Ponthir ( cy, Pont-hir) is a village and

community A community is a social unit (a group of living things) with commonality such as place, norms, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given geographical area (e.g. a country, village, tow ...

at the south-west of the

county borough County borough is a term introduced in 1889 in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, to refer to a borough or a city independent of county council control, similar to the unitary authorities created since the 1990s. An equivalent ter ...

Torfaen Torfaen (; cy, Torfaen ) is a county borough in the south-east of Wales. Torfaen is bordered by the county of Monmouthshire to the east, the city of Newport to the south, and the county boroughs of Caerphilly and Blaenau Gwent to the south ...

on the boundary of the counties of

Monmouthshire Monmouthshire ( cy, Sir Fynwy) is a county in the south-east of Wales. The name derives from the historic county of the same name; the modern county covers the eastern three-fifths of the historic county. The largest town is Abergavenny, with ...

and

Newport Newport most commonly refers to: *Newport, Wales *Newport, Rhode Island, US Newport or New Port may also refer to: Places Asia *Newport City, Metro Manila, a Philippine district in Pasay Europe Ireland *Newport, County Mayo, a town on the ...

. It is approximately six miles from Newport city centre and 3½ miles from Cwmbran, lying between the settlements of

Caerleon Caerleon (; cy, Caerllion) is a town and community in Newport, Wales. Situated on the River Usk, it lies northeast of Newport city centre, and southeast of Cwmbran. Caerleon is of archaeological importance, being the site of a notable Roman ...

and Llanfrechfa.

Etymology

The

Welsh language Welsh ( or ) is a Celtic language family, Celtic language of the Brittonic languages, Brittonic subgroup that is native to the Welsh people. Welsh is spoken natively in Wales, by some in England, and in Y Wladfa (the Welsh colony in Chubut P ...

placename Toponymy, toponymics, or toponomastics is the study of ''toponyms'' (proper names of places, also known as place names and geographic names), including their origins, meanings, usage and types. Toponym is the general term for a proper name of ...

indicates the correct pronunciation; i.e. saying the 't' and 'h' separately. The name first appeared in print as ''Pontheere'' in 1605 and again as ''Pont hir'' in 1677. The name means 'long (''hir'') bridge (''pont'')' and refers to a previous bridge over the Afon Lwyd, the present one having been built in 1800.

History and amenities

Ponthir is primarily a residential area, with several new housing estates around the older village. It has a

primary school A primary school (in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and South Africa), junior school (in Australia), elementary school or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary e ...

, (Ponthir

Church in Wales The Church in Wales ( cy, Yr Eglwys yng Nghymru) is an Anglicanism, Anglican church in Wales, composed of six dioceses. The Archbishop of Wales does not have a fixed archiepiscopal see, but serves concurrently as one of the six diocesan bishop ...

Primary School) which was for some time under threat of closure but was reprieved, and it now has the best SATs results in Torfaen. It also changed its category to a

Voluntary aided school A voluntary aided school (VA school) is a state-funded school in England and Wales in which a foundation or trust (usually a religious organisation), contributes to building costs and has a substantial influence in the running of the school. In mo ...

( church) school. Ponthir has many amenities such as two nurseries, two children's playgrounds, two churches, a village hall, a

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...

club, a

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

club (Ponthir AFC), 2

pub A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and was ...

s - The Ponthir House and The Star, a grocery shop, a doctor and a dentist. There used to be a

railway station Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...

but it closed in 1962. The

railway Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...

is still in use. It is surrounded by the rolling

hill A hill is a landform that extends above the surrounding terrain. It often has a distinct Summit (topography), summit. Terminology The distinction between a hill and a mountain is unclear and largely subjective, but a hill is universally con ...

s of

, many farms, and a few rivers, streams and brooks that surround or run through the village, such as; The

Afon Llwyd The Afon Lwyd or Afon Llwyd ( en, 'grey river') is a long river in south-east Wales which flows from its source northwest of Blaenavon, through Abersychan, Pontnewynydd, Pontypool, Llanfrechfa and Cwmbran before flowing, at Caerleon, into the R ...

(meaning "grey river") as well as The

Sôr Brook The Sôr Brook is a right bank tributary of the River Usk running largely in Monmouthshire in south Wales, though the watercourse forms the boundary with neighbouring Torfaen in places. Its uppermost reaches were inundated by the construction o ...

, Cwm-ffrwd Brook and Candwr Brook A Welsh Water sewage and water treatment plant for the surrounding area is located here, and this was where bacteria were first used to treat sewage sludge using an electrically powered aerator to circulate the sludge and ensure good microbial digestion. This process saved the local authority money as well as reducing noxious odours.

Notable people

Notable people who were born, resided or were schooled in Ponthir, include the following: * James Ball (cyclist), Great Britain Para-cyclist *

James Botham James Ian Botham (born 22 February 1998) is a Welsh professional rugby union player who plays as a flanker for United Rugby Championship club Cardiff and the Wales national team. Early life The grandson of all-round cricketer Ian Botham, Ja ...

, Welsh international rugby union player, who currently plays for the

Cardiff Blues Cardiff Rugby ( cy, Rygbi Caerdydd) are one of the four professional Welsh rugby union teams. They compete in the United Rugby Championship and in European Professional Club Rugby competitions. Based in Cardiff, the team play at Cardiff Arms ...

. Grandson of England cricketer

Sir Ian Botham Ian Terence Botham, Baron Botham, (born 24 November 1955) is an English cricket commentator, member of the House of Lords, a former cricketer who has been chairman of Durham County Cricket Club since 2017 and charity fundraiser. Hailed as one ...

, and son of former

Cardiff RFC Cardiff Rugby Football Club ( cy, Clwb Rygbi Caerdydd) is a rugby union club based in Cardiff, the capital city of Wales. The club was founded in 1876Parry-Jones (1989), pg 59 and played their first few matches at Sophia Gardens, shortly after ...

player

Liam Botham Liam James Botham (born 26 August 1977) is a former English sportsman who played both codes of rugby football and cricket. He is the son of England cricketer Ian Botham, the Baron Botham. Career Cricket Botham was born in Doncaster and initia ...

, Professional sportsman in Rugby Union, Rugby League and Cricket. Son of England cricket legend

Maggot (rapper) Andrew Major (born 1976), known professionally as Maggot, is a Welsh rapper. Goldie Lookin Chain Several Goldie Lookin Chain songs have been written about him. These include "The Maggot" (''Greatest Hits''); based on the tune of "You've ...

, (real name Andrew Major) is a Welsh rapper, formerly of the Goldie Lookin Chain. *

Natasha Cockram Natasha Cockram (born 12 November 1992) is a Welsh marathon runner. Early life Cockram is from Cwmbran, Wales. She attended Croesyceiliog Comprehensive before deciding to attend the University of Tulsa in Oklahoma, United States from 201 ...

, Current Welsh marathon record holder and 2020 British Marathon Champion * Percy Montgomery, South African international rugby union player * Raymond Parsons, Former Chairman of Gloucestershire County Cricket Club * Callum Taylor (Welsh cricketer), Current professional cricketer with Glamorgan

References

{{authority control Communities in Torfaen Villages in Torfaen