The Heritage Hiker’s Guide to Blaenavon

Blaenavon Overview

Blaenavon – Blaenafon is a small town at the top of the Afan Llwyd Valley in Torfaen, Wales. The town is set in a raw industrial landscape that inspired the writer Alexander Cordell and antiquarian Sir Richard Colt Hoare. Parts of the town and surrounding countryside form the ‘Blaenavon Industrial Landscape’. Blaenavon Industrial Lanscape was selected as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2000.

In the wider landscape are a number of sites linked to its industrial past such as the earthwork remains of the old forge at Garnddyrys. A pond (Keeper’s Pond) was built nearby in the early 19th century to provide water for the forge. Keeper’s Pond is an attractive spot to stop and take a walk, in the summer months an ice-cream van is usually parked near the car park.

The town of Blaenavon is the home of Big Pit National Coal Mining Museum and Blaenavon Ironworks. There is also  a small community museum in the Workingmen’s Hall and displays telling the history of Blaenavon at the world heritage centre  located in the former St Peter’s School. It is also home to the Blaenafon Cheddar Company who make delicious cheese and the Rhymney Brewery known for its ales.

The Landscape before Industrialisation

Archaeological evidence for prehistory is limited, although there are traces of earlier settlement and land use. A Palaeolithic Handaxe was found near Blaenavon Ironworks and Prehistoric field systems existed in the wider landscape. A possible Neolithic standing stone and several Bronze Age cairns have been found in the hills around the town. Surprisingly there is only one Roman Coin that appears in the historic record for the whole of the Iron Age to Late Roman Period. Boundary markers show that the land was in use during the Medieval period. Carreg Maen-Taro Medieval Boundary Marker is well worth a visit.

Blaenavon Workingmen’s Hall

Blaenavon Workingmen’s Hall is an impressive Victorian building that stands proudly along the main road running from Blaenavon to Abergavenny. Its beginnings date back to the 1880s when local workers began to meet to look for support to build a dedicated place of recreation, learning and entertainment. As membership grew so did subscriptions from workers until it became possible to build the Workingmen’s Hall which still stands today.

The Workingmens Hall was built by 1894 and opened in 1895. It was a place to relax, socialise and learn after a long hard day of work and soon became the centre of the community. The building had a library, a reading room, billiard room and facilities for social gatherings, concerts and an impressive auditorium. Like many Institutes and Halls built during this time, it added a cinema in the early 20^th century and adapted it to begin showing ‘talkies’ in the 1930s.

The Workmen’s Hall remains a local cinema and concerts are still held in the auditorium. It is the home of Blaenavon Community Museum and many groups and societies.

St Peter’s Church

St Peter’s Church was built in 1804 for the ironmasters of the Blaenavon works. The church has a variety of features in cast iron that acted as an advertisement for their work. The churchyard features a fine group of five stone chest tombs with cast iron slabs, one belonging to Sam Hopkins.

Lots of great information on the World Heritage Site is located in the old St Peter’s School House next door. There are a number of displays on Blaenavon history, a lovely café and facilities.

Big Pit National Coal Museum

Big Pit’s first mine was sunk in 1860 and began extracting coal for the Blaenavon Iron and Coal Company. The mine was taken over by the National Coal Board in 1947 who owned it until it closed on the 2^nd February 1980.

Since 1983 Big Pit has been a mining museum with the option of underground tours in the mine.  The museum explains the life and times of mining in Wales during the 19^th and 20^th century. The site is part of National Museum of Wales – admission is free (car parking charges apply). You will need to pay for an underground tour at busier times during the year. Tickets for these are bookable in advance or subject to availability on the day – check ahead when planning your visit by clicking here

Pontypool & Blaenavon Heritage Railway

Big Pit is next to the starting point for the remaining section of the Pontypool & Blaenavon Heritage Railway. There is a short stretch of line which runs steam train rides during certain times of the year (click here)

The end stop is the Whistle Inn – a lovely place to stop and take refreshment before making a return train ride.

Blaenavon Ironworks

Blaenavon Ironworks is only a short distance away from Big Pit. It is a site run and preserved by CADW. Here you can visit buildings associated with the smelting of iron during the Industrial Revolution and ironworker houses.

Blaenavon Ironworks was saved in 1976 from planned demolition. It is seen as one of the most complete preserved ironworks of its period and type. The Ironworks, established in 1788, immediately became one of the largest ironworks in the world. In 1789 Blaenavon Ironworks harnessed the power of steam to blow air into its huge blast furnaces. A century later Sidney Gilchrist Thomas experimented to transform the world’s steel industry here. He invented the basic Bessemer process, a method to remove phosphorus from iron ore.

The site is open at different times during winter and summer so do check ahead. Admission charges apply. Parking near the site and basic facilities onsite.

 Top Tip – remember to check for CADW Open Doors events to see if it is a site marked for free entry.

Walks

There are so many places to walk in Blaenavon from around the town up into the hills. Walk along the old railway line towards Garn Lakes or head for Keeper’s Pond and a short walk to the summit of the Blorenge. There are a variety of walks to be found on the visit Blaenavon website (click here)

For articles related to areas near Blaenavon see Abergavenny and Pontypool