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23-462: In 1789 most of the building of Blaenavon Ironworks had been completed and the lease for the land was signed in November. At this time transport of goods between Blaenavon and Newport was by teams of packhorses and mules using hillside tracks and parish roads. A more efficient method of transport was needed and Thomas Hill I, the leading partner behind the ironworks, became one of the promoters of

46-498: A 2001 episode of the archaeology television programme Time Team . The Pontypool and Blaenavon Railway is a scenic attraction rich in geological and historical interest. Blaenavon lost both of its passenger railway stations — Blaenavon High Level station closed in 1941, and the last train from Blaenavon (Low Level) (to Newport via Pontypool Crane Street ) ran in April 1962. The lower line had already been closed for more than

69-488: A combination of the town's remote location and the established competition from Hay. Many thriving community groups serve and improve the town, including Future Blaenavon, which has helped to create a community garden at the bottom of the town. Parts of the town and surrounding country form the Blaenavon Industrial Landscape , selected as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2000. Attractions in

92-547: A mansion constructed in 1798 by Thomas Hopkins, was repurposed as a hospital in 1924, supported by the subscriptions of local iron and coal workers. In the 1940s the hospital site was given by the then owners of the site, the National Coal Board , to the UK Ministry of Health ; it was run as a cottage hospital until 1985. When the hospital closed the building was sold by the local authority and refurbished as

115-475: A nursing home for the elderly. In 1995 the building was listed as a Grade 2 listed building . Following the closure of the nursing home in 2007, the building was left empty. It was badly vandalised and stripped of its lead work, slate roof and original interiors, and was placed on the Buildings At Risk register. In 2016 a fire caused severe damage to the ballroom wing and adjoining extension. The House

138-695: A year before the Beeching Axe took place. The lower line's passenger service was among many in Gwent (Monmouthshire) which Ministry of Transport de-classified papers reveal were axed because of rail congestion in the Newport area following the newly opened Llanwern steelworks . Following Samuel Hopkins' death in 1815, his sister Sarah Hopkins of Rugeley, who had inherited much money from her late brother, erected Blaenavon Endowed School in his memory. Which has since been permanently closed. St Peter's Church

161-664: Is a division of land in Wales that forms the lowest tier of local government in Wales . Welsh communities are analogous to civil parishes in England but, unlike English parishes, communities cover the whole of Wales. There are 878 communities in Wales. Until 1974 Wales was divided into civil parishes . These were abolished by section 20 (6) of the Local Government Act 1972 , and replaced by communities by section 27 of

184-667: The preserved county of Gwent . The population is 6,055. Parts of the town and surrounding country form the Blaenavon Industrial Landscape , selected as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2000 . Blaenavon literally means "head of the river" or loosely "river's source" in the Welsh language . Blaenavon grew around an ironworks opened in 1788 by the West Midlands industrialist Thomas Hill and his partners, Thomas Hopkins and Benjamin Pratt. The businessmen invested £40,000 into

207-479: The Crown . In Wales, all town councils are community councils. There are now three communities with city status: Bangor , St Asaph and St Davids . The chair of a town council or city council will usually have the title mayor (Welsh: maer ). However, not every community has a council. In communities with populations too small to sustain a full community council, community meetings may be established. The communities in

230-573: The Monmouthshire Canal. In 1791 a parliamentary bill proposed the canal and was given assent in 1792. The Canal Act also allowed for the building of tramroads to nearby collieries, quarries, and mines. The newly formed Monmouthshire Canal Company appointed Thomas Dadford, Jr. as engineer for both the canal and tramroad. Construction started in 1793 and the tramroad/canal link to the port of Newport opened in February 1796. The tramroad

253-667: The Opposition Andrew RT Davies MS ( C ) Shadow Cabinet ( current ) Prime Minister Rt Hon Keir Starmer MP ( L ) Secretary of State for Wales Rt Hon Jo Stevens MP (L) Principal councils ( leader list ) Corporate Joint Committees Local twinning see also: Regional terms and Regional economy United Kingdom Parliament elections European Parliament elections (1979–2020) Local elections Police and crime commissioner elections Referendums A community ( Welsh : cymuned )

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276-772: The community boundaries within their area every fifteen years. The councils propose changes to the Local Democracy and Boundary Commission for Wales , which prepares a report and makes recommendations to the Welsh Government . If the Welsh Government accepts the recommendations, then it implements them using a statutory instrument . For example, in 2016 four new communities were created in the City and County of Cardiff . The legislation surrounding community councils in Wales has been amended significantly in

