Blackwood, Wales
Encyclopedia
Blackwood is a town
on the Sirhowy River in the South Wales Valleys
within the Caerphilly County Borough.
The town houses a growing number of light industrial and high-tech firms. Good transport links have made Blackwood a favoured home for a growing number of commuters who work in the cities of Newport
and Cardiff
, giving the town a renewed prosperity.
, Blackwood was founded in the early 19th century by local colliery owner John Hodder Moggridge, who lived at nearby Woodfield Park Estate: the first houses in Blackwood were built by Moggridge in an attempt to build a model village. There was never any suggestion that these were for miners as there were few local mines in Blackwood. Blackwood, indeed, has never been a mining town.
Deplorable working conditions at the time of the Industrial Revolution
, however, led to Blackwood becoming a centre of Chartist
organisation in the 1830s. The South Wales Chartist leaders John Frost
, Zephaniah Williams
— a Blackwood man — and William Williams
met regularly at the Coach & Horses public house
in Blackwood. Planning their march on Newport
in what became known as the Newport Rising
in 1839, intended to coincide with a Britain-wide 'revolution' against the Government, the gentry
and the Establishment
in 1839.
When the insurrection erupted in November, a large contingent of insurgents gathered at Blackwood. Upon meeting their comrades from the upper Sirhowy Valley, the rebels armed themselves with makeshift weapons and marched south to Newport to demand the adoption of the People's Charter and the release of Henry Vincent
from Monmouth
gaol. However, the South Wales Movement were the only ones to march and the national rising failed and its leaders were sentenced to death (later commuted to deportation to Tasmania
).
In 1912 the Titanic's distress signals were picked up by amateur wireless enthusiast Arthur (Artie) Moore who resided at the Old Mill, Gelligroes, just outside the town. Artie Moore went on to work as a senior scientist for Marconi
and was involved with the invention of the transistor for telecommunications.
The former Penllwyn House on the outskirts of the town — now a pub — was originally part of the Lord Tredegar Estates and is believed to be the original home of the family of Henry Morgan
, privateer
and Governor of Jamaica
. The town is home to the Maes Manor Hotel, located in a grand old manor house
known as Maesrudded. The house was formerly home to the Lord Lieutenant of Monmouthshire
.
The decline of the coal mining
industry throughout the later part of the twentieth century affected South Wales, the major source of employment was lost and the pictorial landscape left daily reminders of what had been. State backed rejuvenation schemes have gone some way to rejuvenate the wider Blackwood area, including the relief road and various light industrial areas.
and one rugby league
sides, all of whom play at Glan-Yr-Afon Park. The rugby union sides are Blackwood RFC
, established in 1889, and Blackwood Stars RFC, originating circa 1920 . The rugby league club is called the Blackwood Bulldogs
and plays in the Welsh Conference Premier
. Rugby players Kevin Moseley, Alun Pask
and Alun Lewis
hail from the town.
Blackwood also has a cricket
club called Blackwood Town Cricket Club
that plays in the Glamorgan and Monmouthshire League Division One. A number of Blackwood players have gone on to play for Glamorgan, Ryan Watkins (cricketer)
and Kyle Tudge
amongst them
Blackwood also plays host to Wales Premier Speakers Club, The Dragons Tongue Speakers Club, which meets fortnightly at Blackwood Rugby Club and welcomes all level of communicators, and those looking to improve their speaking skills.
The Bus Station, which links Blackwood to a lot of surrounding areas and includes a rail-link service to nearby train stations, has had a make-over.
The Chartist Bridge
The Arup designed Chartist Bridge linking the East and West sides of the Sirhowy Valley. Previously the journey was made by de-tour or over a 1 in 4 road through the bottom of the valley known locally as the Rhiw.
The bridge is a part of the Sirhowy Enterprise Way, regeneration project and opened four months ahead of schedule on December 3, 2005.
The bridge is a cable stayed bridge 230m long supported 30m above the valley floor by a 90m A frame pylon. Difficulties with mining related subsidence during construction and in the foreseeable future led the design team to allow the bridge to breath if settlement does occur. The bridge and the Sirhowy Enterprise Way are owned and operated by Costain & Lang in a JV, under a 30 year DBFO (Design, Build, Finance, Operate) agreement.
