83-401: Croesyceiliog ( Welsh pronunciation: [ˌkrɔɨs ə ˈkɛiljɔɡ] ; ' Cockerel's cross ' ) is a suburb of Cwmbran , Wales. Croesyceiliog is primarily a residential district and contains a wide variety of housing from Victorian terraces and even older Welsh cottages to property built between 1930 and 1970 and newer developments within the area. Most of the housing was built in
166-561: 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 Brân. Cwmbran now covers about 3,000 acres (12 km ) 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
249-525: 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
332-567: A Brycheiniog ) is a small network of canals in South Wales . For most of its currently (2018) navigable 35-mile (56 km) length it runs through the Brecon Beacons National Park , and its present rural character and tranquillity belies its original purpose as an industrial corridor for coal and iron, which were brought to the canal by a network of tramways and/or railroads, many of which were built and owned by
415-522: A Welsh medium primary school, Ysgol Gymraeg Cwmbrân . ‘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. 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. Cwmbran Stadium
498-466: 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, Fairwater Runners and Griffithstown Harriers. The three main football teams in Cwmbran are Cwmbran Town , Cwmbran Celtic and Croesyceilog who all compete in
581-476: A doctors' surgery in the main shopping areas of Edlogan Square, the Highway and North Road. There are two schools, Croesyceiliog Comprehensive School , and a primary school on North Road (Croesyceiliog Primary School). There is a Baptist chapel on Chapel Lane, Pontrhydyrun Baptist Church and an Anglican church named St Mary's Church on Bryn Eglwys (literally 'Church Hill'). Croesyceiliog Cricket and Rugby Club
664-528: A final lock brings the total rise to 68 ft (21 m). The River Usk provides the main water supply for the canal. A weir near the Brecon Promenade controls the water levels on the river, and one-half mile (0.80 km) of underground culvert brings water through the town to the Theatre Basin . Additional water is taken from a number of streams, where part of the flow is diverted into
747-599: 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
830-481: A ribbon was cut by Huw Irranca-Davies, the waterways minister, and Rhodri Morgan, the first minister. The canal is located within the boundaries of a number of local authorities, and such bodies are increasingly aware of the benefits and regeneration that a canal restoration project can bring. To this end, the Monmouthshire and Brecon Canals Regeneration Partnership was created as a collaborative effort between
913-538: 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 . Comprising the villages of Old Cwmbran , Pontnewydd , Upper Cwmbran , Henllys , Croesyceiliog , Llantarnam and Llanyrafon , its population had grown to 48,535 by 2011. This makes it
SECTION 10
#1732790678018996-673: Is biscuit maker Burton's Foods , who employ 1000 people to make its Jammie Dodgers and Wagon Wheels biscuits. As of 2005, the Cwmbran plant produces over 400 million Wagon Wheels a year. Safran Seats Great Britain (formerly Zodiac Aerospace ) is the current owner of a factory in Cwmbran which employs 1000 people for manufacturing aircraft seats. 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
1079-513: Is on Cadw 's list of scheduled monuments . Restoration of the old Monmouthshire Canal began in 1994, when Torfaen Borough Council raised Crown Bridge in Sebastopol, to give sufficient height for navigation again. The section to Five locks was restored over the next two years, and was formally opened on 24 May 1997 by the Mayor of Torfaen. A new basin at the top of the locks marks the end of
1162-592: Is on the Highway. Croesyceiliog Cricket Club currently play in the Glamorgan and Monmouthshire League, while Croesyceiliog Rugby Club play in the Welsh Division Three East League. Croesyceiliog also has a lawn bowls team which play at Woodland Road Sports Grounds. Woodland Road Park is a recreation area which contains a bowling green, rugby pitch, tennis courts, outdoor paddling pool and adventure playground. The Croesyceiliog bypass
1245-751: The European Regional Development Fund and the Local Regeneration Fund. The grants were secured in 2004, and the bridge was formally opened by the Mayor of Newport on 1 March 2007. The trust was awarded a grant of £854,500 in 2012 by the Heritage Lottery Fund , to enable the eight locks near Ty Coch to be restored. It will also be used to train people in the skills needed to restore historic canals, and to enable lock gates to be made locally using traditional working methods. Communities on or near
