62-583: The A491 is an A road in Zone 4 of the Great Britain numbering scheme . The road north of Oldswinford forms part of an ancient road, probably of Anglo-Saxon origin, joining the burhs of Worcester and Stafford . The crossing of the River Stour was probably the swine -ford that gave rise to the placenames Kingswinford and Oldswinford, and later to the name Stourbridge . The road from Wordsley Green to
124-660: A Plastic Cup and Stationary Bike based on the short story by Stephen King. The need for transport development came from Tredegar's industrialisation. By 1805, a joint venture between the Tredegar Iron Company and the Monmouthshire Canal resulted in the early development of what became the Merthyr, Tredegar and Abergavenny Railway , connecting Tredegar to Newport Docks through 24 miles (39 km) of tramway. Originally powered by horses, in 1829 Chief Engineer Thomas Ellis
186-504: A lease in 1799 to build Tredegar Ironworks Company. In 1800, Homfray married Sir Charles daughter Jane, and hence improved his lease terms. The west bank of the river was owned by Lord Tredegar , and hence in the short term remained undeveloped. Homfray was a hard task master. He sold franchises to business people who wanted to operate within his town, from which he would take a percentage. He paid his workers in his own private coinage, so that they could not easily spend their wages outside
248-462: A poem, a manuscript and a pedigree in support of his proposal that 'degar' was derived from an historical personage called 'Teigr', whose name was changed to 'Deigr' to enable euphony (see the entry for the term in Phonaesthetics ), which in turn was styled as 'degyr, which then in another context presumably became 'Degar'. Bartrum (2009, originally 1993) explicitly concurred with Octavius Morgan in
310-748: A rerouted A419 in 1935. Originally the southwestern portion of the Oxford Ring Road, from Botley to South Hinksey. Extended along the old A40 in the 1930s when it was moved to the Oxford northern bypass. The bypass was extended north around 1960, allowing the A34 to take over the southern extension of the A4141. The remainder later became the B4044. Originally the northern section of the Gloucester Ring Road. Later switched to
372-661: A roundabout, then becoming a dual carriageway. There are local accesses for the villages of Belbroughton , Clent , Romsley and Holy Cross . Following a roundabout in Hagley the A491 is concurrent with the A456 for a short period before heading north towards Stourbridge . At Pedmore the A4036 leaves at a roundabout towards Dudley . The former northern section of the A450 (now B4187) from Worcester joins from
434-640: A section of leftover A40 in the center of Gloucester (the ring road was renumbered to A40); became a portion of the A417 by 1946 and is now unclassified and partially pedestrianized. Number previously reserved in 1935 for upgrading the B489 to form a Swindon-East Anglia route with the A5160 (proposed to be used instead of the A505 for the A505/A601 route for number continuity). But the tonnage
496-481: A single four-legged Gravity Escapement driving the four dials. It has a 1¼ second pendulum and the bob weighs two hundredweight". The Tredegar Town Band , which takes part in national competitions, was founded in 1849. Tredegar Orpheus Male voice choir , which takes its name from Orpheus , the Greek god of music, was founded in 1909. Tredegar is home to rugby union teams Tredegar Rugby Football Club who play in
558-505: A station in Tredegar, using the line closed by British Railways as part of their Beeching modernisation plan. For much of the 20th Century Tredegar was served by two bus companies: Red & White Services Ltd (based in Chepstow) and Hill's of Tredegar (a local family-owned business). Red & White can trace their services in the town back to 13 June 1921, when John Watts & partner started
620-464: Is supplemented by the fact that company's buildings appeared on the 1832 Ordnance Survey map as 'Tredegar Iron Works'. Jones didn't state when the name of the new town was shortened to 'Tredegar'. But when its name was shortened, it resulted in the existence of two Tredegars, one at each end of the estate: one at the top of the Sirhowy Valley and the other outside Newport. In 1881 Octavius Morgan ,
682-416: Is surmounted the cast-iron base which has four arms from each corner to a distance of sixty feet at a depth of five feet and six inches (152 mm) below ground level. The pillar is wholly composed of cast-iron, upon a square pediment which in turn, receives a rectangular plinth, and upon this stands a cylindrical column of smooth surface and symmetrical diameter, ornamented with suitable coping on which rests
