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60-636: The Pontypool Free Press is an English language weekly regional newspaper that was originally published in Pontypool , as the Pontypool Free Press and Herald of the Hills , in 1859 and is circulated in Pontypool and the surrounding area of Torfaen , in south-east Wales . The Pontypool Free Press and Herald of the Hills was established in 1859, with the first edition on 5 March 1859. It

120-596: A close relationship with the local rugby club, Pontypool RFC , as "Official Media Partner". The paper is part of a group of papers covering some of south-east Wales, including the South Wales Argus , Penarth Times , and the Penarth & District News . The papers are all based at Cardiff Road, Maesglas , Newport NP20 3QN, with Kevin Ward as Regional Managing Editor and Nicole Garnon as Deputy Editor. The paper

180-406: A decline in the heavy industries of south Wales and this had a direct impact on the economy of Pontypool and its district. The growth of Pontypool accompanied the development of industry. Originally a dispersed, rural settlement, the first centres of growth took place in the hamlets of Trosnant and Pontymoile. However, as the focus of industry and investment became increasingly centred on Pontypool,

240-458: A decorative coating for pottery, authentic East Asian lacquered ware made its way into Europe by the 17th century. In the late 17th century, high European demand (along with rumors that East Asian manufacturers reserved their higher-quality work for their domestic markets) led to the production of imitation pieces starting in Italy. Its traditional form used gold designs and pictorials to contrast with

300-421: A lacquered and decorative finish. Thomas Allgood died in 1716, having been unable to commence production of his Pontypool Japanware but the increased creation of tinplate at Pontypool from the early eighteenth century allowed for japanning to enter wide scale manufacture. There was a growing demand for these artistic, luxury products and Allgood's sons, Edward and Thomas, established a japanworks in Pontypool, which

360-617: A railway from Pontypool to Newport . The line opened to passengers in 1852 and connected with Blaenavon in 1854. It eventually came under the management of the Great Western Railway . Another line was constructed during the 1860s and 1870s to connect Pontypool with Newport via Caerleon . Connections were also made with Abergavenny, Hereford and the Taff Vale. Pontypool had three railway stations, namely Crane Street , Clarence Street and Pontypool Road . Line closures during

420-533: A separate edition. In November 2011 Newsquest moved the editorial staff to its regional headquarters, at the offices of the South Wales Argus , in Newport , closing its offices in Pontypool and Chepstow. Soon after, Torfaen County Borough Council offered the paper an office at the Pontypool Civic Centre , and journalists now use the office as a drop-in centre every Friday. The paper maintains

480-513: A separate teaching pool and two hydroslides. Pontypool Active Living Centre has a fitness suite, and a state-of-the-art Strength Suite. As well as a dance studio, and sports hall. Pontypool Park is also home to Wales' oldest and longest artificial ski slope. Built in 1974 and at 230m long it is used for leisure and by the Welsh Ski Squad for training. The ski slope is closed for part of the year due to local council funding cutbacks. In

540-546: A town. A market hall and assembly rooms were erected in 1730–31, thereby elevating the civic position of the community. During the early eighteenth century, the Hanbury family were also developing their Pontypool Park estate as a permanent family residence. The development of industrial works and employment opportunities near the emerging town also precipitated the building of dwellings along the Afon Lwyd to provide housing for

600-542: Is a town and the administrative centre of the county borough of Torfaen , within the historic boundaries of Monmouthshire in South Wales . As of 2021 , it has a population of 29,062. It is situated on the Afon Lwyd river in the county borough of Torfaen . Located at the eastern edge of the South Wales coalfields , Pontypool grew around industries including iron and steel production, coal mining , and

660-513: Is currently released as a tabloid and in 2013 had an average circulation of 5,022 (including The Free Press ) with a cover price of £0.40. Paper, and microfiche, archives of the Pontypool Free Press and The Free Press of Monmouthshire are held at Gwent Archives , Ebbw Vale and Newport Central Library . An online digital archive of the paper (1859–1869 and 1872–1893) is available from Welsh Newspapers Online . Pontypool Pontypool ( Welsh : Pont-y-pŵl [ˌpɔntəˈpuːl] )

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720-533: Is now considering the former campus a potential housing site. Crownbridge Special School was based in Pontypool; however, in 2012, the school moved to new facilities in Cwmbran. Pontypool Active Living Centre , in Pontypool Park is a leisure centre with the only swimming venue in Pontypool. It has a 25-metre swimming pool for competitive swimming galas and viewing for up to 200 spectators. It also has