A statue to honour the Chartist struggle and their march to Newport has been erected on the East side of the bridge while a name plate is situated on the West. The statue itself is an impressive and imposing figure of a chartist striding forward, pike in hand. It is made up of thousands of brass rings and represents strength in unity.
Blackwood Miners Institute is described by Caerphilly County Borough Council as the Heart of the Community, from its inception in 1925 as Snooker Hall to its current Multi Entertainment Venue it sits at the heart of the town's event programme and is known locally as "The 'stute".
In 1925 a Snooker Hall was opened by Coal Industry and the Social Welfare Organisation paid for by Oakdale Colliery miners at the rate of 3d a week, the hall was single story. By 1936 another two floors had been added, the building now had an auditorium, dance floor, reading room, library, ladies room and rehearsal rooms for local societies. Programmes from the time included Tea Dances, snooker/billiards, reading groups, rehearsals and union meetings for local miners.
With the decline of the mining industry the building fell into disrepair throughout the 1970s and 1980s and ownership was handed to Islwyn Borough Council with the mandate to make it available for community use.
The building was re-opened by Lynne Vaughan in February 1992, funded by Islwyn Borough Council and the Welsh Office, it has given local dramatic societies the opportunity to perform on the same stage as Jasper Carrot, Ken Dodd and Welsh National Opera.
and the prominence of Christianity
in the culture of Blackwood and the surrounding villages have left Blackwood with a high number of active churches and chapels, although many are now disused, derilict and falling to ruin.
Non Conformist churches include:
Mount Pleasant Baptist Church (on Cefn Road), http://www.baptistchurchblackwood.org.uk
Blackwood Methodist Church, Oasis Christian Centre (Charismatic), Blackwood Pentecostal (Pentecostal Movement)
Established churches include;
St. Margaret
’s (Church in Wales
)
Catholic Churches include;
Sacred Heart (Church of Rome / Roman Catholic).
Organizations such as The Boys' Brigade
and Girls' Brigade
have prominence in Blackwood with companies meeting at the Baptist
and Methodist churches, there are also a number of Christian
youth groups.
s and secondary school
s. The town is provided for by three local comprehensive school
s all with between 800 – 900 pupils, local rivalry in sport and exam results is best described as friendly rivalry. The Secondary schools are Blackwood Comprehensive School, Pontllanfraith
Comprehensive and Oakdale
Comprehensive. All three schools are distinctive for various reasons, until the mid 1990s Blackwood comprehensive had separate uniforms for senior and junior pupils. In school discipline is usually high and a high number of traditionally trained teachers using traditional methods which still proved highly effective. A number of Blackwood pupils have been to Oxbridge
and a high number to other leading educational institutions.
An increase in demand for Welsh language
medium education has led to the establishment of two Welsh Medium Infants & Primary schools. Ysgol Trelyn is located in the community of Pengam
to the west of Blackwood and the newly opened Ysgol Cwm Derwen is located in the village of Oakdale
to the east of the town. Both schools are 'feeder' schools to the Secondary School Ysgol Gyfun Cwm Rhymni
located in Fleur de Lys, a village adjacent to Pengam to the south east of Blackwood.
the southern end of the Sirhowy River where the river merges with the Ebbw River
which leads into the Severn Estuary
at Newport
. Until recently the main road through the town was the only road used by heavy haulage and cars alike. The Chartist Bridge has been built linking a number of well engineered single carriageway relief roads, meaning none of the journey from Blackwood to Newport now has to go through residential streets, all is on high quality new roads. The Pontypool
journey no longer goes down the locally infamous 1 in 4 incline of the 'Rhiw' and now crosses the bridge and climbs up the other side of the valley on a steep but easily accessible road.
There are no heavy or light train links in Blackwood, despite Arriva Trains Wales services opperating to/from Cardiff from Pengam, a short walk away from the town centre. The main public transport is by bus. Traditionally there were two major companies in the Eastern and Central Valleys, namely
Red & White and Western Welsh merged to become National Welsh in 1978, which was privatised in 1987. Its operations were acquired by Stagecoach in South Wales in 1992.