SECTION 10
#1732848392967744-712: The A461 , in an urban environment causing major delays. The road passes through Amblecote , Wordsley and Kingswinford , passing numerous traffic light controlled junctions including those with the A4101 and B4175 , before terminating on the A449 at a roundabout just north of Wall Heath . Download coordinates as: [REDACTED] Media related to A491 road (England) at Wikimedia Commons 52°25′55″N 2°07′47″W / 52.4319°N 2.1296°W / 52.4319; -2.1296 ( A491 road ) A roads in Zone 4 of
806-752: The Tredegar Medical Aid Society in the early 1920s. This society contributed the model which established the British National Health Service . Aneurin Bevan who launched the Health Service in 1948 said ""All I am doing is extending to the entire population of Britain the benefits we had in Tredegar for a generation or more. We are going to 'Tredegarise' you" Just north of Tredegar lies the Trefil region. Trefil found new fame in 2005 when it
868-491: The anti-Jewish riots of 1911 , which some called a pogrom , when Jewish shops were ransacked and the army had to be brought in. Though Jewish businesses and property were attacked, nobody was killed in this riot. Samuel Homfray and his partners needed accommodation for their workers, and so needed to develop a suitable town. The land on the eastside of the Sirhowy river was owned by Lt.Col. Sir Charles Gould Morgan who granted
930-400: The county 's figure of 5.5% of 67,348 (3,705 residents) who can speak, read, and write Welsh . The town is known for its three major riots. In 1868 there were the election riots, which took place after the locals' favourite candidate, Colonel Clifford , was not elected. Secondly in 1882 there was a major anti-Irish riot in Tredegar. There had been a large Irish community in Tredegar since
992-413: The 1850s, and for a while there had been tensions. Reports from the time vary, however where they all concur includes the fact the riot began with stone throwing and quickly escalated with Irishmen's homes being destroyed and furniture burned in the streets. The Irish were run out of Tredegar and some were beaten. Troops from Newport and Cardiff had to be called in to quell the violence Thirdly, there were
1054-795: The A404 to the A416 in Amersham. Became a spur of the A404 in 1935 and is now part of the A4154. The second A4108 ran from Gelilydan to Congl-y-wal, created around 1947 when the B4408 was upgraded to Class I status. Later became part of the A470 to create a north-south cross-country route through Wales. Originally ran from Bladon Road to Oxford Road in Woodstock; this was part of the B4024 before it
1116-658: The A435, and the remainder is now the B4632. Originally ran from Beeches Green to Cairnscross. Became a portion of the A419 in 1935 when it was rerouted. Originally ran along Park Road in Hagley; declassified when the A491 bypass was built. Originally ran from Wall Heath to Kidderminster which became a portion of the A449 in 1935. Originally ran from Crumlin to Brynmawr. Renumbered as a northern extension of
1178-755: The A467 in 1935. Number later used for Victoria and Newmarket streets between the A438 and A49 in Hereford. Became the A438 and A49 due to pedestrianization in Hereford. Also used in Newport linking the A48 to the docks near Watch House Parade. Later renumbered as an extension of the A4042 and has since been declassified; the completion of the A4042/A48 rendered the route redundant. Originally ran across
1240-772: The A491 (the remainder became the A458, which ironically replaced the original A4084). Became a portion of the A470 in the 1970s after it was extended. Next used in 1935 from the A489 in Tremadog to the A499 in Llanwrda; this was originally the B4410 before it was upgraded to Class I status. Became a part of the A487 in the 1960s after it swapped numbers; the old route of the A487 is now the current A4085. Originally ran from
1302-616: The Bretons arrived in 1738 they simply took over a works which had been in existence for many years." There is also disagreement about the next furnace that was built locally, the coal-fired Sirhowy Furnace. Evan Powell claimed in his 1884 History of Tredegar that it was erected 'a few years' after the closure of the Pont Gwaith yr Hearn furnace, by a Mr Kettle of Shropshire . Oliver Jones also cast doubt on this claim. He commented: 'neither maps nor documents support [Powell] .... Nor does Kettle,
