Abercraf
Encyclopedia
Abercraf is a village
within the historic boundaries of Brecknockshire
, Powys
, mid Wales
.
2.5 miles (4 km) northeast of the small town of Ystradgynlais
. It is situated just outside the boundaries of the Brecon Beacons National Park and the Fforest Fawr Geopark
, which lie to the immediate north, east, and west of the village.
) in 1823 (no 4848) and 1824 (no 4909) for the use of the local anthracite coal in smelting. The British Iron Company
bought the works in 1825 for £19,541 and at the same time leased minerals on the nearby mountain, Cribarth
. The venture soon proved unsuccessful and the furnaces were blown out in 1826 after it was discovered that production costs greatly exceeded the selling price. Coal continued to be worked from the taking; it was still in production in 1841 when the local agent gave a statement to the Children's Employment Commission.
s, a rugby union
club (Abercrave RFC
), junior/primary school, fire station and a Miners' Welfare Hall, a testament to the village's coal mining
past. The coal pits in nearby Caehopcyn ceased production in the 1960s, although the Nant Helen open cast coal mine continues to operate in the region.
Abercraf lies beneath the slopes of the miniature mountain of Cribarth
, famous for its 'Sleeping Giant' outline, clearly visible from the nearby A4067 Swansea
to Brecon
road. The Giant is formed from a combination of the natural topography
of the mountain and, in the case of the Giant's face, alterations to this topography from disused limestone
quarries. The Giant's nose is surmounted by a trig point
.
According to Douglas Adams
' 1983 humorous toponymic dictionary of neologisms "The Meaning of Liff
", to Abercrave is "To strongly desire to swing from the pole on the rear footplate of a bus".
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
within the historic boundaries of Brecknockshire
Brecknockshire
Brecknockshire , also known as the County of Brecknock, Breconshire, or the County of Brecon is one of thirteen historic counties of Wales, and a former administrative county.-Geography:...
, Powys
Powys
Powys is a local-government county and preserved county in Wales.-Geography:Powys covers the historic counties of Montgomeryshire and Radnorshire, most of Brecknockshire , and a small part of Denbighshire — an area of 5,179 km², making it the largest county in Wales by land area.It is...
, mid 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...
.
Location
Abercraf lies in the extreme south of the county, in the Upper Swansea ValleySwansea Valley
The Swansea Valley , one of the South Wales Valleys is the name often given to the valley of the River Tawe area in South Wales, UK. It reaches southwest and south from the Brecon Beacons National Park down to the city of Swansea. Today, administration of the area is divided between the City and...
2.5 miles (4 km) northeast of the small town of Ystradgynlais
Ystradgynlais
Ystradgynlais is a town on the River Tawe in south west Powys; it is the second largest town in Powys, Wales. The town grew around the iron-making, coal-mining and watch-making industries....
. It is situated just outside the boundaries of the Brecon Beacons National Park and the Fforest Fawr Geopark
Fforest Fawr Geopark
Fforest Fawr Geopark was the first Geopark to be designated in Wales having gained membership of both the European Geoparks Network and the UNESCO-assisted Global Network of National Geoparks in October 2005. The Geopark aims to promote and support sustainable tourism and other opportunities to...
, which lie to the immediate north, east, and west of the village.
Ironworks
A small ironworks was established in 1824 by the local coalowner, Thomas Harper. Its purpose was to exploit two patents granted to Harper and his fellow coalowner, John Christie (also owner of the Brecon Forest TramroadBrecon Forest Tramroad
The Brecon Forest Tramroad is an early nineteenth century tramway, or rather a network of connecting tramways or waggonways, which stretched across the hills of Fforest Fawr in the historic county of Brecknockshire in south Wales, UK...
