Crumlin ( cy, Crymlyn) is a

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an ori ...

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, ...

, and an electoral ward in Caerphilly

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 te ...

in South Wales, situated in the

Ebbw River The Ebbw River (; cy, Afon Ebwy) is a river in South Wales which gives its name to the town of Ebbw Vale. The Ebbw River is joined by the Ebbw Fach River ( Welsh: Afon Ebwy Fach meaning 'little Ebbw river') at Aberbeeg. The Ebbw Fach is itself ...

valley, five miles west of Pontypool, within the historic boundaries of Monmouthshire.

History

Kelly's Directory of South Wales (1895), noted that Crumlin "was a secluded village, scarcely known to any beyond the few persons resident there". It was considered to be one of the most picturesque spots in the county, surrounded by natural features of "unsurpassed loveliness". The name is said to be derived from Cromlech (see Dolmen), "a designation given to Druidical monuments". The village sits in the

South Wales Coalfield The South Wales Coalfield ( cy, Maes glo De Cymru) extends across Pembrokeshire, Carmarthenshire, Swansea, Neath Port Talbot, Bridgend, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Merthyr Tydfil, Caerphilly, Blaenau Gwent and Torfaen. It is rich in coal deposits, espe ...

and in the neighbouring quarries are often found fine fossils of

calamites ''Calamites'' is a genus of extinct arborescent (tree-like) horsetails to which the modern horsetails (genus ''Equisetum'') are closely related. Unlike their herbaceous modern cousins, these plants were medium-sized trees, growing to heights o ...

and

lepidodendron ''Lepidodendron'' is an extinct genus of primitive vascular plants belonging to the family Lepidodendraceae, part of a group of Lycopodiopsida known as scale trees or arborescent lycophytes, related to quillworts and lycopsids (club mosses). Th ...

; and, in the shale outcrops, fossil ferns and other

cryptogam A cryptogam (scientific name Cryptogamae) is a plant (in the wide sense of the word) or a plant-like organism that reproduces by spores, without flowers or seeds. The name ''Cryptogamae'' () means "hidden reproduction", referring to the fact ...

ic plants.

Crumlin Viaduct

Crumlin is famous for its former railway viaduct. Opened in June 1857 for the Taff Vale Extension to the

Newport, Abergavenny and Hereford Railway The Newport, Abergavenny and Hereford Railway was a railway company formed to connect the places in its name. When it sought Parliamentary authorisation, it was denied the southern section, and obliged to use the Monmouthshire Railway between P ...

and closed in 1964 under the Beeching Axe, at 200 feet high and 550 yards in length in two spans (355 yards and 195 yards) it remained the highest railway viaduct in Great Britain throughout its working life. Work by the designer and contractor Thomas W. Kennard commenced in autumn 1853. Nearby were the

railway stations A train station, railway station, railroad station or depot is a railway facility where trains stop to load or unload passengers, freight or both. It generally consists of at least one platform, one track and a station building providing such ...

, both at high (viaduct) and valley levels. Plans for preservation were discussed, but the poor state of repair made this impossible, and the viaduct was dismantled in 1967. Even while demolition work was in progress, scenes for the film ''

Arabesque The arabesque is a form of artistic decoration consisting of "surface decorations based on rhythmic linear patterns of scrolling and interlacing foliage, tendrils" or plain lines, often combined with other elements. Another definition is "Foli ...

'' which starred Sophia Loren and Gregory Peck were being shot on it. As of 2019 the abutments remain visible on the valley sides.

Historic industry

Crumlin was the northern terminus of the Crumlin Arm of the

Monmouthshire canal 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 ...

. The canal was built from Crumlin southwards towards Newport, opening in 1794, but not completed at

Fourteen Locks Fourteen Locks () is a series of locks, also known as the Cefn Flight, on the Crumlin arm of the Monmouthshire Canal at Rogerstone in Newport, South Wales. The flight of locks was completed in 1799 and raises the water level 160 ft (5 ...

until 1799. Tramroads from the ironworks at Ebbw Vale and Nantyglo were built to the canal at Crumlin basin, where the iron was transhipped into canal boats. When the viaduct was built, the canal was shortened as one of the pillars needed to be located in its path. The canal is no longer in evidence as it was filled in the late 1960s for the construction of the A467 road. The Crumlin Viaduct Works Company Limited produced the ironwork for the Crumlin Viaduct, they also produced the ironwork for the first

Blackfriars Railway Bridge Blackfriars Railway Bridge is a railway bridge crossing the River Thames in London, between Blackfriars Bridge and the Millennium Bridge. First bridge There have been two structures with the name. The first bridge was opened in 1864 and was d ...

for the

London, Chatham and Dover Railway The London, Chatham and Dover Railway (LCDR or LC&DR) was a railway company in south-eastern England created on 1 August 1859, when the East Kent Railway was given parliamentary approval to change its name. Its lines ran through London and no ...

