Bridgend

Bridgend (Welsh: Pen-y-bont ar Ogwr) is a town in the traditional county of Glamorgan and the main town in the county borough of Bridgend in south Wales. It is roughly midway between the principal cities Cardiff and Swansea. The river crossed by the original bridge which gave the town its name is the River Ogmore but the River Ewenny also passes through the south of the town. Bridgend has greatly expanded in size since the early 1980s and now has a population of around 40,000.

Castles and foundation

The town has three castles nearby: Coity Castle, in the village of Coity approximately two miles from the centre; Ogmore Castle on the outskirts of the village of Ogmore approximately seven miles from Bridgend; and Newcastle which is at the top of Newcastle Hill overlooking Bridgend. Together these three castles formed a defensive triangle from the coast to Coity.

Bridgend itself developed at a ford on the River Ogmore, which was on the main route between East and West Wales. Just north of the town, there is the confluence of three rivers, the Ogmore River, the Llynfi River and the Garw River. South of Bridgend the River Ewenny merges with the River Ogmore and flows into the Bristol Channel. In the fifteenth century, a stone bridge was built to connect permanently each side of the River Ogmore (later rebuilt). Originally this bridge had four arches but in the eighteenth century a massive flood washed two of them away. The rest of the bridge still stands and remains a focal point of the town.

Bridgend grew rapidly into an agricultural town important to many of the local farmers. Although still small by today's standards it became an important market town, a tag that remained with it until well into the twentieth century.

Coal and industry

The first coal mines opened in the valleys north of Bridgend in the seventeenth century, with the Llynfi valley being the first to be industrialised. Bridgend itself never had coal and remained a market town for some time, but the valleys of the three rivers grew into an important part of the south Wales coalfields. Ironworks and brickworks were also established in the same period, by John Bedford, although the ironworks faltered after his death and ceased operating entirely in 1836.

The Great Western Railway arrived and Bridgend was at the junction between the main London to Fishguard line and the branch to the three valleys. Coal trains regularly sent coal down the valleys and with the opening of the Vale of Glamorgan railway, coal could be sent directly to port at Barry or through other branch lines to Porthcawl.

Bridgend itself saw several quarries open in and around the town centre, one of which can still be seen today. An engine works was opened in the town and a large farmers' market also opened in the town centre, where it remained until at least the middle of the twentieth century.

In 1801, the population of Bridgend County was around 6000. By the beginning of the twentieth century this had risen to 61,000. By this time Bridgend was a bustling market town with prosperous valleys to the north, a thriving community and good links to other towns and cities.

The Second World War and Bridgend

Bridgend played an important part during the Second World War. It was it home to a Prisoner of War Camp at Island Farm and a large munitions factory (ROF Bridgend — known as the "Admiralty") at Waterton, as well as a large underground munitions storage base at Brackla (known as the 8 x's). This was an overspill of the Royal Arsenal, Woolwich.

At its peak the Arsenal had 40,000 workers, many of them women. Large numbers of them were bussed in from the Rhondda and the valleys. At the time the Arsenal was the largest factory (employee-wise) ever in the UK.

In 1945, seventy prisoners of war from Island Farm managed to escape through a tunnel although all were recaptured. While Bridgend was as important during the war as any other part of Wales, and although it was photographed by the Luftwaffe, it was never "blitzed". This was largely due to the area's air pocket, which made bombing extremely hazardous for incoming planes. Unlike Bridgend, both Swansea and Cardiff did not escape such attacks.

The Admiralty ceased full scale production in December 1945 after 5 years. Two of the munitions storage magazines in the Brackla ROF site were converted to a RGHQ (Regional Government Headquarters) during the Cold War as part of the UK continuity of government plans. It is now in the hands of a private company. See Subterranea Britannica for more information on the Brackla RGHQ.

Post-war Bridgend

Bridgend remained a solid market town after the War. In 1948, Newbridge Fields (a short distance from the town centre) hosted the 1948 National Eisteddfod. In 1960, the River Ogmore burst its banks and flooded the town centre. Subsequent floods and extreme weather led the Welsh Water Authority to develop concrete flood defence walls along the banks of the Ogmore River in the town centre. The town centre has not been flooded since, although the defences are considered to be lacking in aesthetic quality by some locals. During this time Bridgend was chosen to become the headquarters for South Wales Police. This action was ideal as geographically, Bridgend stands at an equidistance between both Swansea to the west and Cardiff to the east. The Beeching cuts of the 1960s saw the loss of passenger rail links in the Vale of Glamorgan and to the northern valleys. The Vale of Glamorgan link to Barry via Rhoose was re-instated in June 2005.

In the 1970s, Bridgend would begin to see the catalyst of arguably its biggest growth period. The missing section of the M4 motorway was constructed around the town, plans were afoot to change the Waterton Admiralty into an Industrial Estate, and the water supply was improved including new sewage treatment works near Ogmore.

Two major multinational corporations, the Ford Motor Company and Sony set up factories in, or on the outskirts of the new Bridgend Industrial Estate (former Waterton Arsenal).

During the 1980s with the development of the Brackla housing estate the future of Bridgend seemed bright. By the 1990s the estate had grown to become the largest privately-owned housing estate in Europe.

