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, t ...

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 te ...

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-w ...

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, wit ...

and Newport. It is approximately six miles from

Newport city centre Newport city centre is traditionally regarded as the area of Newport, Wales bounded by the west bank of the River Usk, the George Street Bridge, the eastern flank of Stow Hill and the South Wales Main Line. Most of the city centre is containe ...

and 3½ miles from

Cwmbran Cwmbran ( ; cy, Cwmbrân , also in use as an alternative spelling in English) is a town in the county borough of Torfaen in South Wales. Lying within the historic boundaries of Monmouthshire, Cwmbran was designated as a New Town in 1949 to prov ...

, 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 of the 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 Province, Argentina). Historically, it h ...

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 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 ...

, 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 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 bishops. The pos ...

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 ...

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

village hall A village hall is a public building in a village used for various things such as: United Kingdom In the United Kingdom, a village hall is usually a building which contains at least one large room (plus kitchen and toilets), is owned by a local ...

, 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 st ...

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 ...

club (Ponthir AFC), 2 pubs - 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 Track (rail transport), tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the ...

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 p ...

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. Terminology The distinction between a hill and a mountain is unclear and largely subjective, but a hill is universally considered to be not a ...

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 ...

(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 Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peopl ...

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) James Ball (born 24 June 1991) is a Welsh Paralympic cyclist who competes in tandem races as an athlete with a visual impairment. A multiple world champion across the tandem sprint events, Ball's latest title came in 2021, further cementing hi ...

, Great Britain Para-cyclist * James Botham, 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 Arm ...

. Grandson of England cricketer Sir Ian Botham, 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 afte ...

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 ini ...

, Professional sportsman in Rugby Union, Rugby League and Cricket. Son of England cricket legend Sir Ian Botham *

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 Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...

, formerly of the

Goldie Lookin Chain Goldie Lookin Chain are a Welsh comedy hip hop group from Newport, south-east Wales. The group produces humorous, controversial and often explicit songs that satirise hip hop, today's consumer society, the "chav" culture and life in Newpo ...

. * Natasha Cockram, Current Welsh marathon record holder and 2020 British Marathon Champion *

Percy Montgomery Percival Colin Montgomery OIS (born 15 March 1974) is a South African former professional rugby union player. When he ended his international career in August 2008, he held the all-time records for both caps and points for South Africa's nati ...

, 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