| Risca | |
| Welsh: Rhisga | |
A view of Risca |
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Risca
Risca shown within Caerphilly |
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| Population | 11,455 [1][2] |
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| OS grid reference | ST245905 |
| Principal area | Caerphilly |
| Ceremonial county | Gwent |
| Country | Wales |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | NEWPORT |
| Postcode district | NP11 |
| Dialling code | 01633 |
| Police | Gwent |
| Fire | South Wales |
| Ambulance | Welsh |
| EU Parliament | Wales |
| UK Parliament | Islwyn |
| Welsh Assembly | Islwyn |
| List of places: UK • Wales • Caerphilly | |
Risca [1] (Welsh: Rhisga) is a town of approximately 11,500 people in South Wales, within the Caerphilly County Borough and the historic boundaries of Monmouthshire. It is today part of the Newport conurbation (which as a whole has a population of 140,200), though it is not a Ward of Newport City Council. Risca had a railway station opened on the Ebbw Valley Railway in February 2008, after a gap of 46 years.
The town lies at the south-eastern edge of the South Wales Coalfield, and a coal mine used to operate in the town with terraced housing nearby for workers. On 1 December 1860, an explosion at the Black Vein Colliery at Risca killed more than 140 men and boys as well as 28 pit ponies.
Risca is home to Ty-Sign , which is a large housing estate; built in the early sixties as a satellite village for the (then) new steel works at Llanwern. It has a rural aspect, and is surrounded to the east and west by several extensively wooded hills [2] including Mynydd Machen [3] (1,188ft/362m) and Twmbarlwm [4] (1,375ft/419m) which attract tourists for the hillwalking and mountain bikers to Cwmcarn Forest Drive.
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In the UK Parliament, Risca is part of the constituency of Islwyn, a Labour Party stronghold represented since the 2010 general election by Chris Evans. Don Touhig previously represented the constituency following a by-election in 1995, but did not stand for re-election in 2010. The seat and its predecessor was formerly represented for 25 years by the former Labour leader Neil Kinnock.
In the National Assembly for Wales, Risca is part of the constituency of Islwyn, represented since 2003 by Labour's Irene James. At the first Assembly elections in 1999, Plaid Cymru won the seat in a major upset. The constituency falls within the electoral region of South Wales East, whose four AMs are Conservatives Mohammad Asghar and William Graham, Plaid Cymru's Jocelyn Davies, and Liberal Democrat Veronica German.
Twmbarlwm, has the remains of an Iron Age hill fort near its summit,[3] and this is believed to have been built by the Silures, the Celtic tribe that inhabited the area before and during Roman times.
The Welsh Oak, a pub on the outskirts of Pontymister, was the meeting place for the Chartists before they marched on Newport during the Newport Rising of 1839.
The local Church in Wales church is dedicated to St. Mary the Virgin [5]. The St Mary and St Mercurius Coptic Orthodox Church in St Mary Street is a grade II listed building and is the first Coptic Orthodox Church in Wales. It was a former Wesleyan Methodist church, founded in 1837, rebuilt on the same site in 1852 and was dedicated to St John. The architect is unknown. The church was designed to seat 600 people. It was later known as "Trinity Methodist Church".[4]
The park 'Tredegar Grounds' was donated to the people of Risca in 1897 by Lord Tredegar to commemorate Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee and in return the 'Jubilee' statue was erected by public subscription 'in recognition of Lord Tredegar's generosity to the neighbourhood.' A small bronze statuette of Samson, a bearded figure dressed in a loincloth, stands on a circular stone plinth on a square stepped base.
The town is served by Risca and Pontymister railway station which is served by direct trains between Cardiff Central and Ebbw Vale Parkway. The Monmouthshire canal passes through the town.[5]
Risca has an award-winning male voice choir. Risca Community Comprehensive School was opened by Elizabeth II in 1977. It is located on the same site as the town's leisure centre. There are approximately 500 pupils, most of whom have moved up from the local primaries, Risca and Ty Sign.
Risca United F.C. play in the Welsh Football League Division Three and are managed by Paul Michael. The club play their home games at Ty-Isaf Park.
Risca RFC (The Cuckoos) play in the Welsh Rugby Union Division 3 East, at Stores Field, Risca. An active mini-rugby & junior section with age groups from 6 to 16, provide a steady stream of players, some of them having progressed to the early stages of professional rugby with the Newport Gwent Dragons.
There are some extensive mountain bike trails on the wooded hills just to the north of the town, at Cwmcarn, which are receiving increasing popularity.
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