1328-786: The Monmouthshire Railway and Canal Company under an act of Parliament obtained in 1845, bought out the Brecknock and Abergavenny Canal Company in 1865, but the move came too late, and the Monmouthshire Canal gradually closed, while the Brecon line was retained as a water feeder. Control of the canals passed to the Great Western Railway in 1880, and they were consequently nationalised in 1948. The section of canal from Pontymoile to Pontnewynydd
1411-633: 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. 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
1494-527: 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
1577-565: The 1950s and 1960s as part of the development of Cwmbran New Town. The former Gwent County Hall was located in Croesyceiliog. Until 2012 it provided the main administrative base for Monmouthshire County Council (even though it was outside that administrative area) and Gwent Police , and some offices for Torfaen County Borough Council . The demolition of the premises was required as a result of concrete cancer , and took place in 2013. There are shops, takeaways, pubs, hairdressers and
1660-524: 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. Bruchsal in Baden-Württemberg , Germany Monmouthshire %26 Brecon Canal The Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal ( Welsh : Camlas Sir Fynwy
1743-408: The Brecknock and Abergavenny Company meant that carriage was cheaper if the goods originated on the northern canal, and so a second tramway was constructed along the heads of the valleys to Gilwern. In 1798, the canal company agreed with Sir Richard Salusbury to build a line connecting his collieries to the head of the canal at Crumlin and Llanhilleth . It was not until 1800, however, that Outram
SECTION 20
#17327906780181826-705: The Cefn flight (Fourteen Locks) is a separate project from the main scheme; contractors will work down the flight, while a voluntary team led by the Canals Trust and Waterway Recovery Group will work up from lock 3 on the Allt-yr-yn locks. There are also plans to connect the southern end of the canal to the River Usk by means of a marina in Crindau . The Crindau Gateway Project is an urban regeneration project for
1909-653: The Crumlin branch, to the bottom end of Waen Lock. Work started in January 2008, and was completed in time for the Welsh Waterways Festival held at the end of May 2010. The Inland Waterways Association National Trailboat Festival was held at the same time, and a slipway was rebuilt at Bettws Lane, just below Malpas Lock, to enable the trailboats to be launched easily. Bettws Lane bridge was itself rebuilt to provide more headroom for boats, using grants from
1992-796: The Cwmbran and District Amateur Radio Society, and Able Radio, who support adults with autism and learning disabilities. 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. Cwmbran railway station is served by trains on the Welsh Marches Line , 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
2075-566: The Monmouthshire, Brecon and Abergavenny Canals Trust, Torfaen County Borough Council , Newport City Council , Caerphilly County Borough Council , the Forestry Commission and British Waterways . The partnership submitted a bid to the Big Lottery Living Landmarks Fund for £25 million, this being 75 percent of the estimated cost of restoring the main line from Barrack Hill to Cwmbran, including
2158-625: The River Usk near Caerleon . The Monmouthshire proprietors invited their potential competitors to alter the plans to create a junction with the Monmouthshire Canal at Pontymoile near Pontypool and share the navigation from there to Newport. An act of Parliament, the Brecknock and Abergavenny Canal Act 1793 ( 33 Geo. 3 . c. 96), was passed on 28 March 1793, allowing the newly formed canal company to raise £100,000 in shares, with an additional £50,000 if required, and to construct railways to link
2241-587: 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), various tin plate works and brickworks. This industry drove
2324-501: The area around the southern terminus of the canal, which has received £75,000 in funding from the Welsh Assembly to consider the provision of a marina as part of the scheme. A link from the marina to the River Usk would be provided by way of Crindau Pill, an inlet from the river which would be made navigable. This would create sustainability for the project. As of February 2015, Caerphilly County Borough Council plan to develop
2407-609: 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. The town has two secondary education schools: Croesyceiliog School and Cwmbran High School . There are numerous primary and nursery schools including
2490-588: The canal and railways so far opened, and was running 20 boats by 1806, carrying coal and limestone as their main cargoes. By 1809 the Monmouthshire Canal was threatening litigation over the uncompleted connection from Gilwern. Help came from Richard Crawshay , the Merthyr Tydfil ironmaster and a major force on the Glamorganshire Canal , who provided a loan of £30,000. This sum enabled the canal company to appoint William Crosley to complete