Other operators have included:
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
on the Sirhowy River in the South Wales Valleys
South Wales Valleys
The South Wales Valleys are a number of industrialised valleys in South Wales, stretching from eastern Carmarthenshire in the west to western Monmouthshire in the east and from the Heads of the Valleys in the north to the lower-lying, pastoral country of the Vale of Glamorgan and the coastal plain...
within the Caerphilly County Borough.
The town houses a growing number of light industrial and high-tech firms. Good transport links have made Blackwood a favoured home for a growing number of commuters who work in the cities of Newport
Newport
Newport is a city and unitary authority area in Wales. Standing on the banks of the River Usk, it is located about east of Cardiff and is the largest urban area within the historic county boundaries of Monmouthshire and the preserved county of Gwent...
and Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
, giving the town a renewed prosperity.
History
Located within the historic boundaries of MonmouthshireMonmouthshire (historic)
Monmouthshire , also known as the County of Monmouth , is one of thirteen ancient counties of Wales and a former administrative county....
, Blackwood was founded in the early 19th century by local colliery owner John Hodder Moggridge, who lived at nearby Woodfield Park Estate: the first houses in Blackwood were built by Moggridge in an attempt to build a model village. There was never any suggestion that these were for miners as there were few local mines in Blackwood. Blackwood, indeed, has never been a mining town.
Deplorable working conditions at the time of the Industrial Revolution
Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution was a period from the 18th to the 19th century where major changes in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, transportation, and technology had a profound effect on the social, economic and cultural conditions of the times...
, however, led to Blackwood becoming a centre of Chartist
Chartism
Chartism was a movement for political and social reform in the United Kingdom during the mid-19th century, between 1838 and 1859. It takes its name from the People's Charter of 1838. Chartism was possibly the first mass working class labour movement in the world...
organisation in the 1830s. The South Wales Chartist leaders John Frost
John Frost (Chartist)
John Frost was a prominent Welsh leader of the British Chartist movement in the Newport Rising....
, Zephaniah Williams
Zephaniah Williams
Zephaniah Williams was born near Argoed, Sirhowy Valley, Monmouthshire, with much of his childhood spent near the then village of Blackwood, also living for some periods in Caerphilly and Nantyglo...
— a Blackwood man — and William Williams
William Williams
-Authors and artists:*William Williams , artist, author of first American novel, Penrose*William Joseph Williams , his son, artist; painted George Washington, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson...
met regularly at the Coach & Horses public house
Public 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...
in Blackwood. Planning their march on Newport
Newport
Newport is a city and unitary authority area in Wales. Standing on the banks of the River Usk, it is located about east of Cardiff and is the largest urban area within the historic county boundaries of Monmouthshire and the preserved county of Gwent...
in what became known as the Newport Rising
Newport Rising
The Newport Rising was the last large-scale armed rebellion against authority in mainland Britain, when on 4 November 1839, somewhere between 1,000 and 5,000 Chartist sympathisers, including many coal-miners, most with home-made arms, led by John Frost, marched on the town of Newport,...
in 1839, intended to coincide with a Britain-wide 'revolution' against the Government, the gentry
Gentry
Gentry denotes "well-born and well-bred people" of high social class, especially in the past....
and the Establishment
The Establishment
The Establishment is a term used to refer to a visible dominant group or elite that holds power or authority in a nation. The term suggests a closed social group which selects its own members...
in 1839.
When the insurrection erupted in November, a large contingent of insurgents gathered at Blackwood. Upon meeting their comrades from the upper Sirhowy Valley, the rebels armed themselves with makeshift weapons and marched south to Newport to demand the adoption of the People's Charter and the release of Henry Vincent
Henry Vincent
Henry Vincent was active in the formation of early Working Men's Associations in Britain, a popular Chartist leader, brilliant and gifted public orator, prospective but ultimately unsuccessful Victorian MP, and later an anti-slavery campaigner.- Early life :Henry Vincent was born in High Holborn,...
from Monmouth
Monmouth
Monmouth is a town in southeast Wales and traditional county town of the historic county of Monmouthshire. It is situated close to the border with England, where the River Monnow meets the River Wye with bridges over both....
gaol. However, the South Wales Movement were the only ones to march and the national rising failed and its leaders were sentenced to death (later commuted to deportation to Tasmania
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
).
