role the town played during the industrial revolution. The surrounding land was rich
in iron and coal deposits with abundant water, wood and limestone. This made
the town an ideal place for the making of iron and steel. Today it is no longer
illuminated by the glow of iron furnaces or the river blackened by coal dust, the
valley is green again. Set on the edge of the Brecon Beacons National Park and
Black Mountains there is beautiful woodland and moorland to explore along with
some great attractions to visit. SEE MAP
The Big Pit mine shaft was sunk in 1860 and is 283ft (86m) deep. The first deep shaft sunk in the South Wales coalfield. It continued to be a working mine until 1980. It is one of only two mining museums in the UK. Now you can travel underground and experience what it was like to be a collier - and it's free.
When Blaenavon iron
works was founded by Thomas Hill, Benjamin and Isaac Pratt,
the area went from a few scattered farms to a bustling town in only a
few years. There
was an influx of people from all over the UK. Iron and steel products
as well as coal from
Blaenavon were exported all over the World. The works remained in production
from
1789 until 1904 and then lay derelict until 1975 when Cadw began restoration
work.
It has four furnaces, cast houses and a square of workers cottages. There
is also a
water balance tower added in 1841 to lift drams of iron ore and coal by
means of
counter balancing the weight with a tank of water (see opposite).
The Keepers pond high on the Blorenge mountain originally fed water to the Garnddyrus iron works. Today it attracts visitors who marvel at the panoramic views of the Black mountains and Brecon Beacons national park.
on what was the old LMS line. The line was closed to passengers in 1941 and carried
coal from Big Pit until 1980. At Waunafon on the line is the highest station in Wales
and England at over 1400ft. It is now run by a dedicated team of volunteers who run
the trains on weekends and bank holidays from the sidings up to the Whistle Inn
where there is an unique collection of old miners lamps.
renaissance. There is a pride in what has been done in the past and an
expectation of what will be achieved in the future.