2573-441: The canal and the rest flows under an aqueduct to reach the River Usk. The Welsh canals were in the main constructed along narrow valleys, where the terrain prevented the easy construction of branches to serve the industries which were located along their routes, but they had the advantage that their enabling acts of Parliament allowed tramways to be constructed, the land for which could be obtained by compulsory purchase , as if
Croesyceiliog - Misplaced Pages Continue
2656-604: The canal company. The "Mon and Brec" was originally two independent canals – the Monmouthshire Canal from Newport to Pontymoile Basin (including the Crumlin Arm ) and the Brecknock and Abergavenny Canal running from Pontymoile to Brecon . Both canals were abandoned in 1962, but the Brecknock and Abergavenny route and a small section of the Monmouthshire route have been reopened since 1970. Much of
2739-529: The canal corridor from Fourteen Locks to Cwmcarn Forest Drive, and fully restore this part of the canal with a new marina in Risca. The Canals Trust has taken over the lease of the Canal Centre at Fourteen Locks. An extension has been completed, which houses a meeting room (available for groups to hire) and also a community run tea room. The Canal Centre is now a base for the trust and its restoration work at
2822-472: The canal include: On the main arm: On the Crumlin arm : Much of the canal towpath is easily walkable along the entire route. The towpath from Brecon to Pontymoile is passable by cyclists over its whole length. The Taff Trail cycle route follows the canal for a few miles from Brecon , but the path after that is not suitable for cyclists with road bikes. National Cycle Network Routes 47 and 49 follow
2905-520: The canal itself and construction began in earnest at Penpedairheol near Crickhowell . Work began in 1796 and by late 1797, the canal was open from Gilwern to Llangynidr in Brecknockshire and much of the rest was in hand. However costs, as usual, were higher than expected and, in 1799 Dadford stated that further money was needed to complete the section from Clydach to Brecon . Benjamin Outram
2988-465: The canal to mines, quarries and iron works. Initially work concentrated on the railways, with John Dadford overseeing the construction of lines from the collieries at Gellifelen to Llangrwyney Forge, and on to the Abergavenny to Brecon turnpike road . The line was opened in 1794, and later served the canal at Gilwern. It was not until 1795 that Thomas Dadford was appointed as the engineer for
3071-689: The canal was supervised by Thomas Dadford Jr. , and further acts of Parliament were obtained as the work progressed. An act of 4 July 1797, the Monmouth Canal Act 1797 ( 37 Geo. 3 . c. 100), gave the company powers to extend the navigation, which resulted in the Newport terminus being moved southwards to Potter Street, while a third act of 26 June 1802, the Monmouthshire Canal Navigation Act 1802 ( 42 Geo. 3 . c. cxv), authorised specific railways, and allowed
3154-480: The canal, with the erection of a works (which was later Tredegar Ironworks). The Monmouthshire Canal Navigation Act 1802 ( 42 Geo. 3 . c. cxv) sanctioned the construction of tramroads to places within 8 miles (13 km) of the canal, and they therefore built 8 miles (13 km) of tramroad from Newport to a point near Wattsville and Cwmfelinfach . The Sirhowy Tramroad from the Sirhowy Ironworks
3237-673: The canals between Cross Keys and Pontypool. On 16 October 2007 a serious breach occurred when part of the canal bank near Gilwern collapsed, causing a number of houses to be evacuated. Eight people were rescued by local fire and emergency services, and the A4077 road between Crickhowell and Gilwern was closed for a period which was expected to be several weeks. Two families were provided with temporary accommodation, and twenty-three hire boats were also affected with cranes being brought in to help them back to their bases. Contractors Noel Fitzpatrick working for British Waterways managed to reopen
3320-699: The centre of the community. Organised by the volunteers of the Mon & Brec Canals Trust, the 2010 Welsh Waterways Festival, which included the IWA National Trailboat festival was held at Newport at the end of May 2010. Over 30 boats attended from all over the UK. The boats were able to cruise from Barrack Hill to Pentre Lane in Torfaen Borough for the first time in 84 years, using restored locks at Malpas, Ty Fynnon, and Tamplin. Over 15,000 members of
3403-463: The company to raise additional finance. The main line, which opened in February 1796, was 12.5 miles (20.1 km) long, and ran from Newport to Pontnewynydd, via Pontymoile, rising by 447 feet (136 m) through 42 locks. The 11 miles (18 km) Crumlin Arm left the main line at Crindau , rising 358 feet (109 m) through 32 locks to Crumlin (including the Cefn flight of Fourteen Locks ), and
Croesyceiliog - Misplaced Pages Continue
