I had been interested in my family history for a while and knew parts of Cwmbran were much older because my great grandfather had been born on a farm in Two Locks. I decided to submit an article to Co Star, a local community office, who were looking for local writers for their newsletter. I approached the editor, who laughed and said no one would be interested because Cwmbran is a new town and it has no history. He agreed to let me write for one or two issues and that would be it. However, my history articles were still being published years later.
My article in the above issue looked briefly, due to limited space, at the development of the town centre and industry in the area.
Our Past edited by Patrick Graham, Co Star
"The first row of shops opened in the town centre in 1959 with only a few businesses trading but it grew and improved attracting larger stores and by the 1970's these included Marks and Spencer's, Woolco (now Asda) and Sainsburys. It now boasts over 150 others.
Along with progress came the inevitability of homes being demolished for the new estates. Some were saved, notably Greenmeadow Farm, now the Community Farm.
The Greenhouse was modernised and Llanyravon Farm became a museum. The canal, however, was left to rot. Only recently have British waterways and three unitary authorities begun to restore sections with the eventual goal of complete navigation from Newport to Brecon.
From maps of the 1880s it is clear that most of today's industrial estates were built over yesterdays industry. Avondale Industrial Estate replaced the tin plate works which was roughly where LG Ltd is today. The Oldbury Business Park was once home to a Vitriol works which made Sulphuric acid, its storage tanks where the stadium is now. Just down from there at Court Road Industrial Estate were clay pits which may have served Oakfield brickworks.
Springvale now occupies the largest of the old industrial sites, that of Cwmbran Colliery and iron foundry. Heading to Forge Hammer were furnaces and a blast engine house of which parts of the retaining wall can still be seen .
Building continued throughout the 1970s within the communities of Hollybush, Greenmeadow, Thornhill, Coed Eva and Henllys. Around this time the Congress Theatre was built along with a library. The 1980's saw the building of Cwmbran Drive, Llantarnam Industrial park (earlier considered a site for the University of Wales Science and Technology) and the sale of the Town Centre to Ladbrokes, now Prudential."
Postcard of The Parade, Cwmbran, circa 1970. Authors own collection
Postcard of Gwent Square, Cwmbran, circa 1970. Authors own collection.
Sources
Co Star Communicator Issue 8 2001