, 120 bridges in Buenos Aires, Argentina, 69 bridges for the Rome and Ancona Railway in Italy, 5 multi-span bridges for railways in India, a 17-span bridge in Pernambuco, Brazil as well as bridges in New Ross, Ireland, the Murray River, Australia and Wolkoff for the Great Russian Railway.

Crumlin Navigation Colliery

The Navigation Colliery was in Crumlin. Sinking commenced in 1907 and completed in 1911, and it was finally closed in 1967. Many colliery buildings remain preserved to the north of the town. The Crumlin Navigation colliery site contains eleven listed buildings II and II* and is currently managed by the charity Glofa Navigation Cyf for the benefit of the community.

Crumlin Mining School

The Mine Rescue Station was opened in Station Road, Crumlin in 1910 and closed in 1986. It was the first in the South Wales Coalfield. In 1914 the South Wales and Monmouthshire School of Mines at

Treforest Treforest ( cy, Trefforest) is a village in the south-east of Pontypridd, in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. It is situated in the Treforest electoral ward, along with the village of Glyntaff (or Glyn-Taf). It is part of the P ...

established a sister school for part-time students at Crumlin Hall, which later became the ''Crumlin Mining and Technical College''. Crumlin Hall was previously Thomas Kennard's home.

The Crumlin Mural

A mosaic mural in the town centre by

Kenneth Kenneth is an English given name and surname. The name is an Anglicised form of two entirely different Gaelic personal names: ''Cainnech'' and '' Cináed''. The modern Gaelic form of ''Cainnech'' is ''Coinneach''; the name was derived from a byn ...

and Oliver Budd depicts the history of the town and the Ebbw Valley. The viaduct is shown running along the top of a number of the panels. File:Geograph 1206348.jpg File:Crumlin mural.jpg File:Crumlin mural (geograph 1206355).jpg File:Geograph-1206449-by-andy-dolman mural1 RIGHT.jpg File:Crumlin mural (geograph 1206375).jpg

New industries

Crumlin is the base for

Brace's Bakery Brace's Bakery is a Crumlin-based Welsh bakery and bakery products brand. Founders Born in Abercarn, George Brace, an engine house driver at the Cambrian Colliery in Clydach Vale, started with a loan from his family a small bakery in 1902 in ...

, a third-generation owned family

bakery A bakery is an establishment that produces and sells flour-based food baked in an oven such as bread, cookies, cakes, donuts, pastries, and pies. Some retail bakeries are also categorized as cafés, serving coffee and tea to customers who w ...

. In the 1980s, Marcheast Ltd. made the Land Master, a four-wheel drive vehicle at Crumlin. Conway Stewart, the pen manufacturer moved to Crumlin in 1968, but the plant was closed in 1975. Crumlin is home to the popular snack,

Pot Noodle Pot Noodle is a brand of instant noodle snack foods, available in a selection of flavours and varieties. This dehydrated food consists of noodles, assorted dried vegetables and flavouring powder. It is prepared by adding boiling water, which r ...

. As of 2006 it appeared in a series of TV adverts for the product. The main manufacturing plant, offices and distribution centre are situated there.

Sport and leisure

Crumlin is home to

rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In it ...

club, Crumlin RFC; the team is a member of the Welsh Rugby Union and was founded in 1880. Crumlin Cricket Club is the local

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 str ...

team and it is a member of the Welsh Cricket Association.

Local democracy

Crumlin is represented in Caerphilly Borough Council as a two-member ward. The current councillors are Carl Thomas (Welsh Labour) and Kristian Woodland (Welsh Labour).

References

External links

* * * * * * {{authority control Towns in Caerphilly County Borough