Abertillery

Abertillery (Welsh Abertyleri) is an urban district in the county of Monmouthshire, southern Wales, 16 miles north-west of Newport, originally on the Great Western Railway. Its population rose steeply during the period of mining development in the Rhondda valleys, being 10,846 in the 1891 census and 21,945 ten years later. It lies in the mountainous mining district of Monmouthshire and Glamorganshire, in the valley of the Ebbw Fach, and the population was traditionally employed in the numerous coalmines, ironworks and tinplate works, now mostly defunct. Farther up the same valley are the mining townships of Nantyglo and Blaina, which form another sizeable urban district.

Related Topics:
Welsh - Monmouthshire - Wales - Newport - Great Western Railway - Rhondda - 1891 - Glamorganshire - Ebbw Fach - Nantyglo - Blaina

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Abertillery has a traditional-style town centre and several small schools. Today, its population numbers around 18,000. Noted for its unspoilt rural scenery, Abertillery neighbours the small districts of Aberbeeg and Cwmtillery. This is mainly down large amounts of EU funding which has helped the town transform itself from industrial relic into the clean, modernised area it is today.

Related Topics:
Aberbeeg - Cwmtillery

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The town also has an enormous amount of public houses - reputed to be the most per population in Wales. At last count the number stood at 25+.

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The town's name is pronounced with the emphasis on the penultimate syllable, ie. it rhymes with "Mary," as in a song made popular by Welsh entertainer Ryan Davies:

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"Blodwen and Mary from Abertillery..."

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