Pontllanfraith
Encyclopedia
Pontllanfraith is a large village located in the Sirhowy Valley
in Caerphilly county borough, south
Wales
, within the historic boundaries of Monmouthshire
. It is situated adjacent to the town of Blackwood
, with the Sirhowy River passing through both locations. The village includes the communities of the Penllwyn, Springfield and The Bryn.
coal mining
community during the early to mid 20th century, providing homes for men working in a number of local pits such as Wyllie
, Penallta
, and Oakdale
.
The Penllwyn Manor, an old stone building which is now a public house, was originally part of the Tredegar Estate, and is believed to be the original home of the family of Henry Morgan
.
In 1912, at the 17th-century mill in Gelligroes, Artie Moore
picked up a distress signal from the RMS Titanic using wireless receiving equipment.
in 1926 before becoming a comprehensive school
in 1976. A number of former Welsh rugby union
internationals attended the school, including John Jeffery
and the British Lions
forward Alun Pask
, as did the former Glamorgan cricketer Ryan Watkins
and the soprano Margaret Price
.
from 1862. The various junctions around the station gave it access to both the Rhymney Railway
and the Rumney Railway
. The railway closed to most freight traffic on 9 June 1958, and the station was later demolished.
run a number of teams, with the first fifteen playing their home matches at Islwyn Park. The club has been in existence for many years and the first entry on the captain's board relates to the season 1958-59. Ponllanfraith Diamonds Cycle Club founded by Roland Morgan in 1958, which spawned a number of successful cyclists until it disbanded in 1968.
(the lead singer of the Manic Street Preachers
) and Julian Hodge
, founder of The Bank of Wales. Neil Kinnock
, the Labour politician, also had a house in the village. Roy Hughes, Baron Islwyn of Casnewydd, was born there.
Sirhowy Valley
The Sirhowy Valley is an industrialised valley in the eastern part of the Valleys region of South Wales. It is named from the Sirhowy River which runs through it. Its upper reaches are occupied by the town of Tredegar within the unitary area of Blaenau Gwent...
in Caerphilly county borough, south
South Wales
South Wales is an area of Wales bordered by England and the Bristol Channel to the east and south, and Mid Wales and West Wales to the north and west. The most densely populated region in the south-west of the United Kingdom, it is home to around 2.1 million people and includes the capital city of...
Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
, within the historic boundaries of Monmouthshire
Monmouthshire (historic)
Monmouthshire , also known as the County of Monmouth , is one of thirteen ancient counties of Wales and a former administrative county....
. It is situated adjacent to the town of Blackwood
Blackwood, Wales
Blackwood is a town on the Sirhowy River in the South Wales Valleys within the Caerphilly County Borough.The town houses a growing number of light industrial and high-tech firms...
, with the Sirhowy River passing through both locations. The village includes the communities of the Penllwyn, Springfield and The Bryn.
History
Pontllanfraith was home to a WelshSouth Wales Coalfield
The South Wales Coalfield is a large region of south Wales that is rich with coal deposits, especially the South Wales Valleys.-The coalfield area:...
coal mining
Coal mining
The goal of coal mining is to obtain coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content, and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from iron ore and for cement production. In the United States,...
community during the early to mid 20th century, providing homes for men working in a number of local pits such as Wyllie
Wyllie Colliery
Wyllie Colliery was located in the Sirhowy Valley, South Wales.- 20th Century Pit :The coal mine was sunk by the Tredegar Iron and Coal Company and opened in 1926. The colliery was named after a director of the company, Alexander Wyllie...
, Penallta
Penallta Colliery
Penallta Colliery was a coal mine, located close to Hengoed in the Rhymney Valley in the South Wales Valleys. A coal mine which in 1935 held the European record for coal wound in a 24-hour period, it is now the site of an original redevelopment project which will make use of the former pit head...
, and Oakdale
Oakdale Colliery
Oakdale Colliery was a coal mine located in the Sirhowy Valley, one of the valleys of South Wales.In the early years of the twentieth century the need for coal was growing both in America and Europe, and local business men in Wales were looking for new opportunities to fill the demand...
.
The Penllwyn Manor, an old stone building which is now a public house, was originally part of the Tredegar Estate, and is believed to be the original home of the family of Henry Morgan
Henry Morgan
Admiral Sir Henry Morgan was an Admiral of the Royal Navy, a privateer, and a pirate who made a name for himself during activities in the Caribbean, primarily raiding Spanish settlements...
.
In 1912, at the 17th-century mill in Gelligroes, Artie Moore
Artie Moore
Arthur Moore , was a Welsh wireless operator who heard a distress signal from before news of the disaster arrived in the UK....
picked up a distress signal from the RMS Titanic using wireless receiving equipment.