780-493: Is one of the town's cornerstones. Founded in the 1870s, the club became a founder member of the Welsh Rugby Union in 1881. Under the captaincy of Terry Cobner the intervening years saw 'Pooler' become one of the great teams of Welsh rugby. The legendary 'Pontypool Front Row' in the 1970s, of Bobby Windsor , Charlie Faulkner and Graham Price was immortalised in song by Max Boyce . The club's contribution to Wales

840-504: The Indies these conflated forms went so far from the source material, they can said to be an early form of Japonaiserie in the UK. Popular motifs included landscapes containing 'woods, cottages, rivers, trees, hills, sun, moon [&] stars'. Other popular adopters included the wife of Robert Walpole , Lady Catherine Walpole in 1732. One of her 'japanned cabinets' was bought and displayed in

900-656: The Toxicodendron vernicifluum tree, which was not available in Europe. Japanning is most often a heavy black lacquer , almost like enamel paint . Black is common, and japanning is often synonymous with black japanning. The European technique uses varnishes that have a resin base, similar to shellac , applied in heat-dried layers which are then polished, to give a smooth glossy finish. It can also come in reds, greens and blues. Originating in India, China and Japan as

960-675: The Member of Parliament for Islwyn and a life peer , was editor of the newspaper. Touhig worked on the paper from 1968 to 1994, starting as a journalist, and ending as general manager of the Free Press Group. An edition covering Chepstow was added in 1980, with other editions added later, giving four titles produced by the Free Press Group: In 1997 the Bailey Newspaper Group, the then owners of

1020-552: The Monmouthshire Canal during the 1790s connected Pontnewynydd to Newport and later connected with the Brecknock and Abergavenny Canal at Pontymoile in 1812. Tramroads leading from industrial areas within an eight-mile radius of the canal converged at either Pontnewynydd or Pontymoile. The tramroads and canals were superseded by the railways in the mid-nineteenth century. From 1845, work commenced on establishing

1080-499: The Rugby League Conference Welsh Premier . Football teams in the area are: Pontypool is twinned with the following towns: All four towns are twinned with each other and a twinning conference and youth festival is held each year in one of the towns. Japanning It is distinct from true East Asian lacquer, which is made by coating objects with a preparation based on the dried sap of

1140-591: The Tudor period , such as the utilisation of blast furnaces to produce iron, allowed for the greater exploitation of the mineral resources of south Wales. A blast furnace was in use at Monkswood , near Pontypool, from as early as 1536 and was followed by the erection of other blast furnaces in the area surrounding Pontypool. An ironworks was established in what later became Pontypool Park in c. 1575. Forges, where cast iron could be converted into wrought iron, were also developed and included Town Forge within Pontypool, which

1200-562: The 1960s greatly reduced the valley's railway connections, which were replaced by modern roads. The only passenger line still operating within Pontypool is at an unmanned station in New Inn. Pontypool & New Inn station is on the Welsh Marches Line with trains provided by Transport for Wales . Pontypool Park was the historic seat of the Hanbury family, who developed a permanent residence in Pontypool in c. 1694 and, under

1260-453: The Blue bedroom by Horace Walpole in his Strawberry Hill House . The popularity of japanning continued to be seen as a womanly pursuit until 1760, by which point it began to become a commercial trade in the UK. Today, japanning exists primarily as a conservation craft – it so extremely rare to make it for new items so it is taught from a conservation/restoration approach for example as part of

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1320-673: The City & Guilds three-year Conservation course and Painter Stainers Decorative Surface Fellowship. Wolverhampton and Bilston were important centres for the manufacture of japanned ware. Trade directories for 1818 list 20 firms of japanners in Wolverhampton and 15 in Bilston. According to Samuel Timmins' book Birmingham and the Midland Hardware District , published in 1866, there were 2000 people employed in

1380-598: The Free Press Group, was bought by Southern Newspapers, based in Southampton . In 1998 Southern Newspapers changed its name to Newscom and, in 2000, was bought by the Newsquest Media Group . In November 2008 Newsquest Media (Southern) Ltd merged the Abergavenny, Chepstow, and Monmouth editions into one edition covering Monmouthshire called The Free Press . The Pontypool Free Press continued as

1440-527: The Noble and Commendable Art of Drawing, Colouring and Japanning ... with Plain and Easy Rules for the Ladies Japanning (1751), The Ladies Amusement or, Whole Art of Japanning Made Easy (1758, 1762 & 1771), & The Young Ladies School of Arts by Hannah Robertson (1766) were all aimed at a female audience, and some of which were also written by female authors. Certainly by 1710, "japanning"