299-634: The ironworks project and erected three blast furnaces. Hopkins, as a result of operating the Cannock Wood Forge, Staffordshire, was in contact with skilled and experienced ironworkers, and managed to persuade many of them to migrate to Blaenavon to help establish the new ironworks. In 1836 Robert William Kennard formed the Blaenavon Coal and Iron Company, which subsequently bought the Blaenavon Ironworks. Blaenavon House,

322-487: The same Act. The principal areas of Wales are divided entirely into communities. Unlike in England, where unparished areas exist, no part of Wales is outside a community, even in urban areas . Most, but not all, communities are administered by community councils , which are equivalent to English parish councils in terms of their powers and the way they operate. Welsh community councils may call themselves town councils unilaterally and may have city status granted by

345-652: The source of the Afon Lwyd river, north of Cwmbran . The population of Blaenavon has declined gradually at each ten-year census since the closure of the ironworks in 1900. It had fallen to 8,451 by 1961 and fell more rapidly after closure of the coal mine in 1980. Part of this decline was not emigration but a decrease in birth rate. The Blaenavon Coal and Iron Company developed the Big Pit coalworks with adjoining steel works particularly for rail manufacture. The steel-making and coal mining industries followed, boosting

368-610: The town include the Big Pit National Coal Museum (an Anchor Point of the European Route of Industrial Heritage ), Blaenavon Ironworks , the Pontypool and Blaenavon Railway and Blaenavon World Heritage Centre. The town has a male voice choir, a town band, and many historical walks through the local mountains. A railway viaduct was constructed in 1790; the structure disappeared and was unearthed in

391-458: The town's population to over 20,000 at one time before 1890. Since 1988, part of this site has been the Big Pit National Coal Museum . Government, publishers and mainly Welsh writers sought in 2003 to attract more visitors by introducing Blaenavon as Wales' second " book town " (the first being Hay-on-Wye on the English border). However, the project did not succeed. This can be attributed to

414-453: The tramroad. Very little evidence of the tramroad is visible but an iron milepost exists on the road that was once the route of the tramroad. Blaenavon Blaenavon ( Welsh : Blaenafon ) is a town and community in Torfaen county borough, Wales , high on a hillside on the source of the Afon Lwyd . It is within the boundaries of the historic county of Monmouthshire and

437-551: The urban areas of the cities of Cardiff , Swansea and Newport do not have community councils. As of the 2001 United Kingdom census , there were 869 communities in Wales. 84 percent, or more than 730, have a council. They vary in size from Rhayader with an area of 13,945 hectares (34,460 acres) to Cefn Fforest with an area of 64 hectares (160 acres). They ranged in population from Barry with 45,053 recorded inhabitants to Baglan Bay with no permanent residents. The twenty-two principal area councils are required to review

460-534: Was brought up in the town. Community (Wales) Charles III Heir Apparent William, Prince of Wales First Minister ( list ) Rt Hon Eluned Morgan MS ( L ) Deputy First Minister Huw Irranca-Davies MS ( L ) Counsel General-designate – Elisabeth Jones Chief Whip and Trefnydd – Jane Hutt MS (L) Permanent Secretary Sixth Senedd Llywydd (Presiding Officer) Elin Jones MS ( PC ) Leader of

483-608: Was constructed in 1804, gifted to the parish by Thomas Hill and Samuel Hopkins. Blaenavon Golf Club (now defunct) was founded in 1906. The club closed in 1937. Notable people born in Blaenavon include the Broadway and film actor E. E. Clive , award-winning mystery writer Dorothy Simpson , and international rugby union players Mark Taylor , Ken Jones (also an Olympic athlete), John Perkins , Chris Huish and Terry Cobner . Nick Thomas-Symonds , elected MP for Torfaen in 2015,

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506-728: Was originally built with a 3 ft 4 in ( 1,016 mm ) gauge. The route to the canal at Pontnewynydd was 5 miles (8.0 km) and descended 600 feet (180 m). In 1845 the Monmouthshire Canal Company obtained an Act of Parliament to improve the Blaenavon Railroad and connect it to a new railway to Newport under the control of a new company, the Newport and Pontypool Railway . The completed 4 ft  8 + 1 ⁄ 2  in ( 1,435 mm ) gauge line opened in 1854, replacing

529-557: Was sold in 2017 to private owners and is currently undergoing restoration as a family home once again. The Municipal Offices in Lion Street were the home of Blaenavon Urban District Council until local government reorganisation in 1974. Blaenavon is a community represented by Blaenavon Town Council and is an electoral ward of Torfaen County Borough Council . Blaenavon is twinned with Coutras in France. The town lies near

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