In 1912 the Titanic's distress signals were picked up by amateur wireless enthusiast Arthur (Artie) Moore who resided at the Old Mill, Gelligroes, just outside the town. Artie Moore went on to work as a senior scientist for Marconi
Marconi Company
The Marconi Company Ltd. was founded by Guglielmo Marconi in 1897 as The Wireless Telegraph & Signal Company...
and was involved with the invention of the transistor for telecommunications.
The former Penllwyn House on the outskirts of the town — now a pub — was originally part of the Lord Tredegar Estates and is believed to be the original home of the family of Henry Morgan
Henry Morgan
Admiral Sir Henry Morgan was an Admiral of the Royal Navy, a privateer, and a pirate who made a name for himself during activities in the Caribbean, primarily raiding Spanish settlements...
, privateer
Privateer
A privateer is a private person or ship authorized by a government by letters of marque to attack foreign shipping during wartime. Privateering was a way of mobilizing armed ships and sailors without having to spend public money or commit naval officers...
and Governor of Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
. The town is home to the Maes Manor Hotel, located in a grand old manor house
Manor house
A manor house is a country house that historically formed the administrative centre of a manor, the lowest unit of territorial organisation in the feudal system in Europe. The term is applied to country houses that belonged to the gentry and other grand stately homes...
known as Maesrudded. The house was formerly home to the Lord Lieutenant of Monmouthshire
Lord Lieutenant of Monmouthshire
This is a list of people who served as Lord Lieutenant of Monmouthshire. Before the English Civil War, the lieutenancy of Monmouthshire was held by the Lord Lieutenant of Wales, except for the period from 1602 to 1629, when it formed a separate lieutenancy in conjunction with Glamorgan...
.
The decline of the 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,...
industry throughout the later part of the twentieth century affected South Wales, the major source of employment was lost and the pictorial landscape left daily reminders of what had been. State backed rejuvenation schemes have gone some way to rejuvenate the wider Blackwood area, including the relief road and various light industrial areas.
Contemporary Blackwood
In sport, Blackwood has two rugby unionRugby 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...
and one rugby league
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
sides, all of whom play at Glan-Yr-Afon Park. The rugby union sides are Blackwood RFC
Blackwood RFC
Blackwood Rugby Football Club is a Welsh rugby union team. Blackwood RFC was established in Blackwood in 1889 and in 1918 gained the status of membership of the Welsh Rugby Union. They play their home games at Glan-Yr-Afon Park...
, established in 1889, and Blackwood Stars RFC, originating circa 1920 . The rugby league club is called the Blackwood Bulldogs
Blackwood Bulldogs
Blackwood Bulldogs are a rugby league team based in Blackwood, Caerphilly, Wales. They play in the Welsh Championship of the Rugby League Conference.-History:...
and plays in the Welsh Conference Premier
Rugby League Conference
The Rugby League Conference , was a series of regionally based divisions of amateur rugby league teams spread throughout England, Scotland and Wales.The RLC was founded as the 10-team Southern Conference League in 1997, with teams from the southern midlands and the...
. Rugby players Kevin Moseley, Alun Pask
Alun Pask
Alun Edward Islwyn Pask was a international rugby union player and captain.Pask was capped twenty-six times by Wales between 1961 and 1967, twenty-three times as a flanker and three times as at number eight. He scored two tries for Wales, the first on his international debut and toured South...
and Alun Lewis
Alun Lewis
Alun Lewis , was a poet of the Anglo-Welsh school, and is regarded by many as Britain's finest Second World War poet.- Education :...
hail from the town.
Blackwood also has a cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
club called Blackwood Town Cricket Club
Blackwood Town Cricket Club
Blackwood Town Cricket Club is a local Welsh cricket club that plays in the Glamorgan and Monmouthsire Cricket League Division 1. The club formed in the early 1950s and originally played on the Showfield in Blackwood, moving to it's current location, Highfields, at the top of Gordon Road in 1955...
that plays in the Glamorgan and Monmouthshire League Division One. A number of Blackwood players have gone on to play for Glamorgan, Ryan Watkins (cricketer)
Ryan Watkins (cricketer)
Ryan Edward Watkins is a Welsh cricketer. He played for Glamorgan and is a left-handed batsman and a right-arm medium-pace bowler....
and Kyle Tudge
Kyle Tudge
Kyle Daniel Tudge is a Welsh cricketer. He is a right-handed batsman and a slow left-handed bowler who formerly played for Glamorgan....
amongst them
Blackwood also plays host to Wales Premier Speakers Club, The Dragons Tongue Speakers Club, which meets fortnightly at Blackwood Rugby Club and welcomes all level of communicators, and those looking to improve their speaking skills.
