Present

Ebbw Vale is located in the borough of Blaenau Gwent in the south east corner of Wales.  The town is the largest of the three main ones in Blaenau Gwent with a population of around 25,000-30,000.   The town is currently undergoing hundreds of millions of pounds of regeneration work on the former Steelworks site in the middle of the valley.  The recent re-introduction of the railway link into the town has been a great boost to the local area with over 100,000 people using the link in the first few months.  The town is just outside the Brecon beacons national park, with the Beacons just half an hour away from us via the A465.  

Past

Ebbw Vale only really came into being in the 1770's with the opening of the Ebbw Vale steelworks.  Before this there were very few inhabitants in the valley, and was known as the Wilds of Monmouthshire, this was due to the fact that wild animals roamed free and the town was used for hunting mainly, there were a few farms on the hillside, but nothing of any real significance.  The town developed in the 1700's into a bigger town with the opening of the works along with several coalmines. In the mid 1900's, Ebbw Vale Steelworks was the largest in Europe and during the Second World War, attracted the attention of German bombers, but due to the steep valley sides, they were unable to get a hit.  In 2002 the steelworks finally closed completely, and demolition began in 2003, and the site is currently undergoing major groundwork in preparation for the new developments on the site.  In 1958, Ebbw Vale hosted the National Eisteddfod, with the Welsh language being dominant in the area at this time, the Gorsedd stones ('The Stone Circle') can still be seen opposite Ebbw Vale Leisure Centre, they were moved there from the site on which Aldi now stands (On The Walk).  In 1992, The town hosted the last National Garden Festival - The Garden Festival of Wales (GFW) on the lower site of the former steelworks, which had closed many years prior to the GFW, the Festival was a great success attracting over 2 million people and leaving a once derelict wasteland, green and fresh.  Much of the land was then bought by Redrow and much of the site was developed into housing, but the main park remains and a shopping centre has been set up at the head of the site.

Future

Looking forward, Ebbw Vale has a seemingly bright future; many millions of pounds are being pumped into the town for developments such as the steelworks site.  The new railway link to Cardiff will one day be extended up into the Steelworks site and there are hopes of more trains and a service to Newport.  Currently Ebbw Vale town centre is undergoing a major refurbishment, with plans for a memorial clock in the centre.  The main trunk road into Ebbw Vale, the A465 is to be upgraded in the next few years from a 3 lane carriageway, the new road will not be in the position of the current one, it will run behind Garllydan and behind the Rassau industrial estate.

If you want any more information please email me:

info@ebbwvaletoday.co.uk