Garfield Weston, a Canadian food manufacturer, opened the Weston Biscuit Factory in Llantarnam in 1938 eventually becoming part of the Burtons Foods group, famous for 'Wagon Wheels', 'Jammie Dodgers' and the like. The factory is still going strong in 2009. Two very overgrown and dis-connected sidings still run up to the factory perimeter from the site of the brickworks connection.

Llantarnam Brickworks (ST 300942) were part of Star Brick and Tile Co Ltd. The brickworks were opened C1887 and sidings to the GWR Hereford line by 1895. The claypits were between the railway and Llantarnam Road with the usual narrow gauge tramways. The brickworks closed down C1964. Star Brick and Tile Co Ltd also owned the Malpas, Allt-yr-yn and Ponthir brickworks; (see under Newport). Most of the site has been re-developed as an industrial estate and housing. There are still sidings hidden in the undergrowth beside the main line, running towards the biscuit factory. Also rails are embedded in the footpath at ST 302940. These led into the later adjacent cold storage depot of the 1950s and subsequent industrial estate on the site. Metalitho, a tin box stamper, were on the site of Autopia.

The Vitriol Works (ST 294945), generally known as the 'Chem', manufactured sulphuric acid on the Eastern side of the Monmouthshire Railway, at the end of Malpas Street. It was opened in the 1860s by james Gibbs and owned by the Cwmbran Chemical Co. It became part of ICI around 1926 but closed down c1930. The buildings were demolished in the late 1950s. In the early 1960's it was just scrub land, with odd concrete blocks and patches of blue soil and a decided 'chemically' smell. We occasionally cut through it and the brickworks site to Llandowlais Street from Victoria Street. The site has now been re-developed with retail and commercial premises.

Next door to the vitriol works was Cwmbran Brickworks at ST 294943, North of Llandowlais Street. It isn't shown on the 1887 OS map but is on the 1902. It may well have have opened around the same time as Llantarnam brickworks. On the 1920 map its marked as 'Old Clay Pit'. The pits were used as a rubbish dump in the 1950s. The site is now occupied by Cwmbran Stadium and the road system.

Two adjacent factories built in 1938/39 on the new Grange Road Industrial Estate, between them employing over 5000 people at their peak. They have both changed owners and names several times but are still in operation in 2008. A footpath links the recreation grounds with the Girlings car park and runs beside the rear of the factory, accessed through a small foot tunnel under the railway at ST 298953.

Guest, Keen and Nettlefolds were the largest employer and industrial complex in Cwmbran. My Grandfather and three uncles worked for them in the foundry. The extensive operation included the lower works, at the end of Clomendy Street (ST 290955) on the land behind the retail park. The upper works (ST 284957) were where the Springvale Industrial Estate is now and the complex ended at Cwmbran Colliery (ST 280961), where the Caerleon Tramway went on to Upper Cwmbran.

The first forge and foundry on this site began in C1800 by F.J. Blewitt, suceeded by R J Blewitt and well established with a blast furnace by the early 1840s. In 1854 the Cwmbran Iron Company were the owners, with a second blast furnace built in 1862. The forge was sold on, coming into the ownership of the Patent Nut and Bolt Co of Smethwick in 1865. They took over the blast furnaces in 1872, adding rolling mills in 1885-1895 between the blast furnaces and the colliery. So the foundry and blast furnaces formed the lower works with the rolling mills being the upper works. A larger blast furnace replaced the two originals in 1890 and the company formed the 'Keen' part of the 1902 Guest, Keen and Nettlefolds Ltd. After WW2 the works bean contracting, finally closing in 1972 with the loss of 800 jobs.
Restored iron beam behind the 'Halfway' on Commercial Street, ST 292194
Blast furnace bases behind the retail park at the top of the car park, ST 289955

Cwmbran Colliery (ST 280961) began as smaller workings on coal seams close enough to the surfaceto be accessed by an adit, rather than shafts. They were operating by 1854 under the Cwmbran Colliery name. The colliery was acquired in 1872 by the Patent Nut and Bolt Co, with extensive workings from the main Adit by 1895. Adjacent coke ovens, by-product plant, screens and a washery were built to feed the expanding foundry, the site providing employment for up to 1000 people. It was closed in 1927, following a counter-productive strike in the previous year. After closure, the water from the mine was pumped to Upper Cwmbran Waterworks and into the public water supply.

