The Heritage Hiker’s Guide to Pontypool

Overview

Pontypool – Pont-y-pŵl is a town in southeast Wales within the county borough of Torfaen. The Welsh name for the town, Pont-y-pŵl, stems from the word bridge ‘pont’ and pool ‘pwll’. It gets the word pool from a pool in the Afon Lwyd River which flows through the town.

Pontypool is one of the earliest industrial towns in Wales, like so many towns in Wales, industrial activity saw the town develop and grow. Previously the area was made up of fields and farms dotted between small hamlets such as Pontymoile and Trosnant. Today these hamlets have all merged into the wider area of the town. Pontypool lies in the valley of the Afon Llwyd, which was rich in natural resources for iron production such as charcoal, coal and iron ore.

A brief history of Pontypool and what came before industry came to the valley.

The evidence for settlement in prehistory is limited to flint scatters and a Neolithic handaxe. There are Bronze Age cairns in the landscape and much further afield in the wider area there are Iron Age hillforts. So, what was going on? Why does it appear to be such a blank spot? Even evidence of Roman occupation is scarce, although there are the remains of a section of Roman road. Is it that there was no one living and working in the area or just that the evidence has not been found? It is possible that the building of Pontypool took some of this evidence away. Only time will tell if there is anything further to be found although the portable antiquity database often holds more recent information.

When did industry come to Pontypool?

The beginning of industry in Pontypool lies in iron working which starts as early as the 15^th century. The 16^th century brought the introduction of larger scale iron working. Much of the development during this time were linked to the Hanbury family who would go on to build the foundations of Pontypool as a town.

 In 1690 a Saturday market and 3 annual fairs were granted by the Crown, showing its growing importance. It was also at this time that the Hanbury family established Pontypool Park as their permanent residence. Throughout the 17^th, 18th and 19th centuries the growth of mining and metalworking and the building of the canals and railways led to the expansion of the town. The town is also famous for Japanware. Made using a process called Japanning: treating metal plate to give a lacquered finish developed by Thomas Allgood in the first half of the 18^th century.

Pontypool House

Pontypool House is the former home of the Hanbury family and is based in Pontypool Park. The family is said to have built Pontypool Park in the 1690s. The house was altered in the following decades but was relatively unchanged from the 1800s until 1915. The Hanbury family left Pontypool House around 1908 and it was sold in 1915. From 1915 the house was used as a convent and later became St Alban’s Roman Catholic Comprehensive School. The rear wings of the house were converted into Park House Flats. The stable block now houses Torfaen Museum which opened on the site in 1981 (click here for visiting information).

Pontypool Park

Pontypool Park occupies a large area of ground near the town centre. The land was originally purchased by the Hanbury family in the late 17^th century. The park land remained in its natural state of open grassland and deciduous woodland until developments at the beginning of the 19th century shaped the park we see today. The last Hanbury to live here was John Hanbury (d.1921), He made the ‘Italian Gardens’ to the south of the Afon Lwyd River which he planted with exotic plants. The park passed into public ownership in 1921.

The parkland is home to a well-preserved 19^th century shell grotto restored in 1996. The basic structure of what would become the grotto was commissioned by John Hanbury as a hunting lodge or summerhouse in the late 18th century. Improvements were made, including the decorative shell interior, in the early part of the 19th century. It is said to be the most important grotto in Wales. Other features in the park include an early 19th century ice-house, a large kitchen garden and the park gates.

Park Gates

The main entrance to the park is at the Pontymoile Gates, iron gates built in the 1720s, remodelled and re-erected in 1835 in the south-east corner of the park. Known locally as the Sally Gates named after the Duchess of Marlborough who presented them to the Hanbury family.

There is a café in the leisure centre, toilets in the park and parking (charges may apply).

Folly Tower

A walk up along a public footpath will take you to Folly Tower. Local legend states that it stands where once a Roman Watch Tower stood. A Roman Road is thought to pass near the folly. The tower itself was constructed in the 18th century by the Hanbury family. It was demolished in 1940 for fear of it being used as an air raid marker and rebuilt in 1994, an RAF memorial has been placed nearby.

Pontypool Town Hall

The Town Hall was built between 1853-6 by Bidlake and Lovett from Wolverhampton on land given by the Hanbury family. It was partly demolished and extended in 1991, Torfaen Borough Council encasing part of the old Council Chamber in the new design.

Pontypool Library

Across the road from the Town Hall is Pontypool Library which opened on 21 September 1908 in a purpose built two storey Edwardian building. The original lay-out of the building consisted of reading rooms, a reference library, a lending library, a committee room and a small lecture hall. The library building is still the town library, a nostalgic rarity these days.

Pontypool Old Market Hall

The Old Market Hall is one of the earliest remaining buildings in the centre of Pontypool, completed in 1730 and paid for by Frances Bray. The hall remained in use until 1846 when a new building was erected. The Old Market Hall is distinctly Georgian in style and although the ground-floor level is modern in appearance, the first floor had remained untouched with two Georgian sash windows, and two dedication plaques, one in Welsh and the other in English. An ornamental moulded cornice rises into a gable with decorative stonework detail.

Pontypool Market Hall

The Market Hall was built on the site of a previous vegetable market. The new Market Hall was designed by Robert Williams and D J Loughor and built in 1893-4. It replaced the Old Market Hall as the Old Market Hall was deemed too small for the growing population.  The market is still open today and is well worth a visit. With lots of lovely stalls be prepared to be tempted by all sorts of treats. For more information on opening times (click here).

Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal

This waterway was once two stretches of canal, the Monmouthshire and the Brecon and Abergavenny, both were built in the late 18th century and they formed part of a small network of canals and tramways across south Wales. The canals merged in 1865 when the Monmouthshire Railway and Canal Company bought out the Brecon and Abergavenny Canal Company and in 1880 control of the canals passed to Great Western Railway. The canals were nationalised in 1948 and eventually abandoned in 1962. The original primary purpose of the canals was the transportation of raw materials and goods from the industrial sites across south Wales.

Walks

If you fancy a pleasant walk along the Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal, you can make it as long or as short as you want it to be. The canal can be accessed at Pontymoile where there is a small café (seasonal hours) and toilets (limited parking).

There is a lovely 4 mile circular Pontypool Park Walk that takes you through different periods in time.

For those looking to explore the hills and landscape The Cambrian Way cuts through Pontypool with options to go west along section 2 to get up onto Mynydd Maen or take section 3 northwards towards Blaenavon and Abergavenny.

For articles related to areas near Pontypool see Abergavenny, Blaenavon and Caerwent

To learn more about Japanware from Pontypool see The Heritage Hikers Guide to Pontypool. History in the Making. Japanware

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