who all compete in the
Welsh Football League
. Cwmbran Town and Celtic both play at
Cwmbran Stadium
. Also in Cwmbran was The Football Factory. Located near to the town centre, The Football Factory was an indoor sports complex consisting of two sports pitches. The building was destroyed by fire in February 2017.
[19]
Rugby union
[
edit
]
Separate grounds at
Pontnewydd
,
Croesyceiliog
and
Glan-Yr-Afon Leisure Centre
house the town's three
rugby union
teams,
Cwmbran RFC
,
Croesyceiliog RFC
and
Girling RFC
.
Although many more of the town's residents support the rugby teams of the older, adjacent town of
Pontypool
, the city of
Newport
and the
Newport Gwent Dragons
regional team.
Rugby league
[
edit
]
Rugby league
is represented in the town by
Torfaen Tigers
, who play in the fourth tier of the
rugby league
pyramid system, the
Conference League South
. They play their home matches at the
Kings Head Ground
, home of Cwmbran R.F.C.
Media
[
edit
]
The main newspaper in the region is the
South Wales Argus
and the semi-national
Western Mail
. The digital edition of the latter is published as
Wales Online
. The town is served by a local news service, Cwmbran Life,
[20]
while the BBC also serve the South East Wales region from their base in Cardiff.
A number of online and amateur radio stations operate in Cwmbran.
Vitalize Radio
operates as the community radio station for Torfaen, originally established in 2014 as Torfonix.
[21]
There are also the Cwmbran and District Amateur Radio Society, and Able Radio, who support adults with autism and learning disabilities.
Media depictions of Cwmbran
[
edit
]
In July 2011, Cwmbran was the setting for
Goldie Lookin Chain
's satirical "Fresh Prince of Cwmbran", a song based on the
Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
theme
praising the town.
[22]
Transport
[
edit
]
Rail
[
edit
]
Cwmbran railway station
[23]
is served by trains on the
Welsh Marches Line
,
[24]
with through trains south to
Newport
and
Cardiff
. Northbound local trains serve
Pontypool
and
Abergavenny
, and longer distance services run to
Hereford
,
Shrewsbury
,
Wrexham
,
Crewe
,
Holyhead
and
Manchester
. The station was not opened until 1986, as one of the last acts of the Cwmbran New Town Development Board.
Until then, Cwmbran had had no train service for 24 years. Historically Cwmbran was served by two lines and several local stations. The first line was built by the
Monmouthshire Railway and Canal Company
and opened in 1852. Much of its route is now under Cwmbran Drive, the A4051. The line that is still in use was opened by the
Pontypool, Caerleon and Newport Railway
in 1874.
The town has a comprehensive local bus service from
Cwmbran bus station
.
Newport Bus
operate their 29 & 29A Services from Newport bus station at
Friars Walk shopping centre
to Cwmbran bus station via Caerleon, Ponthir, Llanfrecha and The Grange University Hospital, With a frequency of 1 bus per hour on both services which in turn has a 30 minute frequency between both services.
Stagecoach South Wales
operate the majority of services at Cwmbran, including routes from the valleys including Blaenavon, Abergavenny, Pontypool, Blackwood, Varteg, and Hereford, travelling through to the South to Cardiff and Newport.
In early 2019 Stagecoach updated their fleet when they introduced newer model Gold Optare Solo buses for routes 1, 2, 5b/c, 6, 7 and 24. The X24 route to Newport Friars Walk and Blaenavon was upgraded to Stagecoach Gold in 2014. However this has come to an end with the new 'Stagecoach Corporate' livery taking over as the standard livery for
Stagecoach South Wales
.
Stagecoach
also operates routes 11 to Kemys Fawr & 21 to Blackwood (due to be extended to The Grange University Hospital)
Phil Anslow Coaches are a local coach company who also run services in the town. They operate the 63 service to Chepstow, the 24X route to Newport Friars Walk, the 6 service to Ty-Canol & Fairwater, the A3 service to Abergavenny via Pontypool, the 62 service to
Coleg Gwent Ebbw Vale campus
via Pontypool, and the 68 service to Usk College.
Partner Cities
[
edit
]
Bruchsal
in
Baden-Wurttemberg
,
Germany
[25]
Notable people
[
edit
]
- See also
Category:People from Cwmbran
- Sioned Williams
(born 1971) ?
Plaid Cymru
member of the
Senedd
for
South Wales West (Senedd electoral region)
- John Williams (VC)
(born 1857, died 1932) ? real name John Fielding,
Zulu War
and
Rorke's Drift
veteran, born in
Abergavenny
, buried in
Llantarnam
.
- Ivor Bulmer-Thomas
(born 1905, died 1993) ? former
Member of Parliament
(MP) and church preservation campaigner.
- Margaret Price
(born 1941, died 2011) ? opera singer.
- Baroness Kingsmill
(born 1947) ?
Labour
life peer, personal injury, trade union and employment law solicitor, and business advisor.
- Green Gartside
(born 1955) ? singer with
Scritti Politti
.
- Andy Dibble
(born 1965) ? professional footballer.
- Lee Dainton
(born 1973) ? TV presenter, host of
Dirty Sanchez
.
- Ceri Dallimore (born 1974) ?
Commonwealth Games
gold medal winning markswoman.
- Ian Gough
(born 1976) ?
Newport Gwent Dragons
,
Ospreys
and 64 cap
Welsh Rugby Union international
.
- Gary Lockett
(born 1976) ? world title challenging boxer and TV/radio analyst.
- Helen Adams
(born 1978) ? Big Brother contestant and TV presenter.
- Danny Gabbidon
(born 1979) professional footballer for
Cardiff City
and
Wales
.
- Jamie Arthur
(born 1979) ?
Commonwealth Games
medal winning boxer.
- Rachel Rice
(born 1984) ?
Big Brother'
- Christian Doidge
(born 1992) ? professional footballer for
Hibernian
.
- Nick Kenny
(born 1993) ? darts player and Welsh international.
- Jak Jones
(born 1993) ? professional snooker player
- Dave Richards
(born 1993) ? professional footballer for
Crewe Alexandra
- Theo Wharton
(born 1994) ?
Cardiff City Academy
graduate and Wales youth international.
- Kim & Michael Davies
,
Robot Wars UK
competitors and champions with
Panic Attack
.
- Connor Edwards
(born 1997) ? Professional rugby player - Doncaster Knights,
Newport Gwent Dragons
- Cory McKenna
(born 1999) _ Professional mixed martial artist
Notable Sights
[
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]
Bibliography
[
edit
]
- Village Publishing (1985).
'The trains don't stop here anymore....' ? A pictorial history of Cwmbran from the 1930s to the present day
. Village Publishing.
ISBN
0-946043-07-8
.
- Cwmbran & District Writers (2004).
Cwmbran ? And other Routes as the crow flies
.
ISBN
1-872730-34-5
.
- Philip Riden (1988).
Rebuilding a Valley
. Cwmbran Development Corporation.
ISBN
0-9510548-1-3
.
References
[
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]
External links
[
edit
]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to
Cwmbran
.
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Principal settlements
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Rivers and canals
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