Education
Pontllanfraith is home to a secondary school, originally opened as a grammar schoolGrammar school
A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and some other English-speaking countries, originally a school teaching classical languages but more recently an academically-oriented secondary school.The original purpose of mediaeval...
in 1926 before becoming a comprehensive school
Comprehensive school
A comprehensive school is a state school that does not select its intake on the basis of academic achievement or aptitude. This is in contrast to the selective school system, where admission is restricted on the basis of a selection criteria. The term is commonly used in relation to the United...
in 1976. A number of former Welsh rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
internationals attended the school, including John Jeffery
John Jeffery
James John Jeffery is a former Wales rugby union international.- Product of Pontllanfraith :John Jeffery was born in Oakdale and educated at Pontllanfraith Grammar School, the same school attended by British Lion Alun Pask...
and the British Lions
British and Irish Lions
The British and Irish Lions is a rugby union team made up of players from England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales...
forward Alun Pask
Alun Pask
Alun Edward Islwyn Pask was a international rugby union player and captain.Pask was capped twenty-six times by Wales between 1961 and 1967, twenty-three times as a flanker and three times as at number eight. He scored two tries for Wales, the first on his international debut and toured South...
, as did the former Glamorgan cricketer Ryan Watkins
Ryan Watkins (cricketer)
Ryan Edward Watkins is a Welsh cricketer. He played for Glamorgan and is a left-handed batsman and a right-arm medium-pace bowler....
and the soprano Margaret Price
Margaret Price
Dame Margaret Berenice Price, DBE was a Welsh soprano.-Early years:Price was born in Blackwood, Wales. Born with deformed legs, she was operated on at age four and suffered pain in her legs the rest of her life. She often looked after her younger brother John who was born with a mental handicap...
.
Transport
Pontllanfraith was a passenger station on the Taff Vale Extension of the Newport, Abergavenny and Hereford RailwayNewport, Abergavenny and Hereford Railway
The Newport, Abergavenny and Hereford Railway was a railway line connecting the Welsh port city of Newport via Abergavenny, to the major English market town of Hereford.Sponsored by the LNWR, it opened on 6 December 1853...
from 1862. The various junctions around the station gave it access to both the Rhymney Railway
Rhymney Railway
The Rhymney Railway was virtually a single stretch of main line, some fifty miles in length, by which the Rhymney Valley was connected to the docks at Cardiff in the county of Glamorgan, South Wales.-History:...
and the Rumney Railway
Rumney Railway
The Rumney Railway was an original industrial tramway built to service the needs of shipping goods to and from the west side of the Ebbw Vale to Newport Docks...
. The railway closed to most freight traffic on 9 June 1958, and the station was later demolished.
Sport
Pontllanfraith Rugby Football ClubPontllanfraith RFC
Pontllanfraith Rugby Football Club is a Welsh rugby union club team based in Pontllanfraith. The club successfully gained membership to the Welsh Rugby Union in 1998. Today, Pontllanfraith RFC is a member of the Welsh Rugby Union and is a feeder club for the Newport Gwent Dragons....
run a number of teams, with the first fifteen playing their home matches at Islwyn Park. The club has been in existence for many years and the first entry on the captain's board relates to the season 1958-59. Ponllanfraith Diamonds Cycle Club founded by Roland Morgan in 1958, which spawned a number of successful cyclists until it disbanded in 1968.
Notable people
Famous people from Pontllanfraith include James Dean BradfieldJames Dean Bradfield
James Dean Bradfield is the lead guitarist and vocalist for the Welsh rock band Manic Street Preachers.- Early life :...
(the lead singer of the Manic Street Preachers
Manic Street Preachers
Manic Street Preachers are a Welsh alternative rock band, formed in 1986. They are James Dean Bradfield, Nicky Wire, Richey Edwards and Sean Moore. The band are part of the Cardiff music scene, and were at their most prominent during the 1990s...
) and Julian Hodge
Julian Hodge
Sir Julian Hodge was a London-born entrepreneur and banker who lived in Wales for most of his life, from the age of five. He formed the Bank of Wales , and later the Julian Hodge Bank in Cardiff.- Background and beginnings :As the son of a plumber, he came from humble beginnings...
, founder of The Bank of Wales. Neil Kinnock
Neil Kinnock
Neil Gordon Kinnock, Baron Kinnock is a Welsh politician belonging to the Labour Party. He served as a Member of Parliament from 1970 until 1995 and as Labour Leader and Leader of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition from 1983 until 1992 - his leadership of the party during nearly nine years making him...
, the Labour politician, also had a house in the village. Roy Hughes, Baron Islwyn of Casnewydd, was born there.