The Bus Station, which links Blackwood to a lot of surrounding areas and includes a rail-link service to nearby train stations, has had a make-over.
Landmarks
The Arup designed Chartist Bridge linking the East and West sides of the Sirhowy Valley. Previously the journey was made by de-tour or over a 1 in 4 road through the bottom of the valley known locally as the Rhiw.
The bridge is a part of the Sirhowy Enterprise Way, regeneration project and opened four months ahead of schedule on December 3, 2005.
The bridge is a cable stayed bridge 230m long supported 30m above the valley floor by a 90m A frame pylon. Difficulties with mining related subsidence during construction and in the foreseeable future led the design team to allow the bridge to breath if settlement does occur. The bridge and the Sirhowy Enterprise Way are owned and operated by Costain & Lang in a JV, under a 30 year DBFO (Design, Build, Finance, Operate) agreement.
A statue to honour the Chartist struggle and their march to Newport has been erected on the East side of the bridge while a name plate is situated on the West. The statue itself is an impressive and imposing figure of a chartist striding forward, pike in hand. It is made up of thousands of brass rings and represents strength in unity.
Blackwood Miners Institute is described by Caerphilly County Borough Council as the Heart of the Community, from its inception in 1925 as Snooker Hall to its current Multi Entertainment Venue it sits at the heart of the town's event programme and is known locally as "The 'stute".
In 1925 a Snooker Hall was opened by Coal Industry and the Social Welfare Organisation paid for by Oakdale Colliery miners at the rate of 3d a week, the hall was single story. By 1936 another two floors had been added, the building now had an auditorium, dance floor, reading room, library, ladies room and rehearsal rooms for local societies. Programmes from the time included Tea Dances, snooker/billiards, reading groups, rehearsals and union meetings for local miners.
With the decline of the mining industry the building fell into disrepair throughout the 1970s and 1980s and ownership was handed to Islwyn Borough Council with the mandate to make it available for community use.
The building was re-opened by Lynne Vaughan in February 1992, funded by Islwyn Borough Council and the Welsh Office, it has given local dramatic societies the opportunity to perform on the same stage as Jasper Carrot, Ken Dodd and Welsh National Opera.
Christianity
The 1904-1905 Welsh Revival1904-1905 Welsh Revival
The Welsh Revival was the largest Christian revival in Wales during the 20th century. While by no means the best known of revivals, it was one of the most dramatic in terms of its effect on the population, and it had repercussions that reached far beyond the Welsh border, triggering a series of...
and the prominence of Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
in the culture of Blackwood and the surrounding villages have left Blackwood with a high number of active churches and chapels, although many are now disused, derilict and falling to ruin.
Non Conformist churches include:
Mount Pleasant Baptist Church (on Cefn Road), http://www.baptistchurchblackwood.org.uk
Blackwood Methodist Church, Oasis Christian Centre (Charismatic), Blackwood Pentecostal (Pentecostal Movement)
Established churches include;
St. Margaret
Margaret the Virgin
Margaret the Virgin, also known as Margaret of Antioch , virgin and martyr, is celebrated as a saint by the Roman Catholic and Anglican Churches on July 20; and on July 17 in the Orthodox Church. Her historical existence has been questioned; she was declared apocryphal by Pope Gelasius I in 494,...
’s (Church in Wales
Church in Wales
The Church in Wales is the Anglican church in Wales, composed of six dioceses.As with the primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church, the Archbishop of Wales serves concurrently as one of the six diocesan bishops. The current archbishop is Barry Morgan, the Bishop of Llandaff.In contrast to the...
)
Catholic Churches include;
Sacred Heart (Church of Rome / Roman Catholic).