3486-502: The construction of a new aqueduct to take the canal over Greenforge Way, and of restoring the Crumlin Branch from Malpas Junction to the bottom of the Cefn flight of Fourteen Locks, including improvements to its water supply. The bid reached the development stage, and the partnership successfully obtained a grant of £250,000 to enable them to undertake a full cost and engineering study for the proposed community based regeneration of
3569-799: 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
3652-616: The general provisions of the original act. At least 21 tramways are known to have connected to the Monmouthshire Canal, with a further 13 connecting to the Brecknock and Abergavenny Canal. Some works were eventually connected to both canals. The Beaufort Ironworks was originally connected to Crumlin Bridge by the Ebbw Vale tramway, but the incentives for through trade which the Monmouthshire Canal Company had offered to
3735-452: The issuing of shares, and a further £60,000 if required. The act stated that the canal would run from Pontnewynydd to the River Usk near Newport , and would include a branch from Crindau to Crumlin Bridge. The company also had powers to construct railways from the canal to any coal mines, ironworks or limestone quarries which were within eight miles (13 km) of it. Construction of
3818-576: The land is less hilly, forming part of the Usk valley . The name of the town in Welsh means "valley ( cwm ) of the crow ( brân )", ). 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. Cwmbran
3901-401: The line was opened on 7 May 1816. The tramway was built to a gauge of 3 ft 6 in ( 1,067 mm ). The railway adopted the use of cast-iron L-shaped tramroad plates in its construction. The vertical portions of the two plates were positioned inside the wheels of the tramway wagons and the plates were spiked to stone blocks for stability. The size of the stones, and their spacing,
3984-531: The loaded weights of wagons were reduced, in an attempt to reduce the number of broken tramplates. Ultimately, many of the tramways were converted to standard gauge railways, and so reverted to the flanged wheel system. The canal acts obtained by the Monmouthshire Canal Company authorised tramways to Aberbeeg , Beaufort, Ebbw Vale , Blaenavon , Blaendare, Nantyglo , Sirhowy and Trosnant. In some cases, these were named specifically because they were longer than 8 miles (13 km) and were not therefore covered by
4067-549: The main line, railway branches were constructed from near Pontypool to Blaen-Din Works and Trosnant Furnace. From Crumlin a railway was built to Beaufort Iron Works , which was 10 miles (16 km) long and rose by 619 feet (189 m), and there were additional branches to Sorwy Furnace, Nantyglo Works, and the Sirhowy Railway at Risca . This canal was first proposed in 1792 as a separate venture, to link Brecon to
4150-610: The navigable section. All of the canal route within the jurisdiction of the City of Newport was designated as a conservation area on 21 January 1998. Twenty one of the structures of the canal now have Grade II listed building status. At the Brecon end, the canal terminates at the Theatre Basin, as a result of a project to rebuild the Brecknock Boat Company wharf, which was abandoned and infilled in 1881. Funding
4233-450: The preliminary results of the investigations: there were over 90 leaks on the section from Talybont to Gilwern, with less leakage on the stretch from Llanover to Goytre Wharf. A press release in February 2008 announced that the total cost of restoration was likely to be around £15 million, with major investment required in the 2008/9 financial year, to repair the breach and to deal with other areas identified as being of top priority. The aim of
SECTION 50
#17327906780184316-717: 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, 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. There are also
4399-661: The rest of the original Monmouthshire Canal is the subject of a restoration plan, which includes the construction of a new marina at the Newport end of the canal. This canal was authorised by an act of Parliament , the Monmouthshire Canal Navigation Act 1792 ( 32 Geo. 3 . c. 102), passed on 11 June 1792, which created the Company of Proprietors of the Monmouthshire Canal Navigation and empowered it to raise £120,000 by
4482-418: The road within a week of the breach occurring. British Waterways announced on 5 November 2007 that a 16-mile (26 km) stretch of the canal from Llanover to Llangynidr would be drained completely, so that a full inspection of the canal structure could be carried out. They stated that they were working with boat owners to move all boats to parts of the canal which would not be affected by this drainage, but that
4565-633: The route for the A467 road in 1968/9. The rest of the canal was formally abandoned in 1962, but within two years, restoration had begun. Funding for the restoration became available as a result of the National Parks legislation. This was designed to help The Broads in Norfolk and Suffolk , but that area was not designated as a national park, whereas the Brecon Beacons were, and the canal