The Margaret Thatcher-led closure of the Welsh coal industry brought mass-unemployment and social problems to the valleys to the north. However, this led to a greater general standard of living for many in the areas previously dominated by coal mining. By the late 1980s all coal mines in the area had ceased operations and the former mine workers either commuted or moved to central Bridgend to work at the newly-developed industrial estates. This was typical for much of South Wales which was at the time moving from a mining-based economy and into a new service and textile-based one.

A new Securicor operated prison (HM Parc Prison) was built near Coity in the late 1990s. The prison opened in November 1997 and is the only private prison in Wales.

Modern Bridgend and the future

Further new housing developments at Broadlands (near Newbridge Fields) and the never ending expansion of Brackla have caused Bridgend's population to swell dramatically. Traffic became a real problem in the archaic town centre, in 1997 a new linkroad/bypass was built to link the town centre directly to the M4 motorway as well as redirect traffic around the town centre.

The local council started a scheme to pedestrianise the town centre. This has been met with criticism by the traders and shoppers alike because of poor construction, poor design and poor access. Excessive car parking charges as well as the dominance of UK retail giant Tesco in and around the area (it has 2 large superstores, one small convenience store and a further larger one awaiting planning permission) has led Bridgend to be jokingly called "a little town beyond Tesco" (cf Little England beyond Wales).

Out-of-town shopping and the construction of the McArthur Glen Retail Complex near the M4 motorway has led to the slow decline of the town centre. Competition from Cardiff and Swansea in terms of retail choice and ease of access has led to the town becoming a less popular choice with locals. The town centre offers little retail choice, with the amount of mobile phone and greetings card shops becoming a running joke. The construction of an award-winning new bus station in 2004 and a rethink to traffic movement around the town centre has seen a halt to the decline, although parking space is becoming a real issue with residents in and around the town.

The WRU intended to build a Rugby Academy at the historical site of Island Farm. The unpopularity of such an action led to the termination of such plans and a new coalition council taking control over the former Labour Party administration. Also, at Parc Derwen, near Coity Castle a massive new sustainable housing development of 1500 homes is also awaiting planning permission. The villages of Merthyr Mawr, Coity, Laleston and Ewenny are under threat of being absorbed by the urban sprawl of Bridgend.

Culture

Bridgend hosted the National Eisteddfod in 1948 and 1998.

Bridgend has its own commercial radio station: 106.3 Bridge FM.

Celtic Crusaders play at the Brewery Field (so called because there was a Brewery near the site). The side are considered to be a "replacement" for the Celtic Warriors rugby union side, who were controversially disbanded in 2004 despite a strong finish in the Celtic League that season. The Crusaders are currently in Rugby League's National League Two and are aiming to be in Super League by 2009. Bridgend RFC, a rugby union side rent the Brewery Field from the Crusaders in the winter months.

Bridgend's other rugby league side is the Bridgend Blue Bulls, the current Welsh and British Amateur champions and one the UK's most successful amateur clubs. The Bulls have played at Coychurch Road and the Brewery Field but are considering a move to the nearby seaside town of Porthcawl.
Bridgend also has football teams, it's main one being Bridgend Town FC, as well as local cricket sides.

The local Member of Parliament is Madeline Moon MP (Labour), the Welsh Assembly Member for Bridgend is Carwyn Jones AM (Labour) along with regional AM's (South West Wales) Alun Cairns AM (Conservative), Dai Lloyd AM (Plaid Cymru), Janet Davies AM (Plaid Cymru) and Peter Black (Liberal Democrat).

The local council was formerly led by Jeff Jones; but in the local elections of 2003, the longstanding Labour Party administration was replaced by a "rainbow coalition" of Liberal Democrats, Conservatives, Plaid Cymru and Independents.

Bridgend is home to rock bands Funeral for a Friend and Bullet For My Valentine, two of the leading bands in today's Emo rock music scene. As with most bands given the 'Emo' label, the correctness of this is often denied by many fans. However, Bridgend is home to plenty of nu-metal, hard rock and emo acts that are playing the clubs of the area, making it a prominant part of the South Wales emo scene. This has drawn criticsm from those who dislike the culture and the music, but, as it continues to draw, clubs and venues continue to hold such gigs in the area. Both Funeral for a Friend and Bullet For My Valentine began their careers by playing venues in Bridgend such as the local Recreation Centre.

Twinning

Bridgend has twinning arrangements with:
* Langenau, Germany
* Villenave D'Ornon, France

Famous people from Bridgend

*Downtown Julie Brown (Actress)
*Mark Donovan (Actor)
*Bullet For My Valentine (Band)
*Funeral for a Friend (Band)
*Hondo Maclean (Band)
*The Partisans (Band)
*Howard Marks (International drug-smuggler and author)
*David Emanuel (fashion designer)
*Gavin Henson (Rugby player)
*Robert Howley (Rugby player)
*Gareth Thomas (Rugby player)
*Scott Gibbs (Rugby player)
*Gareth Llewellyn (Rugby player)
*JPR Williams (Rugby player)

Bridgend: Encyclopedia BETA

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