Organizations such as The Boys' Brigade
Boys' Brigade
For the 80s New Wave band from Canada, see Boys Brigade .The Boys' Brigade is an interdenominational Christian youth organisation, conceived by William Alexander Smith to combine drill and fun activities with Christian values...
and Girls' Brigade
Girls' Brigade
The Girls' Brigade is an international and interdenominational Christian youth organization. It was founded in 1893 in Dublin, Ireland. The modern organization was formed as the result of the amalgamation of three like-minded and similarly structured organizations in 1964...
have prominence in Blackwood with companies meeting at the Baptist
Baptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
and Methodist churches, there are also a number of Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
youth groups.
Education
Education provision in Blackwood is considered good, with a network of primary schools, junior schoolJunior school
A junior school is a type of school which caters for children, often between the ages of 7 and 11.-Australia:In Australia, a junior school is usually a part of a private school that educates children between the ages of 5 and 12....
s and secondary school
Secondary school
Secondary school is a term used to describe an educational institution where the final stage of schooling, known as secondary education and usually compulsory up to a specified age, takes place...
s. The town is provided for by three local comprehensive school
Comprehensive school
A comprehensive school is a state school that does not select its intake on the basis of academic achievement or aptitude. This is in contrast to the selective school system, where admission is restricted on the basis of a selection criteria. The term is commonly used in relation to the United...
s all with between 800 – 900 pupils, local rivalry in sport and exam results is best described as friendly rivalry. The Secondary schools are Blackwood Comprehensive School, Pontllanfraith
Pontllanfraith
Pontllanfraith is a large village located in the Sirhowy Valley in Caerphilly county borough, south Wales, within the historic boundaries of Monmouthshire. It is situated adjacent to the town of Blackwood, with the Sirhowy River passing through both locations...
Comprehensive and Oakdale
Oakdale, Caerphilly
Oakdale is a large village in Caerphilly county borough, Wales, 9½ miles north of Caerphilly itself, within the historic boundaries of Monmouthshire...
Comprehensive. All three schools are distinctive for various reasons, until the mid 1990s Blackwood comprehensive had separate uniforms for senior and junior pupils. In school discipline is usually high and a high number of traditionally trained teachers using traditional methods which still proved highly effective. A number of Blackwood pupils have been to Oxbridge
Oxbridge
Oxbridge is a portmanteau of the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge in England, and the term is now used to refer to them collectively, often with implications of perceived superior social status...
and a high number to other leading educational institutions.
An increase in demand for Welsh language
Welsh language
Welsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of the Celtic languages spoken natively in Wales, by some along the Welsh border in England, and in Y Wladfa...
medium education has led to the establishment of two Welsh Medium Infants & Primary schools. Ysgol Trelyn is located in the community of Pengam
Pengam
Pengam is a former coal community in the Rhymney Valley, Caerphilly county borough, in Wales. As of 2001, it has a population of 3,842.-Location and population:...
to the west of Blackwood and the newly opened Ysgol Cwm Derwen is located in the village of Oakdale
Oakdale, Caerphilly
Oakdale is a large village in Caerphilly county borough, Wales, 9½ miles north of Caerphilly itself, within the historic boundaries of Monmouthshire...
to the east of the town. Both schools are 'feeder' schools to the Secondary School Ysgol Gyfun Cwm Rhymni
Ysgol Gyfun Cwm Rhymni
Ysgol Gyfun Cwm Rhymni is a Welsh-medium school situated in the village of Fleur-de-Lys in the Rhymney Valley. Cwm Rhymni was founded in 1981 with little more than 100 pupils and as of 2007 this number has grown to over 1,000....
located in Fleur de Lys, a village adjacent to Pengam to the south east of Blackwood.
Transport links
The position of Blackwood is mid valley between RiscaRisca
Risca is a town of approximately 11,500 people in South Wales, within the Caerphilly County Borough and the historic boundaries of Monmouthshire. It is today part of the Newport conurbation , though it is not a Ward of Newport City Council...
the southern end of the Sirhowy River where the river merges with the Ebbw River
Ebbw River
The Ebbw River is a river in South Wales.The main Ebbw River is formed by the confluence of the two minor Ebbw rivers, Ebbw Fach, and Ebbw Fawr ....
which leads into the Severn Estuary
Severn Estuary
The Severn Estuary is the estuary of the River Severn, the longest river in Great Britain. Its high tidal range means it has been at the centre of discussions in the UK regarding renewable energy.-Geography:...
at Newport
Newport
Newport is a city and unitary authority area in Wales. Standing on the banks of the River Usk, it is located about east of Cardiff and is the largest urban area within the historic county boundaries of Monmouthshire and the preserved county of Gwent...
