Machen
| Machen | |
 |
|
  Machen |
|
| Population | 2,362 |
|---|---|
| OS grid reference | ST215895 |
| Principal area | Caerphilly |
| Ceremonial county | Gwent |
| Country | Wales |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | CAERPHILLY |
| Postcode district | CF83 |
| Dialling code | 01633 |
| Police | Gwent |
| Fire | South Wales |
| Ambulance | Welsh |
| EU Parliament | Wales |
| UK Parliament | Caerphilly |
| Welsh Assembly | Caerphilly |
|
|
Coordinates: 51°35′46″N 3°08′20″W / 51.596°N 3.139°W
Machen is a large village 3 miles east of Caerphilly, south Wales, situated in the Caerphilly borough within the historic boundaries of Monmouthshire. It neighbours Bedwas and Trethomas, and forms a council ward in conjunction with those communities. It lies on the Rhymney River. Mynydd Machen (Machen Mountain) provides a view over the village. It is possible to walk up to and along the top of the mountain, where a number of large boulders are present.
Industrial history
Machen was a village rooted in the iron and coal industries stretching from the 17th Century.[1] Though little trace remains, the village was the site of the Machen Forge and several coal mines. A local history trail visits some of these sites.[2] Machen Forge was an early adopter of the Osmond process for the production of wrought iron.
Machen was a station on the Brecon and Merthyr Railway and a branch to Caerphilly on the Pontypridd, Caerphilly and Newport Railway, closed to passengers in 1956.
Today a residual branch of the B&MR remains open to service the Hanson Aggregates quarry at Machen.
Notable people
- See Category:People from Machen
Notable people from Machen include Ron Davies, often claimed as the "architect of Welsh devolution". He was honoured as a member of the Gorsedd with the bardic name "Ron o Fachen" (Ron from Machen).
Alfred Edward Morgans (17 February 1850 – 10 August 1933), Premier of Western Australia for just 32 days in 1901, was born in Machen.
Ian Thomas, the former Glamorgan County Cricket Club cricketer, is from Machen. He played for Glamorgan between 1998 and 2005 winning two one day league winners trophies with the club. He is also remembered for scoring the first Televised 20-20 century in 2004 (116 Not Out against Somerset.)
Health research
Men from Machen participate in one of the world's longest running epidemiology studies - The Caerphilly Heart Disease Study. Since 1979, a representative sample of adult males born between 1918 and 1938, living in Caerphilly and the surrounding villages of Abertridwr, Bedwas, Machen, Senghenydd and Trethomas, have participated in the study. A wide range of health and lifestyle data have been collected throughout the study and have been the basis of over 400 publications in the medical press. A notable report was on the reductions in vascular disease, diabetes, cognitive impairment and dementia attributable to a healthy lifestyle.[3]
Community Archives Wales
In 2008 Machen Remembered, the local archive group, received assistance from Community Archives Wales, to instruct their members in using computers to scan and upload their comprehensive Machen archive onto the Community Archives Wales website. This has been a great success with many of Machen's pictures now available for viewing on the website.[4]
Community Groups
CALON is a community group based in Machen since December 2009. As well as Machen it also focuses on the surrounding villages and countryside. They look at issues affecting our community and tackle them proactively. They run events, help other community organisations to achieve their goals, and campaign for improvements with local authorities.
Other uses
- Angeology - The Fourth Heaven, Machanon or Machen is ruled by Archangel Michael, "Is the site of the heavenly Jerusalem, the holy Temple and its Altar" (Godwin, p. 122). It is said to house the city of Christ and is the native seat of the angels.[5][6]
See also
References
- ↑ A Welsh Ironworks at the Close of the Seventeenth Century, L J Williams, National Library of Wales journal. 1960, Summer Volume XI/3
- ↑ Machen Forge Trail
- ↑ The Caerphilly and Speedwell Collaborative Group. (1984 September). "Caerphilly and Speedwell collaborative heart disease studies.". Journal of Epidemiology and Public Health 38 (3): 259–262. PMID 6332166 PMC 1052363.
- ↑ Community Archives Wales Website
- ↑
- ↑
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