SECTION 20
#17328483929671364-599: The Great Britain numbering scheme List of A roads in zone 4 in Great Britain starting north of the A4 and south/west of the A5 (roads beginning with 4). Only roads that have individual articles have been linked in the "Road" column below. Another A479 runs along Empire Way, Wembley (North West of London); this was formerly B4565 until 2007. May have been used in Cheltenham along
1426-525: The Market House in Stourbidge and so to Bromsgrove was turnpiked in 1753. The same act also dealt with several other roads from that Market House, as well as the road from Birmingham through Halesowen and Hagley to Blakedown Pool, but that was managed by separate trustees from 1773. Its continuation north of Wordsley Green, through Wolverhampton , and Stafford to Stone , much of it now part of A449 road
1488-560: The Swalec League Division Two East and Tredegar Ironsides Rugby Football Club . The club was formed in 1946. There is also the nearby Tredegar and Rhymney Golf Club. Tredegar is home to Bryn Bach Park , a country park . Home of the Blaenau Gwent film Academy which gives young people (7-18) opportunity to learn how to produce films and build up confidence, which has gone to produce both multi award-winning films Life of
1550-658: The Tredegar Estate, the seat of which was in Coedcernyw , outside Newport , and which extended northwards to include almost the entire length of the Sirhowy Valley . Local historian Oliver Jones (1969) writes that, by c.1803, the new town that had been created after the completion of the Furnace No 3 of the local iron works: ...was becoming known far and wide as Tredegar Iron Works and not as Tredegar as would be expected,
1612-606: The Tredegar iron works: Utterly remote at the head of the Sirhowy valley, the town was a man-made hell. Men and children worked killing hours in the smoke and filth of the foundries and were maimed by molten metal. Their only medical help was that administered by the 'Penny Doctor.' Wages were paid in Homfray's private coinage — banks were not allowed in the town — so workers spent their coins in Homfray's shops, buying food at Homfray's prices. Poverty and malnutrition followed and disease followed both. There were several cholera epidemics in
1674-584: The Valleys Motor Bus Services running two routes from Tredegar. Their operation expanded and by 1930 had become Red & White Services. The company had a large depot in the town and built a brand new Bus Station (in front of the depot building) which was opened 30 January 1959 by then local MP Aneurin Bevan. In October 2013, a local farmer was jailed for ten months after he permitted 4,700 loads of waste to be illegally dumped on his land, earning £283,000. A spokesmen for Natural Resources Wales hoped
1736-615: The banks of the Sirhowy River in the county borough of Blaenau Gwent , in the southeast of Wales. Within the historic boundaries of Monmouthshire , it became an early centre of the Industrial Revolution in Wales . The relevant wards (Tredegar Central and West, Sirhowy and Georgetown) collectively listed the town's population as 15,103 in the UK 2011 census. Tredegar was originally part of
1798-413: The case would show that people could not profit from illegal dumping. Tredegar has been used for numerous TV and film locations, including The District Nurse starring Nerys Hughes . In 1982, a televised version of the A.J. Cronin novel , The Citadel , was filmed in Tredegar, starring Ben Cross . The series was based partly on Cronin's experiences as a doctor in the town, where he had worked for
1860-500: The clock surrounded with a weather vane. The plinth is inscribed on the four aspects, on the south side - Presented to the town of Tredegar from the proceeds of a bazaar promoted by Mrs. R.P. Davis. Erected in the year 1858. On the west side is effigy of Wellington, with the legend - Wellington, England's Hero. On the North, the Royal Arms of England; and on the east, the name and description of
1922-633: The consortium employed included furnacemen, furnace helpers, smiths, cokers, masons and mule drivers. In 1797, Samuel Homfray , with partners Richard Fothergill and Matthew Monkhouse, built a new furnace, leasing the land from the Tredegar Estate in Newport . This created the new Sirhowy Ironworks , that were in 1800 to become the Tredegar Iron Company , named in honour of the Tredegar Estate at Tredegar House and Tredegar Park in Newport in
A491 road - Misplaced Pages Continue