. Until recently the main road through the town was the only road used by heavy haulage and cars alike. The Chartist Bridge has been built linking a number of well engineered single carriageway relief roads, meaning none of the journey from Blackwood to Newport now has to go through residential streets, all is on high quality new roads. The Pontypool
Pontypool
Pontypool is a town of approximately 36,000 people in the county borough of Torfaen, within the historic boundaries of Monmouthshire in South Wales....
journey no longer goes down the locally infamous 1 in 4 incline of the 'Rhiw' and now crosses the bridge and climbs up the other side of the valley on a steep but easily accessible road.
There are no heavy or light train links in Blackwood, despite Arriva Trains Wales services opperating to/from Cardiff from Pengam, a short walk away from the town centre. The main public transport is by bus. Traditionally there were two major companies in the Eastern and Central Valleys, namely
- Red & WhiteRed & White ServicesRed & White Services was a bus company operating in south east Wales and Gloucestershire, England between 1929 and 1978.Red & White evolved into Red & White United Transport Ltd, formed in 1937, which owned bus and road freight companies in the United Kingdom and southern Africa...
, which covered the western Sirhowy valleys and Newport area. Red & White was started in post World War IWorld War IWorld War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, they served many areas of South Wales and GloucestershireGloucestershireGloucestershire is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn, and the entire Forest of Dean....
. After de-nationalisation the company was broken up, part became Stagecoach Red & White and the company is now known as Stagecoach South Wales. - Western Welsh: a company nationalised in 1969.
Red & White and Western Welsh merged to become National Welsh in 1978, which was privatised in 1987. Its operations were acquired by Stagecoach in South Wales in 1992.
Other operators have included:
- IBT - Islwyn Borough Transport: IBT (originally established in 1926 as the West Monmouthshore Omnibus Board) was the former municipal operator and served routes in the traditional Islwyn Borough Area (BedwelltyBedwelltyBedwellty was a parish and urban district in Monmouthshire, South Wales, until 1974.The original ancient parish was very large, including most of the upper Ebbw and Sirhowy valleys...
and MynyddislwynMynyddislwynMynyddislwyn was a civil parish and urban district in Monmouthshire, south east Wales. It was abolished in local government reorganisation in 1974.The ancient parish of Mynyddislwyn covered a large part of the lower Ebbw and Sirhowy Valleys...
) with the main depot next to St Mary's Church, Blackwood. Following deregulation, its IBT traded as an arms' length operation of Caerphilly County Borough Council. Its distinctive blue and white livery was transferred from its Leyland TigerLeyland TigerThe Leyland Tiger, also known as the B43, was a mid-engined bus and coach chassis which was built between 1981 and 1993. This name had previously been used for a front-engined bus built between 1920s and 1950s. It replaced the Leyland Leopard, which had been in production for over 20 years...
and Leyland LeopardLeyland LeopardThe Leyland Leopard was a mid-engined single-deck bus and coach chassis built by Leyland between 1959 and 1982. It was popular with bus and coach operators throughout the British Isles...
buses (which were a common sight until the early 21st Century) to their low floor fleet. However, in late 2009 Caerphilly resolved to sell IBT to Stagecoach in South Wales. The sale was approved by the Office of Fair Trading and took place on 12 January 2010. - Harris Coaches: Formerly a coach operator moved into bus operation after deregulation.
- Glyn Williams: Glyn Williams was the first company in the area to move large scale into low floor buses, they eventually sold out to Stagecoach in 2005.
Notable people
- See also :Category:People from Blackwood, Wales
- Paul BarrettPaul BarrettPaul Franklyn "Legs" Barrett is the UK's best known agent and manager of 1950s style Rock and Roll artistes, an author and previously a singer and film actor...
- Well known rock and roll agent and promoter, former manager of Shakin' StevensShakin' StevensShakin' Stevens, also known as "Shaky" is a platinum selling Welsh rock and roll singer and songwriter who holds the distinction of being the UK's biggest-selling singles artist of the 1980s . His recording and performing career began in the late 1960s, although it was not until 1980 that he saw...
was born in Blackwood - James Dean BradfieldJames Dean BradfieldJames Dean Bradfield is the lead guitarist and vocalist for the Welsh rock band Manic Street Preachers.- Early life :...
