Clydach is a village in

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, wit ...

, Wales. Its nearest neighbours are the village of

Gilwern Gilwern is a village within the Brecon Beacons National Park in Monmouthshire, Wales. Historically in Brecknockshire, it extends to either side of the River Clydach on the south side of the Usk valley. Its position beside the Monmouthshire an ...

and town of

Abergavenny Abergavenny (; cy, Y Fenni , archaically ''Abergafenni'' meaning "mouth of the River Gavenny") is a market town and community in Monmouthshire, Wales. Abergavenny is promoted as a ''Gateway to Wales''; it is approximately from the border wit ...

Heads of the Valleys

It is split by the

A465 road The A465 is a trunk road that runs from Bromyard in Herefordshire, England to Llandarcy near Swansea in South Wales. The western half is known officially as the Neath to Abergavenny Trunk Road, but the section from Abergavenny to the Vale of Ne ...

(the 'Heads of the Valleys') into North Clydach and South Clydach.

Industrial heritage

Historically its main industry was based around the

ironworks An ironworks or iron works is an industrial plant where iron is smelted and where heavy iron and steel products are made. The term is both singular and plural, i.e. the singular of ''ironworks'' is ''ironworks''. Ironworks succeeded bloomer ...

on the south side of the valley which have long since closed.

Primary school closure

Clydach County

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 ...

was closed in July 2006 by

Monmouthshire County Council Monmouthshire County Council (or simply Monmouthshire Council) ( cy, Cyngor Sir Fynwy) is the governing body for the Monmouthshire principal area – one of the unitary authorities of Wales. The current unitary authority was created in 1996 a ...

because of there were less than 30 pupils and none in years 5 and 6. The children now attend schools in

and

Brynmawr Brynmawr (; , ,) is a market town, community and electoral ward in Blaenau Gwent, Wales. The town, sometimes cited as the highest town in Wales, is situated at above sea level at the head of the South Wales Valleys. It grew with the develo ...

and the school buildings are unused.

Local walks

The area around the village is popular for hillwalking with many routes tracing the beauty of the nearby

Clydach Gorge The Clydach Gorge (also known as Cwm Clydach) is a steep-sided valley in south-east Wales down which the River Clydach flows to the River Usk. It runs for from the vicinity of Brynmawr in Blaenau Gwent eastwards and northeastwards to Gilwern in ...

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or Cwm Clydach, and the old trackbed of the

Merthyr, Tredegar and Abergavenny Railway The Merthyr, Tredegar and Abergavenny Railway, also known as the ''Heads of the Valleys line'', was a railway line which operated between 1860 and 1958 between the Monmouthshire town of Abergavenny and the Glamorgan town of Merthyr Tydfil in Sou ...

is a cycleway and walkway and the Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal can be walked or travelled by

narrow boat A narrowboat is a particular type of canal boat, built to fit the narrow locks of the United Kingdom. The UK's canal system provided a nationwide transport network during the Industrial Revolution, but with the advent of the railways, commer ...

. There is a picnic site and caravan park alongside the River Clydach, easily reached from the A465 Heads of the Valleys road. The

are some 300 metres away, across the river. The

were built during the late 18th century and are a Scheduled Ancient Monument. There are also limeworks. The area is within the

Brecon Beacons National Park The Brecon Beacons National Park ( cy, Parc Cenedlaethol Bannau Brycheiniog) is one of three national parks in Wales, and is centred on the Brecon Beacons range of hills in southern Wales. It includes the Black Mountain ( cy, Y Mynydd Du) i ...

close to the Blaenavon Industrial Landscape, a

World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for ...

, and not far from

Big Pit National Coal Museum Big Pit National Coal Museum ( cy, Pwll Mawr Amgueddfa Lofaol Cymru) is an industrial heritage museum in Blaenavon, Torfaen, Wales. A working coal mine from 1880 to 1980, it was opened to the public in 1983 as a charitable trust called the Big ...

or Cwm Clydach has been designated a SSSI.

Notable people

* Sir Henry Bartle Edward Frere, 1st Baronet, (1815–1884), a British colonial administrator, was born at Clydach House the son of Edward Frere, manager of Clydach Ironworks.

External links

Caves in the Clydach Gorge areaClydach-Gilwern-Llanelly Hill community website excellent photosPhotograph of Clydach GorgePhotograph of the ironworks

Photograph of the ironworks

Photograph of the ironworksPhotograph of the limeworks
{{authority control Villages in Monmouthshire