1984-716: The corner between the A438 and A479 in Llyswen and was the B4344 before it was upgraded to Class I status. Now part of the A470. Originally ran between Narberth and Narberth Castle along High Street. When the A40 was rerouted in the late 1920s, the A4074 was downgraded to Class II status as the B4313, but is now part of the A478 one-way system. Next used in 1935 from the A489 near Cemmaes to Mallwyd on an old section of
2046-441: The current streets and how narrow they were, deciding that his new town would have wide streets running out from a central place. Tredegar Circle was first known as 'The Square', but as buildings and shops developed around it people within Tredegar began to refer to it as 'The Circle'. The town clock which stands in the middle of Tredegar Circle was once where the town stocks resided, with there being records of people being put into
2108-444: The entry for "Deigr ap Dyfnwal Hen (Legendary)" in his A Welsh Classical Dictionary , while Osborne and Hobbs (1992) and Owen and Morgan (2007) implicitly did so. In the local Welsh dialect known as Gwenhwyseg , the name was often pronounced as Tredecar (with provection of /g/ to /k/). There was also a shortened form Decar . Tredegar became industrialised because the local availability of easily accessible iron ore and
2170-541: The former route of the A46; number is not shown on maps but does appear in a DfT road list from around 2002. A 1972 OS map indicates that this version of the A4016 dates from the late 1960s or early 1970s, possibly before construction of the M5 through the town. The route through the town center is now unclassified, Lower Winchcombe Street returned to the A46, Upper Winchcombe Street is now part of
2232-430: The founder with his crest, - Charles Jordan, Iron Founder, Newport, Mon. The clock is provided with four transparent faces or dials, each five feet three inches diameter, and these were illuminated originally by gas, but this was later changed to electricity. The minute hands are each two feet two inches long, and the hour hand one foot seven inches long. The clocks mechanism is a fifteen inch (381 mm) mainwheel strike, with
2294-659: The fourth son of Sir Charles Morgan of Tredegar, had published his etymology of the name of his ancestral home, which he had republished in 1886. He divided his etymology into two parts, about the Welsh adjective 'tref' and the noun 'degar'. He began by dismissing four derivations of 'tref': 'the foot of the camp', 'ten plough-lands', 'ten acres' and 'two forts', which he described as 'conjectural'. He then proposed his derivation, which he described as 'most obvious' and 'the true one' – that 'tref' means 'the dwelling place, chief mansion, or homestead of some important person'. Morgan then cited
2356-483: The furnace at Pont Gwaith yr Hearn, next to the Sirhowy River, four miles south of Tredegar. The furnace was developed by two Bretons and worked by men from Penydarren , Merthyr Tydfil . Morris concluded that they had built the furnace 'about the year 1738 or 1739.' Local historian Oliver Jones cast doubt on the claim of David Morris in his 1969 book The early days of Sirhowy and Tredegar . He commented that "when
2418-520: The hills for ironmaking.' He cited in support of his description the Rev. R. Ellis ('Cynddelw'), who had claimed, 'many years ago', that old inhabitants 'fixed the earliest date of working there as at the close of seventeenth century, probably about 1690.' (ibid.) In contrast, local author David Morris ('Eiddil Gwent') related in his Hanes Tredegar his conversation with an old lady, 'Mrs Thomas', who told him that her father and husband's relations had worked in
2480-412: The left. The A491 then continues to join the Stourbridge ring road. The one-way ring road forms part of the A491 and is concurrent with the A458 and forms the starting point of the A451 to Kidderminster. The original route of the A491 resumes on the northern side of the Stourbridge ring road. This final section is entirely single carriageway, apart from a short distance between the staggered junction with
2542-422: The main local employers for much of the 19th century. The surrounding 26-acre (11 ha) Victorian garden and park, designed originally as a Dutch garden around which one could walk or ride without being confronted by gate, fence or outside features, contains the Long Shelter , also a Grade II listed structure built for the Chartist Movement . One of Tredegar's main attributes is the Town Clock, dominating
