CWMBRAN
Cwmbran is a new town in southern Wales, established in
the 1950s to provide new employment in the south eastern
portion of the South Wales coalfield. 'Cwmbran' means
Valley of the Crow. Based around the villages of Cwmbran,
Pontnewydd, Upper Cwmbran, Croesyceiliog, Llantarnam and
Llanyrafon, it has grown to house 50,000 people. The
town centre is formed by the privately owned Cwmbran
Shopping Centre.
Sitting as it does on the corner of the South Wales
coalfield it has a hilly aspect to its western and
northern edges, with the surrounding hills climbing to
over 1,000 feet. The Afon Llwyd forms the major river
valley; although the most significant water course is
probably the remains of the Monmouthshire canal. To the
east of Cwmbran the land is less hilly, forming part of
the Usk valley.
At the heart of the new town is a prosperous shopping
centre, that sits close to an ancient farm, Llantarnam
Grange, that was once part of the property of the monks
of Llantarnam Abbey. The Grange now functions as an arts
centre, principally addressing the visual arts whilst a
theatre in the town centre, the Congress Theatre,
provides a venue for moderately-sized performances.
The town is perhaps most widely known now for its
international sports stadium, home to international
athletics events in the 1970s and 1980s. The stadium is
also the home of the town's football team, Cwmbran Town.
Separate grounds at Pontnewydd and Croesyceiliog house
the town's two senior rugby teams, Cwmbran and
Croesyceiliog, although many more of the town's
residents owe their allegiances to the rugby sides in
the older, adjacent town of Pontypool, and city of
Newport.
Cwmbran is twinned with Bruchsal, Germany. |