1500-539: The Pontypool Park works in 1697. Tinplate was being produced at Pontypool from c. 1706, with an important tin mill in operation at Pontymoile during the early eighteenth century. During the 1660s, Thomas Allgood of Northamptonshire, was appointed manager of the Pontypool Ironworks. Allgood developed the Pontypool 'japanning' process , whereby metal plate could be treated in a way that generated

1560-471: The area. Japanned ware was being also made at Bilston , England by 1719 and later elsewhere in the area. The technique was also developed to protect metal objects such as sewing machines , hand planes , builders' hardware, and in North America, electricity meters made before the mid-1930s. Later, it was used as an insulating film on transformer laminations . Japanned sheets were also used as

1620-575: The black base colour. As the demand for japanned goods grew, the Italian technique for imitating Asian lacquerwork also spread. The art of japanning developed in seventeenth-century Britain, France, Italy, and the Low Countries . The technique was described in design and pattern manuals such as Stalker and Parker's Treatise of Japanning and Varnishing , published in Oxford in 1688. Colonial Boston

1680-565: The business quickly became more successful than the production of decorative japanned ware. Marston's wife thought the gilt on the black japanned bicycles looked like sunbeams and the bicycles were branded Sunbeam and their factory was named Sunbeamland . Ironware was japanned black for decorative reasons. It was also used to render it rustproof, suitable for carrying water. A significant industry developed at Pontypool and Usk in South Wales, shortly before tinplate began to be made in

1740-579: The course of the century, including an abundance of chapels and churches, Pontypool Town Hall , which was provided by Capel Hanbury Leigh in 1856, and a great number of shops, banks, public houses, hotels and a public library from 1906. The town also developed an important educational role. Pontypool became home to a Welsh Baptist College in 1836, when it moved from Abergavenny. The college trained many Welsh Baptist ministers, large numbers of whom went on to lead congregations in Wales and overseas. It relocated to

1800-470: The dawn of the nineteenth century, the town had some 250 houses and a number of thriving shops and businesses, catering for a population of approximately 1,500 people. Pontypool continued to grow during the nineteenth century, with many new houses and buildings being erected during the late Victorian period. Concurrently, the outlying villages also grew, effectively providing suburbs to Pontypool town centre. Key civic and community buildings were created during

1860-474: The demand for coal was met. Major John Hanbury (1664–1734) acquired a reputation as an industrial pioneer and through the endeavours of Hanbury and his leading agents, Thomas Cooke, William Payne and Thomas Allgood, significant developments within the British tinplate industry were made in Pontypool, including the introduction of the world's first rolling for the production of iron sheets and blackplate at

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1920-455: The direction of Major John Hanbury, subsequently established a deer park in the early 1700s. The park became a venue for recreation and enjoyment for the Hanbury family and their associates. An example of the luxury and display demonstrated by the family is the ornate shell grotto summerhouse within the park, completed and decorated during the 1830s. Pontypool Park House was gradually extended and modified, with major changes being carried out in

1980-414: The early 1820s. From the mid to late eighteenth century, as the industrial revolution took hold, there was a massive expansion in the economic development of south Wales. Iron-making flourished in emerging towns and settlements, notably at Merthyr Tydfil , Tredegar , and Blaenavon. By the early nineteenth century, south Wales was the most important centre of iron production in the world. Whilst Pontypool

2040-557: The grounds of Pontypool Park there is a play park for children and a skate park. As well as a picnic area, and outdoor tennis courts. Pontypool RFC ’s rugby ground is situated in Pontypool Park grounds. Pontypool has a prize-winning Brass Band who were chosen to perform in the Finals of the National Brass Band Championships of Great Britain (Section 3) in 2012 and 2013. Pontypool Rugby Football Club

2100-499: The growth of the railways . A rather artistic manufacturing industry which also flourished here alongside heavy industry was Japanning , a type of lacquer ware. Pontypool covers several areas, hamlets, villages and towns including New Inn , Griffithstown , Sebastopol (Panteg.) Abersychan , Cwmffrwdoer , Pontnewynydd , Trevethin , Penygarn , Wainfelin , Tranch , Brynwern , Pontymoile , Blaendare , Cwmynyscoy , Talywain , Garndiffaith , Pentwyn , and Varteg . The name of

2160-497: The house and its park entered public ownership, and this allowed for the site to be developed as a public amenity. Developments during the 1920s witnessed the introduction of public tennis courts, a rugby ground and a bowling green. A notable event was the Royal National Eisteddfod , which took place in the park in 1924. A bandstand was added in 1931, allowing the townspeople the opportunity to listen to music in

