Blaenau Gwent

I

Introduction

Blaenau Gwent (Welsh, Blaenau Gwent), county borough and unitary authority, South Wales, bounded on the north by the county of Powys, on the east by the county of Monmouthshire and the county borough of Torfaen, and on the south and west by the county of Caerphilly. Blaenau Gwent was part of the county of Monmouthshire from the 16th century until 1974. Under the local government reforms introduced that year, it became a district within the new county of Gwent. On April 1, 1996, under the provisions of the Local Government Act 1994 which replaced the two-tier system of local government in Wales with a single-tier system of unitary authorities, Blaenau Gwent became a separate county borough. The smallest of the Welsh unitary authorities, with an area of 109 sq km (42 sq mi), Blaenau Gwent has the same boundaries as the former district, except for Llanelly, a small area in the north-east, which was transferred to the new county of Monmouthshire.

II

Land and Resources

Blaenau Gwent consists of the upper valley of the River Ebbw, together with some of its surrounds. Geologically, it is made up of Carboniferous rocks that are part of an ancient plateau that has been deeply cut by north-south flowing rivers to form a landscape of mountains and steep, V-sided valleys, such as that of the Ebbw. The mountains are underlain by coalfields. In the north of the county borough, a small area lies within the Brecon Beacons National Park.

The climate of Blaenau Gwent is moderate, with an average temperature of 3° C (37° F) in January, and 20° C (68° F) in July. Average annual rainfall is quite high; Tredegar, 300 m (984 ft) above sea level, receives an average of 1,630 mm (64 in) of precipitation a year.

III

Population and Administration

The population of the county borough is 70,058 (2001). The number of Welsh speakers is comparatively low. The main towns are the former mining and steel centre of Ebbw Vale (population, 1991, 19,484), which is the administrative centre; Tredegar (1991, 15,390); Brynmawr (1991, 14,581); Abertillery (1991, 11,680); and Nantyglo/Blaina (9,500).

The police authority is the Gwent Constabulary, which has its headquarters in Cwmbrân, Torfaen.

IV

Places of Interest

Bedwellty House, in Tredegar, formerly the residence of a family of ironmasters, was built in 1818 and is situated in the heart of a 10.5-hectare (26-acre) Victorian park. Points of interest within the park include an Edwardian bandstand, a well-preserved ice-house, and an arboretum. On the outskirts of Tredegar are the Aneurin Bevan Stones, a memorial commemorating the life of politician Aneurin Bevan, who was born in the town in 1879. The monument stands on the site that was used by Bevan for public meetings and celebrates his role as an instrumental figure in the founding of the National Health Service. The deconsecrated gothic church of St Illtyds, near Abertillery, is the oldest building in Blaenau Gwent and was built by Cistercians in the 12th century. The neighbouring circular burial ground suggests that the site was once used as a place of ancient Celtic worship and the ruins of fortifications dating from the mid-9th century can be seen.