A491 road - Misplaced Pages Continue
2604-408: The management of Tredegar General Hospital . Neil Kinnock , leader of the Labour Party from 1983 to 1992, was born in Tredegar in 1942 and lived there for most of his early life, attending the town's Georgetown Infants and Junior Schools between 1947 and 1953. His predecessor as leader, Michael Foot , was Labour MP for the local constituency — Ebbw Vale — during his time as party leader. As part of
2666-471: The name of the man who is supposed to have built it at that time, appear anywhere in the records.' However, there is agreement that a furnace was built 'near the confluence of Nant Melin brook and the river Sirhowy at the place then called Aber-Sirhowy' in 1778, by manual workers who were hired by a consortium of four men: Thomas Atkinson, a merchant from York, and three businessmen from London, William Barrow, Bolton Hudson and John Sealy, who were 'involved in
2728-456: The once safe Labour constituency of Blaenau Gwent, Tredegar was for a period represented by the independent left-wing politician Dai Davies until the general election of 2010, when it reverted to Labour. Bedwellty House is a Grade II listed house and gardens. Originally a "low thatched-roof cottage", the old house was renovated in 1809. The present Bedwellty House was built in 1818 as a home for Samuel Homfray , whose Iron and Coal Works were
2790-414: The people within Tredegar, before the town clock was erected. Horses and carts loaded with goods would clatter around Tredegar Circle, with almost every type of produce being available to buy within Tredegar Circle. Tredegar Town Hall , a prominent building in The Circle, was rebuilt in 1892. Tredegar Circle is also known for the pubs that occupy it, although there have been many that have closed down over
2852-464: The south of the county. Before 1800, Tredegar 'contained only three houses'. In 1891, the company ceased production of iron, but continued to develop coal mines and produce coal. The former Tredegar Ironworks were effectively abandoned, with Whiteheads taking over the southern section of the site from 1907. In 1931, they also closed down their operations, moving everything to their Newport works. TICC continued to develop coal mines and work pits, until it
2914-402: The southern end, which is unclassified. Originally ran from Hirwaun to Brecon Beacons. Renumbered as an extension of the A4059 in 1935. Used again in 1935 from A468 at Tredegar Park to A467 (now B4591) at Rogerstone after the B4242 and B4243 were upgraded to Class I status. The southern section became part of the A467 in 1983 and the remainder was declassified. Used again in 1935, cutting
2976-413: The southern part of the town centre. The clock was made by JB Joyce & Co of Whitchurch, Shropshire and was the idea of Mrs. R. P. Davies, the wife of the Tredegar Ironworks manager, who had decided that she wanted to present a "lofty illuminated clock", and it was she who decided that it would be erected in the Circle. "The clock tower is seventy-two feet high. The foundation is of masonry, on which
3038-410: The southern side of Cardiff city center from the A48 to the A4055. Later renumbered as an extension of the A4055 and is now part of the A4160 after the A4055 was rerouted. Number later used in the late 1970s for the Droitwich Spa bypass; became a portion of the A38 in the early 1980s. Number later used between the A40 and A438 near Brecon as an upgrading of the B4557. Downgraded to the B4602 except for
3100-474: The stocks to be punished for petty misdemeanours. People being punished within the stocks would have their legs trapped in the stocks, being kept outside for hours in all weather conditions. Prostitution was rife within Tredegar Circle, almost having a reputation of being a 'red light district' in the earlier days. Tredegar Circle was also seen as being an important 'shopping centre', many local tradespeople would go there to set up stalls and sell their wares to
3162-486: The tea and grocery trade'. The consortium secured a forty-year lease on local lands from Charles Henry Burgh, who had inherited the estate of his father, the Rev. Henry Burgh. It employed miners who drove coal levels into the hillsides at Bryn Bach and Nantybwch, the first small-scale coal mining operation in the area, for the coal-fired furnace. (Oliver Jones documented that, from the mid-1780s, 'coal mining became more systematic and much better organised'. ) Other trades that
SECTION 50