2220-433: The iron industry dating back to the early fifteenth century when a bloomery furnace was established at Pontymoile . During the sixteenth century, largely due to the influence of the Hanbury family, the area developed its association with the iron industry and continued to consolidate its position in the seventeenth century, when the development of the town began in earnest. Throughout the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries,

2280-434: The japanning and tin-plate industries in Wolverhampton and Bilston at the time. Japanning firms ranged in size from small family workshops, which often adjoined the proprietor's home, to a few large factories employing over 250 people. In the larger workshops, the production of tin plate and papier-mâché articles and the japanning process all took place under one roof, while small workshops tended to carry out only one or two of

2340-651: The late 17th and 18th century. Molly Verney is noted as one of these early adopters of the craft which was subsequently taught in London, but a number of pattern books such as Art's Master-piece. OR, A Companion for the Ingenious of either Sex (1697), The Art of Japanning: Varnishing, Pollishing, and Gilding ... Published at the Request of Several Ladies of Distinction by Mrs. Artlove (1730), The Lady's Delight, or Accomplished Female Instructor (1741), Study and Practise

2400-462: The latter half of the century resulted in the demolition of old streets and historic buildings, as well as the creation of new road networks to relieve the increased pressure of vehicular traffic. The industries of the area necessitated good transport links. A network of tramroads was established throughout the Pontypool area to connect sites of extraction to the centres of the production and subsequently to export, and market routes. The construction of

2460-512: The manufacture of copper and brass coal scuttles, fire screens and kettles. By the 1920s, the West Midlands ' decorative japanned ware industry had largely died out. Many firms began to supply japanned metal to the newly established bicycle and motor vehicle industries, and some even made their own bicycles. The most successful of these was John Marston , whose japanning factory began making bicycles in 1887. The bicycle manufacturing part of

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2520-423: The metallurgical and extractive industries of the area, along with the development of the canals and railways, provided the impetus to the expansion of Pontypool and its surrounding villages and communities. The Afon Lwyd valley, in which Pontypool is situated, provided an abundance of resources for the manufacturing of iron, including coal, iron ore, charcoal and waterpower. The wider technological developments of

2580-475: The mid-18th century, the early 1800s and 1872. Alterations were also made within Pontypool Park during the 19th century and included the dismantling of the old ironworks in 1831, the reconstruction of the park gates by Thomas Deakin of Blaenavon in 1835, the planting of trees to increase the privacy of the family from the gaze of outsiders, and the development of the American Gardens in 1851. In 1920,

2640-727: The new University College of South Wales and Monmouthshire , in Cardiff, in 1893. The former Pontypool College became the County Grammar School for Girls in 1897 and, in the following January, West Monmouth Grammar School was opened for boys. The school's origins date back to the early seventeenth century when William Jones, a wealthy merchant, left a considerable fortune to the Company of Haberdashers to provide charitable and educational services in Monmouth. Monmouth School

2700-681: The open air. A leisure centre and artificial ski slope were introduced in 1974. Pontypool Park House was sold to the Sisters of the Order of the Holy Ghost in 1923, who utilised the building as a girls' boarding school. It eventually became St. Alban's R.C. High School . The adjacent stable block was used for a variety of purposes during the 20th century but ultimately became home to the Valley Inheritance Museum in 1981, which

2760-418: The raw materials of the wider area, including a large expanse of woodland to produce charcoal and some 800 acres of land to extract coal and iron-ore at Panteg , Pontymoile and Mynyddislwyn . Furthermore, he secured the rights to extract coal and iron-ore on Lord Abergavenny 's Hills in and around Blaenavon . The Hanburys were also active at Cwmlickey, Lower Race and Blaendare during the seventeenth century as

2820-533: The town began to emerge as a focal point for the wider, scattered community. Pontypool was a little village within old Trevethin parish in the ancient hundred of Abergavenny of the County of Monmouth . In 1690, during the reign of William III and Mary II , the Crown accepted a petition for a market to be established in Pontypool, permitting a weekly market and three annual fairs—the village thus officially became

2880-572: The town in Welsh – Pont-y-pŵl – originates from a bridge ('pont') associated with a pool in the Afon Lwyd. The Welsh word pŵl is a borrowing from English pool and is found in other place-names in Gwent. Pontypool is an anglicised form of the Welsh name. Pontypool has a notable history as one of the earliest industrial towns in Wales. The town and its immediate surroundings were home to significant industrial and technological innovations, with links to

