Aberbeeg () is a village which lies in both

Blaenau Gwent Blaenau Gwent (; ) is a Principal areas of Wales, county borough in the South East Wales, south-east of Wales. It borders the Local government in Wales, unitary authority areas of Monmouthshire and Torfaen to the east, Caerphilly County Borough ...

and Caerphilly County Borough, in

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

, within the historic boundaries of

Monmouthshire Monmouthshire ( ; ) is a Principal areas of Wales, county in the South East Wales, south east of Wales. It borders Powys to the north; the English counties of Herefordshire and Gloucestershire to the north and east; the Severn Estuary to the s ...

. It is part of the

community A community is a social unit (a group of people) with a shared socially-significant characteristic, such as place, set of norms, culture, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given g ...

of Llanhilleth. The two main tributaries of the Ebbw River, the Ebbw Fawr and Ebbw Fach converge at Aberbeeg. Nearby are the villages of Llanhilleth and Six Bells, where the former

colliery Coal mining is the process of extracting coal from the ground or from a mine. Coal is valued for its energy content and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extra ...

allowed the whole community to thrive as part of the South Wales coalfield community. St Illtyds Church - geograph

Today, one of the most prominent sights in Aberbeeg area is the grade II* listed St. Illtyd's

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the Church (building), church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in com ...

, which is thought to have been built in the late 5th century, and underwent extensive renovation over the last 200 years. After closing in 1962, the church was privately acquired in 1984. It has now returned to public ownership and is now open to visitors. The friends of St. Illtyd help Blaenau Gwent look after the building. Aberbeeg railway station closed on 30 April 1962. The

Ebbw Valley Railway The Ebbw Valley Railway () is a branch line of the South Wales Main Line in South Wales. Transport for Wales Rail provides an hourly passenger service each way between Ebbw Vale Town railway station, Ebbw Vale Town and Cardiff Central railway s ...

re-opened in February 2008. A bus service between Aberbeeg and Llanhilleth, the nearest railway station on the line, runs every hour. It is named after the Nant Big (also spelled ), a small stream that flows into the Ebbw Fawr river approximately half-a-mile upstream from the

confluence In geography, a confluence (also ''conflux'') occurs where two or more watercourses join to form a single channel (geography), channel. A confluence can occur in several configurations: at the point where a tributary joins a larger river (main ...

of the Ebbw Fawr and Ebbw Fach. The term "bîg" (later "beeg") in the Welsh name, is derived from the Welsh term "pig", meaning a beak or spout, which may refer to a spot where the small stream emerges.

In popular culture

In the TV series Fresh Meat one of the lead characters, Josie ( Kimberley Nixon), states she is from Aberbeeg.

Notes

Bibliography

External links

Photos of Aberbeeg and surrounding area on geograph.org.ukWelsh Coal Mines website
{{authority control Villages in Blaenau Gwent