4648-423: 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 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. The main newspaper in
4731-448: The towpath would remain open during this phase. Subsequently, they announced that a full geotechnical survey would be carried out, and that they expected the stretch to be closed for up to a year. Water levels on this section were reduced significantly, but engineers were then faced with the task of moving upwards of 100,000 fish before it could be drained fully. At a meeting at Crickhowell on 20 December 2007, British Waterways announced
4814-418: The tramway was part of the canal itself. This led to the development of an extensive network of tramways, to serve the many coal and ironstone mines which developed in the area. Dadford was an exponent of "edge rails", where flanged wheels ran on bar section rails, similar to modern railway practice, rather than wheels with no flanges running on L-shaped tram-plates. Following Dadford's demise, Benjamin Outram
4897-421: The waterway. The partnership continues to meet to discuss the way forward to completing the restoration. Restoration of the top lock of the Cefn Flight (lock 21) was completed by volunteers in 2003. The Canals Trust and Newport City Council made a joint presentation to the Heritage Lottery Fund for £700,000 to restore the next four locks of the flight, and this was granted on 23 March 2007. The regeneration of
4980-440: The work would be to ensure that the canal would be safe and fully open from March 2009, but further work would be required during the following three winters to complete the process. Their actions earned British Waterways the praise of Rhodri Glyn Thomas of the Welsh Assembly , who applauded their "courageous decision" to manage the breach in the way that they had. The repaired canal was officially reopened on 29 March 2009, when
5063-430: The work, which opened in February 1812. From the Pontymoile junction, the Brecknock and Abergavenny runs through Llanfoist near Abergavenny and Talybont , ending at a basin in Brecon . The canal is 33 miles (53 km) long and is level for the first 23 miles (37 km) to Llangynidr , where there are five locks. Two miles (3.2 km) below Brecon, the canal crosses the River Usk on an aqueduct at Brynich, and
SECTION 60
#17327906780185146-400: Was abandoned as a commercial waterway in 1930, but was retained in water. In February 1946, a serious breach occurred at Abercarn , 2.5 miles (4.0 km) from Crumlin, and although this section of the canal had not been used for 16 years, the breach was repaired. However, the branch was closed just three years later in 1949, and the section from Pontywaun to Crumlin was filled in and used as
5229-501: Was abandoned in 1853, to eliminate the sharp curves at either end, when part of the line was converted to standard gauge, and was demolished in 1905. Conversion of the whole line to standard gauge was completed in 1863, and the Sirhowy Tramroad became the Sirhowy Railway Company in 1865. The Hay Railway received authorisation in an act of Parliament, the Hay Railway Act 1811 ( 51 Geo. 3 . c. cxxii), on 25 May 1811. Construction of its winding 24-mile long route took nearly five years and
5312-457: Was absorbed into the Hereford, Hay and Brecon Railway in 1860 and the line was converted to standard gauge for operation by steam locomotives. With their network of feeder railways, the canals were profitable. Coal traffic rose from 3,500 tons in 1796 to 150,000 tons in 1809, but the arrival of the railways brought serious decline, and in the 1850s, several schemes to abandon the canals were proposed. The Monmouthshire Company, which had become
5395-400: Was asked to survey the line. The twin track tramway connected by means of an inclined plane to the existing line from the Beaufort Ironworks. Outram's designs were not followed to the letter, probably to save costs, and he expressed his dismay at this. In 1800, the owners of Sirhowy Ironworks were granted permission to exploit the minerals under Bedwellty Common and build a tramroad to join
5478-419: Was built by the ironmasters, to a point one mile (1.6 km) from the canal company section. The mile between crossed the land of Sir Charles Morgan, Baron Tredegar of Tredegar House , who agreed to build the connection across Tredegar Park , in return for tolls for goods crossing his land. This section became known as the "golden mile", because it proved to be quite lucrative for Sir Charles. The tramroad
5561-542: Was built in the 1960s and forms part of the main A4042 road between Newport and Abergavenny . Before the bypass was opened the A4042 went through Croesyceiliog. At the 2011 Census the following information was captured: For elections, Croesyceiliog is split into two electoral wards : Croesyceiliog North and Croesyceiliog South. Cwmbran Cwmbran ( / k ʊ m ˈ b r ɑː n , k uː m -/ kuum- BRAHN , koom- ; Welsh : Cwmbrân [kʊmˈbraːn] , also in use as an alternative spelling in English)
