Cwmbran
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Cwmbran | |
| Welsh: Cwmbrân | |
  Cwmbran shown within the United Kingdom |
|
| Population | 50,000+ |
|---|---|
| OS grid reference | |
| Principal area | Torfaen |
| Ceremonial county | Gwent |
| Constituent country | Wales |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | CWMBRAN |
| Postcode district | NP44 |
| Dialling code | 01633 |
| Police | Gwent |
| Fire | South Wales |
| Ambulance | Welsh |
| European Parliament | Wales |
| UK Parliament | Torfaen |
| List of places: UK • Wales • Torfaen | |
Cwmbran (Welsh: Cwmbrân) is a new town in South Wales within the historic boundaries of Monmouthshire. It was established in 1949 to provide new employment opportunities in the south eastern portion of the South Wales Coalfield. 'Cwmbran' means valley of the crow in the Welsh language.
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].
Historically, 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 Blewitt family who were to become key figures in the early industrialization of Cwmbran. Brickmaking, lime kilns; iron ore, 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 approximately 3000 acres and has a population of around the 50,000 mark.
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[edit] Location
Sitting as it does on 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. 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.
[edit] Cwmbran Shopping Centre
Main article: Cwmbran Shopping Centre
Cwmbran Shopping Centre is advertised as the largest under-cover shopping centre in Wales. Unlike most shopping centres, which are usually situated on the outskirts of towns and cities, Cwmbran's town centre is formed wholly by the shopping centre [2].
[edit] Education
The town is home to three comprehensive schools: Croesyceiliog School, Llantarnam School and Fairwater High School. There are numerous primary [3] and nursery schools as well as the Welsh medium school, Ysgol Gynradd Cymraeg. The town centre also boasts a 'Learn-IT' centre (part of Coleg Gwent).
[edit] Sport
The town is perhaps most widely known now for its international sports stadium [4], home to international athletics events in the 1970s and 1980s. The stadium is also the home of the football teams, Cwmbran Town and Cwmbran Celticas well as Cwmbran Mens Hockey Club & 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 owe their allegiances to the rugby sides in the older, adjacent town of Pontypool, and city of Newport. The town has three athletics clubs ; Cwmbran Harriers [5], Fairwater Runners [6], and Griffithstown Harriers [7].
The town also has many martial art clubs including a Shotokan Karate club (affiliated to the KUGB), which is part of the Wales based Tekki Karate Academy
[edit] Transport
Cwmbran railway station [8] is served by trains on the Welsh Marches Line [9].
[edit] Miscellaneous
Cwmbran is twinned with Bruchsal, Germany and Carbonne, France.
It is often joked that Cwmbran has the most roundabouts per square mile than any other town in Wales, hence its nickname as 'Home of the Roundabout'.
[edit] Famous locals
- Joe Calzaghe, World Champion boxer, from Newbridge, Caerphilly.
- Helen Adams, Big Brother Contestant/TV presenter/Hairdresser.
- Mark Freeman, Critically Acclaimed Multimedia Designer.
- Ivor Bulmer-Thomas, sometime Member of Parliament and campaigner for the preservation of Churches.
- 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
[edit] References
- 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.