) in 1823 (no 4848) and 1824 (no 4909) for the use of the local anthracite coal in smelting. The British Iron Company
British Iron Company
The British Iron Company was formed in 1824 to smelt and manufacture iron and to mine ironstone, coal, etc. It was re-formed as the New British Iron Company in 1843 and wound up in 1892.-British Iron Company :...
bought the works in 1825 for £19,541 and at the same time leased minerals on the nearby mountain, Cribarth
Cribarth
Cribarth is a hill in the Brecon Beacons National Park in the county of Powys, south Wales. The summit of the hill is at 423m and lies at the southwest end of a mile long ridge. It is marked by a trig point...
. The venture soon proved unsuccessful and the furnaces were blown out in 1826 after it was discovered that production costs greatly exceeded the selling price. Coal continued to be worked from the taking; it was still in production in 1841 when the local agent gave a statement to the Children's Employment Commission.
Amenities
Abercraf has a number of public housePublic house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
s, a 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...
club (Abercrave RFC
Abercrave RFC
Abercrave Rugby Football Club is a Welsh rugby union team from Abercraf, which was founded in 1894. Abercrave currently have a Senior XV who play in the WRU Division Five South West league and is a feeder club for the Ospreys....
), junior/primary school, fire station and a Miners' Welfare Hall, a testament to the village's 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,...
past. The coal pits in nearby Caehopcyn ceased production in the 1960s, although the Nant Helen open cast coal mine continues to operate in the region.
Abercraf lies beneath the slopes of the miniature mountain of Cribarth
Cribarth
Cribarth is a hill in the Brecon Beacons National Park in the county of Powys, south Wales. The summit of the hill is at 423m and lies at the southwest end of a mile long ridge. It is marked by a trig point...
, famous for its 'Sleeping Giant' outline, clearly visible from the nearby A4067 Swansea
Swansea
Swansea is a coastal city and county in Wales. Swansea is in the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan. Situated on the sandy South West Wales coast, the county area includes the Gower Peninsula and the Lliw uplands...
to Brecon
Brecon
Brecon is a long-established market town and community in southern Powys, Mid Wales, with a population of 7,901. It was the county town of the historic county of Brecknockshire; although its role as such was eclipsed with the formation of Powys, it remains an important local centre...
road. The Giant is formed from a combination of the natural topography
Topography
Topography is the study of Earth's surface shape and features or those ofplanets, moons, and asteroids...
of the mountain and, in the case of the Giant's face, alterations to this topography from disused limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
quarries. The Giant's nose is surmounted by a trig point
Trig point
A triangulation station, also known as a triangulation pillar, trigonometrical station, trigonometrical point, trig station, trig beacon or trig point, and sometimes informally as a trig, is a fixed surveying station, used in geodetic surveying and other surveying projects in its vicinity...
.
According to Douglas Adams
Douglas Adams
Douglas Noel Adams was an English writer and dramatist. He is best known as the author of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, which started life in 1978 as a BBC radio comedy before developing into a "trilogy" of five books that sold over 15 million copies in his lifetime, a television...
' 1983 humorous toponymic dictionary of neologisms "The Meaning of Liff
The Meaning of Liff
The Meaning of Liff is a humorous dictionary of toponymy and etymology, written by Douglas Adams and John Lloyd, published in the United Kingdom in 1983, and the USA in 1984....
", to Abercrave is "To strongly desire to swing from the pole on the rear footplate of a bus".
Notable residents
- Professional boxer Nipper Pat DalyNipper Pat DalyNipper Pat Daly, real name Patrick Clifford Daley , was a British boxer who fought professionally between 1923 and 1931...
was born in Abercraf and lived there until the age of five. - Professional Rugby Union Player Adam JonesAdam JonesAdam Jones may refer to:*Adam Jones , also known as Pacman Jones, current NFL cornerback*Adam Jones , baseball outfielder*Adam Jones , English auto racing driver...
was born in Abercraf.
External links
- http://www.wales-hotel.co.uk/geology/
- www.geograph.co.uk : photos of Abercraf and surrounding area