2940-570: The trades, usually tin-plate working and japanning. At the height of its popularity, richly decorated japanned ware was to be seen in every middle-class home, but from the mid-19th century, this began to change. By the 1880s, the japanning and tin-plate industries were in decline. This was due partly to changes in fashion and taste and partly due to the development of electroplating. In response, makers of japanned ware began to focus on more utilitarian items, including japanned cash boxes. Many turned to other trades, including enamelling, electroplating and

3000-509: The workforce. Trade and commerce also developed and Pontypool, largely due to the endeavours of the Vaughan family, acquired a strong reputation for clock-making during the eighteenth century. By the middle of the eighteenth century, a small town had clearly developed, providing employment, housing and a commercial role, also serving as an important local centre for the surrounding hamlets. By the time Archdeacon William Coxe visited Pontypool at

3060-474: Was a major center of the japanning trade in America, where at least a dozen cabinetmakers included it among their specialties. In England, decoupage, the art of applying paper cutouts to other items, became very popular, especially the botanically inspired works of Mary Delany . A large amount of early amateur japanning can be attributed to the rise of the artform as a suitable pastime for young ladies between

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3120-460: Was built in 1615 and many years later, the trustees of the charity decided to invest in additional schools within the county. 'West Mon' School was consequently built, at a cost of £30,000, on a site donated by John Capel Hanbury in 1896. Urban growth continued in the twentieth century as national social reforms encouraged the provision of public housing schemes to improve the quality of housing in working class communities. Redevelopment programmes in

3180-762: Was closed at the end of the 2007 academic year. This was formerly the Pontypool Grammar School for Girls (also known as 'The County'), although at one time the sole campus was where the Welsh medium school, Ysgol Gymraeg Gwynllyw now stands. Trevethin Community School was also the original site of the Welsh Baptist College. Having been kept open as a vaccination center during the initial COVID outbreak of 2020, Pontypool Campus Coleg Gwent (formerly known as Pontypool College) permanently closed in 2023 .The local borough council

3240-553: Was in operation during the last quarter of the sixteenth century, and the Osborne Forge, near Pontnewynydd , which produced the renowned Osmond iron. Richard Hanbury of Worcestershire, a notable entrepreneur, developed interests within the Pontypool area during the 1570s, acquiring and developing forges and furnaces in Monkswood, Cwmffrwdoer, Trosnant, Llanelly and Abercarn . Hanbury acquired leases and rights to utilise

3300-420: Was not as competitive as some of the larger ironworks towns, it retained a niche in the metallurgical market, producing specialist tinplate. The japanning industry of Pontypool continued to decline and had ceased by the mid-nineteenth century, by which time the economy of the Pontypool area relied on the iron and coal industries, the tinplate industry and the production of iron rails. The twentieth century witnessed

3360-630: Was printed and published in Pontypool, in English, by the proprietor David Walkinshaw. In 1877 Henry Hughes Junior agreed to purchase the paper, along with the Pontypool Local Register and the Pontypool Almanack , for £1,000 from Walkinshaw. The name of the newspaper changed on 5 July 1879, to The Pontypool Free Press , and on 2 April 1909 to The Free Press of Monmouthshire . In the 1980s, Don Touhig , later to become

3420-472: Was producing large quantities of Japanware by 1732. The brothers produced a range of products, including decorative bread baskets, tea trays, dishes and other items, and were renowned for their high quality work. Following the death of Edward Allgood in 1761 there was a family quarrel between his two sons and a rival japanning factory was established in Usk. Both the Pontypool and Usk concerns had ceased production by

3480-409: Was regarded by many including Alexander Pope as a feminine pastime. These mock lacquerware techniques were often suggested to be applied to textiles, and by the 18th century are found on cabinets, tea-trays, powderboxes, drawers, and large flat English household furniture in the manors and houses of the landed gentry. Drawing on the grotesque forms derived from travellers accounts and artwork from

3540-597: Was seen again in 1983, when Pontypool's "forward factory" produced five of the Welsh pack in the Five Nations Championship . Other rugby union clubs based in or near the town are Pontypool United RFC , Abersychan RFC , Garndiffaith RFC , New Panteg RFC , Talywain RFC , West Mon RFC , Blaenavon RFC and Forgeside RFC . Pontypool's rugby league club are called the Torfaen Tigers and play in

3600-476: Was set up by Torfaen Museum Trust (est. 1978) to accommodate, safeguard and present the collections relating to the heritage of the Afon Lwyd valley. The town is home to four comprehensive schools : Abersychan School ; West Monmouth School (formerly Jones' West Monmouth Grammar School for Boys); St. Alban's R.C. High School ; and Ysgol Gymraeg Gwynllyw , a Welsh Medium education school teaching students between 3 and 19 years old. Trevethin Community School

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