Brynmawr (sometimes hyphenated to Bryn-mawr in Welsh — meaning "big hill") is a market town in Blaenau Gwent, south Wales. The town, sometimes cited as the highest town in Wales, is situated at 1,250 to 1,500 feet above sea level and nestled at the head of the South Wales Valleys. It grew during the arrival of the coal mining and iron industries in the early 1800s.
It was originally a small village settlement called Gwaen Helygen, and lay in the ...
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Brynmawr (sometimes hyphenated to Bryn-mawr in Welsh — meaning "big hill") is a market town in Blaenau Gwent, south Wales. The town, sometimes cited as the highest town in Wales, is situated at 1,250 to 1,500 feet above sea level and nestled at the head of the South Wales Valleys. It grew during the arrival of the coal mining and iron industries in the early 1800s.
It was originally a small village settlement called Gwaen Helygen, and lay in the former county of Brecknockshire. With the expansion of the Nantyglo (meaning stream of coal) Ironworks housing was required for the workers and Brynmawr turned into a prosperous town. Although coal mining has declined, a large mining museum is nearby at Big Pit.
Today Brynmawr has an estimated population of over 6,000 people. At the 2001 Census 5.75% of the 16-65 age group spoke Welsh, but the proportion of children (3-15) able to speak Welsh was much higher at 30.54%. The town has the only Welsh-medium primary school, Ysgol Gymraeg Brynmawr,...
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