Woodside brickworks (ST 287958) were in operation by 1875 but are shown as disused on the 1902 OS map and the site cleared by 1922. Amongst the proprietors were Henry Bolt Sketch of the Woodside Brick Co (1875), IW Scourse and Son (1907) and the Standard Brick Co, Woodside Road (1914). Now buried under the Springvale Industrial Estate, very close to the access ramp to the nature trail.

Known variously as Mineslope, Porthmawr, Fireclay and Mynydd Maen Colliery (ST 269969) and brickworks (ST 272968) were first established in 1837 by Reginald James Blewitt of Llantarnam Abbey when he opened The Porthmawr Colliery or Fireclay Level (ST 271969). A second level, the Mineslope Level was opened in C1854, the enterprise being taken over by the Patent Nut and Bolt Co in 1879, around the time Cwmbran Colliey was opened. The brickworks were operational by 1839, passing from Mr Blewitt to John Lawrence in 1845 and Henry Parfitt in 1867. There is a story of a tunnel from Mineslope through old workings to Pontypool, used by the local residents to save the journey across the hills. It may have linked with the ironstone mines to the south of Pontypool so could have been possible but it has not been re-discovered yet....

The lower Blaenbran reservoir was built in 1884 and enlarged in 1930 with the addition of a filtration plant. It is now derelict and a very corroded access gantry has recently been removed. In 2006 the reservoir still had a good pool of water supporting a sizeable shoal of fish. The upper reservoir was built around 1914 and, having been levelled, is now just a depression in the ground.

A woollen mill existed close to the bus terminus at around ST 274968 from 1822 to about 1901.

Pontnewydd tinplate works (ST 299962) was founded in 1802 on the eastern bank of the Afon Llwyd by George Conway, next to Lower Pontnewydd station on the GWR Hereford line. It ceased production in around 1885 and is marked as 'in ruins' on the 1902, 1922 and 1954 OS maps. The site was latterly used by Gwent Pipe and Fire-brick Co making, as the name suggests, pipes and firebricks until C1974. The company became a part of Hepworth Ltd. On the Western bank of the river, the 1922 and 1954 OS maps show a Pitch and Benzole factory on the sidings of the old tinplate works.

Tynewydd tinplate works (ST 294965) was founded in 1874 next to Pontnewydd railway station by Batchelor and Co (or Charles Roberts). It passed through a number of owners before becoming part of the Redbrook Tinplate Co of Monmouth. In 1904 a subsidiary, the Pontnewydd Tin Stamping Co opened a tin box factory immediately to the North of the tinplate works and sharing offices, later becoming part of Linpac. The tinplate works closed in C1961 but the stamping factory seems to have carried on until C1966. The site has been cleared and has been re-used for light industry.

Avondale tinplate works (ST 295965) was founded in 1876 just to the East of Tynewydd by J Williams, passing in 1885 to H T Griffiths (or H D). It became the Avondale Tinplate Co in 1894 and closed down in 1957

The Seamless Tube Works (ST 295966) was set up by the Ebbw Vale Steel and Iron Co in 1910 to the North of the two tinplate works but it closed down during the 1930s.

Edlogan tinplate works (ST 298973) was founded in 1806 by John Conway, son of George Conway of the Pontnewydd works. It was also on the Eastern bank of the Afon Llwyd but right on the outskirts of the Cwmbran district at Pontrhydyrun. It relied heavily on waterpower and ceased operation in the late 1920s, the machinery being dismantled around 1946. The site and buildings are rather dilapidated but still used by a number of small businesses.

A brickworks at ST 291970 is shown on the 1886 OS map as 'disused' which could have been A.H James and Co. or Davies and Co.

Many photos of the area are on my photo gallery :- 'Transport and Industry - The Leftovers'

The Cwmbran area is in The Cwmbran gallery.

and of the Henllys and Oakfield area in The Henllys gallery.

A comprehensive sortable 'Excel' spreadsheet of all known sites is on The Home Page