, Richey James EdwardsRichey James EdwardsRichard James Edwards was a Welsh musician who was rhythm guitarist and lyricist of the alternative rock band Manic Street Preachers. He was known for his politicized and intellectual songwriting which, combined with an enigmatic and eloquent character, has assured him cult status...
, Sean MooreSean Moore (musician)Sean Anthony Moore is the writer, drummer/percussionist and sometime trumpet player of the Welsh rock band Manic Street Preachers.-Early years:...
and Nicky WireNicky WireNicholas Allen Jones, known as Nicky Wire, is the lyricist, bassist and occasional vocalist with the Welsh rock band Manic Street Preachers.-Early life:...
all grew up in the town and attended OakdaleOakdale, CaerphillyOakdale is a large village in Caerphilly county borough, Wales, 9½ miles north of Caerphilly itself, within the historic boundaries of Monmouthshire...
Comprehensive school nearby, forming the influential rock band Manic Street PreachersManic Street PreachersManic Street Preachers are a Welsh alternative rock band, formed in 1986. They are James Dean Bradfield, Nicky Wire, Richey Edwards and Sean Moore. The band are part of the Cardiff music scene, and were at their most prominent during the 1990s...
. Bradfield and Wire have since also released solo material. - SongdogSongdogSongdog are a Welsh three-piece folk noir band noted for their intelligent lyrics and sparse musical arrangements.-Background:...
are another notable local act - Sam GardinerSam GardinerAlderman Samuel Gardiner MBE JP MLA is a Unionist politician in Northern Ireland for the Ulster Unionist Party who is an MLA for Upper Bann...
, Irish politician, lived in Blackwood for a number of years - David AlexanderDavid Alexander (singer)David Alexander was a Welsh singer and entertainer.-Early years:Born in Blackwood, Monmouthshire, Alexander left Bedwellty Grammar School at the age of sixteen to support his family. He joined his father and eldest brother in the mines at Oakdale Colliery...
, singer and entertainer - Dame Margaret Price opera singer
- Gareth Lewis, comedian, originates from Blackwood.
- Patrick JonesPatrick JonesPatrick Jones is a Welsh poet, playwright and filmmaker. His work is often in collaboration with the rock band Manic Street Preachers; his brother, Nicky Wire, is their bassist.-Biography:...
playwright (brother of Nicky Wire) - Siobhan DowdSiobhan DowdSiobhan Dowd was a British writer and activist.-Biography:Siobhan Dowd was born in London to Irish parents...
author, lived in Blackwood between 2000 and 2003. - Brayley ReynoldsBrayley ReynoldsArthur Brayley Reynolds is a Welsh former professional footballer.-Club career:Reynolds began his career playing for Lovells Athletic, where his performances persuaded Cardiff City to sign him for a fee of £2,500. After impressing in the clubs reserve side, he was handed his Football League debut...
, former professional footballer - Neil KinnockNeil KinnockNeil Gordon Kinnock, Baron Kinnock is a Welsh politician belonging to the Labour Party. He served as a Member of Parliament from 1970 until 1995 and as Labour Leader and Leader of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition from 1983 until 1992 - his leadership of the party during nearly nine years making him...
former leader of the Labour Party was Blackwood's local MP (for the former parliamentary constituency of Bedwellty) from June 1983 to February 1995 and lived in the town during part of that period. - Lyndon Symonds former Leeds Utd and Swansea City Footballer
- Alun PaskAlun PaskAlun Edward Islwyn Pask was a international rugby union player and captain.Pask was capped twenty-six times by Wales between 1961 and 1967, twenty-three times as a flanker and three times as at number eight. He scored two tries for Wales, the first on his international debut and toured South...
and Alun LewisAlun Lewis (rugby player)For the 1960s player see Allan Lewis Alun Lewis is a former Welsh rugby union player. He joined the 1977 British Lions tour to New Zealand as a replacement during the tour. He represented Cambridge University R.U.F.C. in the Varsity Match in 1975 and 1976 and played club rugby for London Welsh RFC...
former Wales and British Lions and Kevin Moseley former Wales Lock originate from the town