5644-402: Was called in to inspect the work and to advise on substituting a railway between Gilwern and Pont-y-Moel. Outram recommended several improvements, in particular the partial rebuilding of the Ashford Tunnel. He was also somewhat critical of the existing railways. The canal was completed and opened to Talybont-on-Usk in late 1799 and through to Brecon in December 1800. Dadford died in 1801, and
5727-456: Was constructed between 1802 and 1805 or 1806. Branches would be built to the limestone quarries at Trefil (the Trefil Tramroad) and to the Union Ironworks at Rhymney . Two more branches, from Llanarth and Penllwyn to Nine Mile Point Colliery were added in 1824. A major feature of the line was the 'Long Bridge' at Risca , 930 feet (280 m) long with 33 arches each of 24-foot (7.3 m) span averaging 28 feet (8.5 m) high. The bridge
5810-441: Was consulted on a number of matters, and recommended that the railways should be converted from edge rails to tram plates. Many of them were converted in this way, but this alteration was not always successful, with users of the Crumlin Bridge to Beaufort Ironworks tramway complaining in 1802 that they had incurred considerable cost to make the transition, only to find that the new tramway was unusable due to poor construction. In 1806,
5893-426: Was converted into a railway in 1853, with the loss of 11 locks, and more significantly, much of the water supply to the lower canal. Following the conversion, the next part of the canal to close was the section from Newport to the docks, which lasted until 1879. The rest of the Newport section, to the northern portal of Barrack Hill Tunnel, was closed in 1930, and the Cwmbran section followed in 1954. The Crumlin branch
5976-583: 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. The Cistercian Way also passes through Llantarnam , Old Cwmbran, Greenmeadow and Thornhill before reaching
6059-552: Was founded in 1949 as a new town , 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
6142-621: 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
6225-551: 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
6308-418: 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
6391-418: Was opened in 1799. In the late 1840s, a short extension joined the canal to Newport Docks , and hence to the River Usk . Because the canal was isolated from other similar undertakings, Dadford was free to set the size of the locks, and they were designed to take boats with a maximum width of 9 feet 2 inches (2.79 m), a length of 63 feet (19 m) and a draught of three feet (0.91 m). On
6474-733: Was provided by the Welsh Office, the Welsh Arts Council and various private sector bodies. The old wharf buildings have been re-used by the Brecon Theatre, and access is provided by a new canal bridge, named after the engineer Thomas Dadford. The next section to be opened for navigation was a 2-mile (3.2 km) stretch running from Pentre Lane bridge, just above Tamplin Lock, down through Tyfynnon, Malpas and Gwasted locks to Malpas junction, and then up through Gwasted Lock on
6557-447: Was replaced as engineer by Thomas Cartwright. The canal company obtained another act of Parliament, the Brecknock and Abergavenny Canal Act 1804 ( 44 Geo. 3 . c. xxix), on 3 May 1804, to authorise the raising of more capital, and the section to Govilon , near Abergavenny was completed in 1805, but the company failed to raise the finance authorised by the 1804 act, and so construction stopped. The company then concentrated on running
6640-539: Was seen as a valuable amenity in an area of natural beauty. The canal was reopened to Pontymoile in 1970. The Brecon to Pontypool section was one of seven stretches of canal, formerly designated as 'remainder waterways', which were re-classified by the Transport Act 1968 . Under the act, a total of 82 route miles (132 km) were upgraded to cruising waterway standard. The Cefn Flight of Fourteen locks has been recognised as being of international significance, and
6723-692: Was such that the horses could operate unimpeded. From 1 May 1820, the Hay Railway was joined at its Eardisley terminus, in an end on junction, by the Kington Tramway . Together, the two lines totalled 36 miles in length, comprising the longest continuous plateway to be completed in the United Kingdom. The Hay Railway operated through rural areas on the borders of England and Wales and was built to transport goods and freight. Passengers were not carried on any official basis. The Hay Railway
6806-406: 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
6889-482: 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. 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 . The longest established employer in Cwmbran
#17982