Cwmbrân

Coordinates: 51°39′11″N 3°01′16″W / 51.653°N 3.021°W / 51.653; -03.021

Cwmbran
Welsh: Cwmbrân
Cwmbran  Cwmbran shown within Wales
Population	47,254
OS grid reference	ST295955
Principal area	Torfaen
Ceremonial county	Gwent
Country	Wales
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	CWMBRAN
Postcode district	NP44
Dialling code	01633
Police	Gwent
Fire	South Wales
Ambulance	Welsh
EU Parliament	Wales
UK Parliament	Torfaen
List of places: UK • Wales • Torfaen

Cwmbran (Welsh: Cwmbrân) is a new town in Wales within the historic boundaries of Monmouthshire, and county borough of Torfaen. It was established in 1949 to provide new employment opportunities in the south eastern portion of the South Wales Coalfield. 'Cwmbrân' means valley of the crow in the Welsh language. It is twinned with Bruchsal, Germany and Carbonne, France.

Based around the villages of Old Cwmbran, Pontnewydd, Upper Cwmbran [1], Croesyceiliog, Llantarnam and Llanyrafon, its population had grown to 47,254 by 2001.^[1]. This makes it the sixth largest urban area in Wales.

History

Cwmbran is a new town established in 1949 to provide new employment opportunities in the south eastern portion of the South Wales Coalfield; though 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 in Cwmbran. After 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. Brickmaking, 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 Cwmbrân. Cwmbran now covers approximately 3,000 acres (12 km²) and has a population around the 50,000 mark.

Following some investigation by local resident Richard Davies and the Cwmbran Historical Society, a £48,000 grant has been provided by the Heritage Lottery Fund to explore some previously unrecorded sites of interest in the Greenmeadow and Thornhill, Cwmbran areas. (http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/southeastwales/hi/people_and_places/history/newsid_8235000/8235561.stm)

The Cistercian Way also passes through Llantarnam, Old Cwmbran, Greenmeadow and Thornhill, Cwmbran before reaching the ancient chapel of Llanderfel on Mynydd Maen, and then onwards to Twmbarlwm.

Geography

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.

Cwmbran Shopping Centre

Cwmbran Shopping Centre

Cwmbran Shopping Centre is the second largest under-cover shopping centre in Wales. Cwmbran's town centre is formed wholly by the shopping centre^[2].

Recently 'Leisure @ Cwmbran', a 10,000 sq ft complex opened within the town centre hosting an 8 screen Vue cinema, Bowlplex, Restaurants and a childrens crèche.

Economy

Cwmbran Brewery

Cwmbran Brewery is a small, independent brewery in Upper Cwmbran which opened in 1996 as Cottage Spring Brewery, the name was changed to Cwmbran in 2002 in order to avoid conflict with the Cottage Brewery of Somerset.^[3] The owners are brewer Martin Lewis and business partner and former drayman Keith Gullick.^[4]

Education

The town is home to three comprehensive schools: Croesyceiliog School, Llantarnam School and Fairwater High School. There are numerous primary [2] and nursery schools as well as the Welsh medium school, Ysgol Gymraeg Cwmbrân. The town centre also boasts a 'Learn-IT' centre (part of Coleg Gwent).

Sport

The town is perhaps most widely known for its international sports stadium [3], 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 80's and early 90's 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 the football teams, Cwmbran Town and Cwmbran Celtic as well as Cwmbran Mens Hockey Club and Cwmbran Ladies Hockey Club (which are independent clubs). Separate grounds at Pontnewydd and Croesyceiliog house the town's two senior rugby teams, Cwmbran and Croesyceiliog, although many more of the town's residents support the rugby teams of the older, adjacent town of Pontypool and the city of Newport. The three main football teams in Cwmbran are Cwmbran Town, Croesyceilog and Cwmbran Celtic, who will all compete in the Welsh Division Two league in August 2009. The town has three athletics clubs: Cwmbran Harriers [4], Fairwater Runners [5], and Griffithstown Harriers [6].

Cwmbran also has several martial art clubs including a Shotokan Karate club (affiliated to the KUGB), which is part of the Wales based Tekki Karate Academy.

The town also has an Esporta Club situated near Evans Halshaw Ford and the Vauxhall Garages.

Transport

Cwmbran railway station [7] is served by trains on the Welsh Marches Line [8].

Famous locals

• Joe Calzaghe, World Champion boxer, from Newbridge.
• Helen Adams, Big Brother Contestant/TV presenter/Hairdresser.
• Rachel Rice, Big Brother winner
• Ivor Bulmer-Thomas, sometime Member of Parliament and campaigner for the preservation of Churches.
• Gary Lockett, World title challenging boxer and TV/Radio analyst.
• Daniel Gabbidon, professional footballer for West Ham United and Wales.
• John Williams (VC), real name John Fielding - Zulu War and Rorke's Drift veteran, born in Abergavenny, buried in Llantarnam.
• Jamie Arthur, Commonwealth Games medal winning boxer.
• Green Gartside, born in Cardiff, singer with Scritti Politti

References

Bibliography

• Village Publishing (1985). 'The trains don't stop here anymore....' - A pictorial history of Cwmbrân from the 1930s to the present day. Village Publishing. ISBN 0-946043-07-8. 
• Cwmbrân & District Writers (2004). Cwmbrân - 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. 

External links

• A local website
• Cwmbran Squadron Air Training Corps
• Animal Sanctuary
• Gwent Army Cadet Force - Find out about Cwmbran Detachment
• Cwmbrans Vue cinema film times
• Cwmbran News, Weather and Business Directory

v • d • e   Torfaen County Borough Principal Settlements Blaenavon · Cwmbran · Pontypool Electoral wards Abersychan  · Blaenavon  · Brynwern  · Coed Eva  · Croesyceiliog North  · Croesyceiliog South  · Cwmynyscoy  · Fairwater  · Greenmeadow  · Llantarnam  · Llanyrafon North  · Llanyrafon South  · New Inn  · Panteg  · Pontnewydd  · Pontnewynydd  · Pontypool  · Snatchwood  · St Cadocs/Penygarn  · St Dials  · Trevethin  · Two Locks  · Upper Cwmbran  · Wainfelin Places of interest Blaenavon Ironworks · Big Pit National Coal Museum · The Folly Tower Rivers and canals Afon Llwyd · Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal · Pontymoile Basin