Brynmawr
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Brynmawr | |
  Brynmawr shown within the United Kingdom |
|
| Population | 14,722 |
|---|---|
| OS grid reference | |
| Principal area | Blaenau Gwent |
| Ceremonial county | Gwent |
| Constituent country | Wales |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | EBBW VALE |
| Postcode district | NP23 |
| Dialling code | 01495 |
| Police | Gwent |
| Fire | South Wales |
| Ambulance | Welsh |
| European Parliament | Wales |
| UK Parliament | Blaenau Gwent |
| List of places: UK • Wales • Blaenau Gwent | |
- See also Bryn Mawr (disambiguation) for other places with this name.
Brynmawr (sometimes hyphenated to Bryn-mawr in Welsh — meaning "big hill") is a market town in south Wales. The town, sometimes cited as the highest town in Wales, situated at 1,250 to 1,500 feet above sea level and nestled at the head of the South Wales Valleys, grew during the arrival of the coal mining and iron industries in the early 1800s .
It was originally a small village settlement called Gwaen Helygen and lay in the former county of Brecknockshire. With the expansion of the Nantyglo (meaning stream of coal) Ironworks housing was required for the workers and Brynmawr turned into a prosperous town. Although coal mining has declined, a large mining museum is nearby at Big Pit.
Today Brynmawr has an estimated population of over 6000 people, very few of whom speak Welsh. However, the town does boast a Welsh school from nursery years up until year 6. School pupils have won many national awards for various things.
Although the traditional Saturday market itself has diminished somewhat, the focal point of the town still remains the Market Square [1] and [2] with its Market Hall, now a cinema and theatre proudly presenting films and productions from the local amateur operatic society. Around the Market Square, the trading community offers traditional, family oriented shops with a friendly and personal service. It also now has a large Asda supermarket on the old site of the Semtex factory [3] which boosted the town's name and reputation over the last 50 years. Also there a selection of units being built the same site as the Asda store. The site has now been named as 'Lakeside Park'. The shops include Farm Foods, Home Bargains, Halfords
[edit] See also
see also stagecoach in south wales
[edit] External links
- A community website for local residents.
- Brynmawr Radio website
- Old photos of Brynmawr
- Aerial photograph of Brynmawr
