Pontypool

For other uses, see Pontypool (disambiguation).

Pontypool Welsh: Pont-y-pŵl
Population	35,447
OS grid reference	SO285005
Principal area	Torfaen
Preserved county	Gwent
Country	Wales
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	PONTYPOOL
Postcode district	NP4
Dialling code	01495
Police	Gwent
Fire	South Wales
Ambulance	Welsh
UK Parliament	Torfaen

Pontypool (Template:Lang-cy) is a town of approximately 36,000 people in the county borough of Torfaen, within the historic boundaries of Monmouthshire in South Wales.

Today Pontypool is regenerating itself and may be seen as a dormitory town for its southern neighbours Cwmbrân and Newport. It is one of the goals of the Pontypool and Blaenavon Railway to extend southwards towards Pontypool from Blaenavon.

Location

It is situated on the Afon Llwyd river in the county borough of Torfaen. Although situated on the edge of the South Wales coalfields, Pontypool is regarded as an industrial town with former industries including iron and steel production, coal mining and the growth of the railways. A rather artistic manufacturing industry which also flourished here alongside heavy industry was Japan or lacquer ware.

History

Jasper Tudor, the Lord of Abergavenny and uncle of King Henry VII, on 10 October 1490, made a grant of land to one John ap David, and in the conveyance fixes one boundary as "the highway leading from the church of Trevethin towards the bridge called Pont poell." It would seem therefore that the town gains its name from the bridge placed near the swampy pool which almost certainly would be greater than the forge pond that exists today.

The coming of industry

Pontypool grew principally from the manufacture of iron. Although iron was made from 1425 in Pontymoile, now a suburb of Pontypool, Pontypool grew only when Richard Hanbury bought land locally during the Elizabethan period in 1588 and constructed an ironworks. The Hanburys pioneered the production of iron Pontypool japan-ware with its decorated, lacquered style.

The Hanbury family lived in what was to become Pontypool Park, and around this the town grew. Much of the town's history comes from this family of industrial pioneers. The Napoleonic Wars were kind to the Hanburys, with increased prosperity due to the demand for munitions and armanents. With this increased wealth, Capel Hanbury Leigh extended Pontypool Park House between 1779 and 1840. Highly elaborate, wrought iron gates can be seen at the entrance to the park. These were made in the 1720s and remodelled in 1835 by Thomas Deakin. They were a gift to Major John Hanbury (1664–1734) by the Duchess of Marlborough.

Recent developments

Between 1996 and 1998 a new bypass completely diverted traffic away from the town centre. This added to the decline of many years and much of the old town centre was increasingly abandoned by both visitors and businesses. In 2003 plans were drawn up to regenerate the town centre and today the town has experienced a redevelopment of Crane Street, one of the principal shopping streets.

Crane Street had been the location of the town's central railway station, on the Newport - Blaenavon branch line but it was closed to passengers in April 1962 and freight in 1967. Contrary to what is often remembered locally, the passenger service to Crane Street had already been closed for more than a year before the publication of the notorious Beeching Report. Pontypool still has a rail link, but as the main Cardiff - Crewe line skirted the town it is well over a mile from the town centre. Pontypool Road as it was originally known, became a major and important junction, engine shed and marshalling yard, but the decline of the railways after the war hit the area badly. Passenger services to Usk and Monmouth ended in 1955, and the line to Neath and Swansea (which also stopped at a station called Pontypool Clarence Place on the edge of the town centre) closed in 1964 - the latter being the only rail service in the area which actually did fall victim to Dr Beeching. In 1972 the station was renamed to just "Pontypool" and again in 1994 to "Pontypool and New Inn", to reflect its actually location in the suburb to the south-east of the town, but it is now an unmanned station with few amenities, and only approximately half of the passenger trains on the line stop there, the rest going straight through.

The once famous Clarence Hotel is being redeveloped [1] and is being converted into flats and offices [2]. In April 2006 a new Wetherspoons pub was opened on Osborne Road and named in honour of John Capel Hanbury, former owner of Pontypool Park House (now St. Alban's R.C. High School).

Education

The town is home to three comprehensive schools: West Monmouth School, (formerly Jones' West Monmouth Grammar School for Boys) and Abersychan Comprehensive School (formerly Abersychan Grammar). Trevethin Community School has been closed. This was formerly Pontypool Grammar School for Girls (also known as 'The County'), although at one time the sole campus was where the Welsh medium school, Ysgol Gyfun Gwynllyw now stands. In addition there is a church school, St. Alban's R.C. High School. There is also a Coleg Gwent campus located in the town, formerly known as Pontypool College.

Sport and leisure

Pontypool Leisure Centre in Pontypool Park is a leisure centre in 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 a separate teaching pool and two hydroslides.

Rugby

Pontypool Rugby Football Club is one of the town's cornerstones. Founded in the 1870s, the club became a founder member of the Welsh Rugby Union in 1881. The intervening years saw 'Poola' 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. Whilst the team's contribution to Wales 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, Garndiffaith RFC, Talywain RFC and Blaenavon RFC. Pontypool's rugby league club are called the Torfaen Tigers and play in the Rugby League Conference Welsh Premier.

Notable people

See also Category:People from Pontypool

The British experimental film-maker, writer and poet Jane Arden (née Norah Patricia Morris) was born in Twmpath Road, Pontypool in 1927. Members of the influential band, Manic Street Preachers Richey James Edwards, James Dean Bradfield and Sean Moore were also born there. Poet Myfanwy Haycock and opera singer Dame Gwyneth Jones were also born in the Pontypool area. Actor Anthony Hopkins attended West Monmouth School as a boarder for a brief time. Politicians Joan Ruddock and Roy Jenkins were born and educated in the area. Other notable people born or brought up in the area include screenwriter Keri Collins, actress Jennifer Daniel, footballers Marcus Ebdon and Tony Villars, model and presenter Annabel Giles, author David Llewellyn, Lee Dainton of Dirty Sanchez. The British experimental musician Steve Parry of the band Hwyl Nofio was born in New Inn

External links

• Old Francis Frith photographs of Pontypool
• Pontypool Round Table No. 867
• www.geograph.co.uk : photos of Pontypool and surrounding area
• Gwent Army Cadet Force- Pontypool detachment