#17328483929673224-409: The three natural resources which enabled iron production: There is disagreement about the date when the first furnace was built locally. In his 1903 History of the iron, steel, tinplate and ... other trades of Wales , Charles Wilkins described a charcoal-fired furnace, Pont Gwaith yr Haiarn [alternatively 'Hearn'] ('the bridge iron works'), four miles south of Tredegar, as 'one of the oldest places on
3286-411: The town in the 19th century, and a dedicated cholera burial ground was established at Cefn Golau . Tredegar has strong links with prominent Labour MPs and the history of the Labour Party and the Labour Movement in Britain as a whole. It was the birthplace of Aneurin Bevan , who was responsible for the introduction of the British National Health Service (NHS), and who in the 1920s was involved in
3348-506: The town not having or being allowed to have an identity apart from the industry that sustained it. And as Tredegar Iron Works it continued to be known for many years. Tombstones in the old Cholera Cemetery on Cefn Golau describe the victims of the 1832 and 1848 epidemics as "natives of the Tredegar Iron Works" and as late as the 1860's letters were still being addressed, for example, to "Mr. John Lewis, East Lane, Tredegar Iron Works.' (op. cit.: 41) (italics in original) The previous analysis
3410-418: The town. However, the opportunity to work created a boom town, which with a parish population of 1,132 in 1801 had boomed to 34,685 by 1881, in part boosted by the laying of the 24 miles (39 km) stretch of horse drawn track to Newport in 1805. But all of this development came at a price. Adrian Vaughn, in his 1985 book Grub, Water & Relief , mentions that in 1832 John Gooch took a managerial post in
3472-400: The years such as the Greyhound Inn and the Freemasons, both once very popular with local workers. There have been many reported arrests within Tredegar Circle, in both present and earlier days, due to drunken and disorderly behaviour. According to the 2011 Census , 5.4% of Tredegar Central and West's 6,063 (328 residents) resident-population can speak, read, and write Welsh . This is below
3534-458: Was authorised to purchase a steam locomotive from the Stephenson Company. Built at Tredegar Works and made its maiden trip on 17 December 1829. In 1865 the railway was extended north to Nantybwch to meet the LNWR . The railway declined with the industrial works, and Tredegar railway station closed with the Beeching Axe in 1963. The closest railway stations now are in Ebbw Vale, Rhymney and Abergavenny. The proposed South Wales Metro includes
3596-402: Was nationalised in 1946, becoming part of the National Coal Board . The Tredegar Iron Works in Richmond , Virginia , United States was named in honour of the town. Samuel Homfray , an iron master who managed to obtain a large parcel of land in and around Tredegar, is to be thanked for Tredegar Circle and the wide streets running out from it. He showed a great concern about the state of
3658-402: Was not enough (and it was never going to be) to upgrade the road to Class I, so this proposal fell through and the route remains the B489. Tredegar 51°46′39″N 3°14′26″W / 51.77761°N 3.24069°W / 51.77761; -3.24069 Tredegar ( / t r ə ˈ d iː ɡ ər / ; Welsh: [trɛˈdeːɡar] ) is a town and community situated on
3720-403: Was turnpiked by the Wolverhampton Turnpike Act of 1760. In the original 1922 road numberings, A491 was assigned to the Shrewsbury , Welshpool , Mallwyd and Cemmaes Road route, now part of the A458 and A470. The route between Wall Heath and Bromsgrove was assigned the A449 number. Starting at junction 4 of the M5, the road heads West on a single carriageway alignment, meeting the B4091 at
3782-401: Was upgraded in 1922 (the remainder was renumbered A4095). Became a spur of the A4095 in 1935 and was declassified by the 1950s. Originally ran from Aberaeton to Lampeter; this was previously the B4340 before it was upgraded in the mid-1920s. Became part of a rerouted A482 in 1935. First used between Stroud and Cirencester, designated in the mid-1920s when the B4069 was upgraded. Became part of
SECTION 60
#17328483929673844-438: Was used as a location for the alien Vogon homeworld in the film of Douglas Adams 's book The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy . In 2011 the Trefil Region was once again used as a filming location for a major Hollywood production when parts of a sequel to Clash of the Titans was filmed there. In the Doctor Who universe, Trefil has featured as the Ood home planet and in The Sarah Jane Adventures . On 13 May 2008
#966033