Cwmbran

51.648237 -3.026133Coordinates: 51 ° 38 '53.7 " N , 3 ° 1' 34.1" W.

Cwmbran

Cwmbran ( Welsh Cwmbrân [ kʊmbrɑːn ]) is a New Town in the local government district County Borough of Torfaen in southeast Wales , United Kingdom . Cwmbran means "valley of the crow" in the Welsh language . Cwmbran is an amalgamation of the villages of Old Cwmbran ( Hen Gwmbrân ), Pontnewydd , Upper Cwmbran ( Cwmbrân Uchaf ), Croesyceiliog , Llantarnam and Llanyrafon . The population is approximately 48,535 (as of 2011), which makes Cwmbran the sixth largest metropolitan area in Wales.

geography

Cwmbran is in south east Wales. To the south of the city is the port city of Newport and to the southwest is the Welsh capital Cardiff .

history

Tower block from Cwmbran

The first people settled in the area in the Neolithic and Bronze Age . During the Iron Age , the Silurians occupied the country until they were conquered by the Romans .

Around 1179, Hywel, the Lord of Caerleon, donated money and land to found a Cistercian monastery. Henry VIII closed the monastery and the area was bought by several wealthy landowners. In the 18th century the old abbey went to the Blewitt family. This heralded the beginning of the industrialization of Cwmbran with brickworks , lime kilns , and mining of coal and ore . In the 19th century, further factories were established, including coking plants , rolling mills and iron works . The First World War ended this time. The mines and other heavy industry were closed, resulting in unemployment and poverty.

In 1949, the Cwmbran Development Corporation was established to oversee the development of the city. After the planning, construction work began in 1951. In less than 20 years the number rose to around 33,000 residents. In the 1950s the Cwmbran Shopping Center was built and in 1967 the Tower Block , the only residential high-rise in the city, was completed. In the 1980s the Cwmbran Development Corporation was dissolved again. Over time, light industry has settled in the city to this day .

Cwmbran Shopping Center

Cwmbran Shopping Center , built in the 1950s, is the largest shopping center in Wales. The city center of Cwmbran is largely shaped by the shopping center. There are 170 stores and shops in the center. In the center are the Congress Theater , the city library and offices. There are around 3,000 free parking spaces available. In 2007, an extension with a cinema, bowling alley and restaurants was completed. The shopping center is a popular destination and the train and bus stations are close by.

Cwmbran train station

Sports

Cwmbran Town is the city's largest football club. The club plays its home games at the Cwmbran Stadium . The club was a founding member of the League of Wales in 1992 and became its first champion. Cwmbran reached the Welsh Cup final three times, but went off the pitch as a loser each time.