Torfaen (Welsh: Tor-faen) is a county borough in south-east Wales, filling the valley of the Afon Lwyd between Blaenavon and Cwmbran. It covers 49 square miles (126 km2) and had 92,276 residents at the 2021 census. The council is based at the Civic Centre in Pontypool.
Cwmbran is much the largest town, followed by Pontypool, Abersychan and Blaenavon. The borough is long and narrow: 14 miles from top to bottom, rarely more than four miles wide.
| Country | Wales, United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Welsh name | Tor-faen |
| Area | 49 sq mi (126 km2) |
| Population (2021) | 92,276 |
| Density | 732 people per km2 |
| Welsh speakers | 11.5% (2021 census) |
| Largest town | Cwmbran |
| Council | Torfaen County Borough Council |
| Postcodes | NP4, NP44 |
Towns and Villages in Torfaen
The county borough has 67 named settlements. Cwmbran was built as a new town from 1949 and its estates, from Coed Eva and Fairwater to Llanyrafon and Two Locks, are separate places in daily use. North of Pontypool the older mining villages, Garndiffaith, Talywain, Varteg and Cwmavon, sit on the valley sides.
- Abersychan
- Blaenavon
- British
- Castell-y-bwch
- Charlesville
- Coed Eva
- Croes-y-mwyalch
- Croesyceiliog
- Cwm Ffrwd-oer
- Cwm-Fields
- Cwmavon
- Cwmbran
- Cwmynyscoy
- Five Locks
- Forge Hammer
- Forge Side
- Garn-yr-erw
- Garndiffaith
- Golynos
- Greenmeadow
- Griffithstown
- Henllys
- Henllys Vale
- Hollybush
- Llanfrechfa
- Llantarnam
- Llanvihangel Pontymoel
- Llanyrafon
- Lower New Inn
- Lowlands
- Middle Coedcae
- Mount Pleasant
- New Inn
- Northville
- Oakfield
- Old Cwmbran
- Panteg
- Pen-twyn
- Pentrepiod
- Penygarn
- Penyrheol
- Pont-y-felin
- Ponthir
- Pontnewydd
- Pontnewynydd
- Pontrhydyrun
- Pontymoel
- Pontypool
- Snatchwood
- Southville
- Sowhill
- St Dials
- Talywain
- Thornhill
- Tranch
- Trevethin
- Trosnant
- Two Locks
- Ty Canol
- Ty Coch
- Upper Coedcae
- Upper Cwmbran
- Upper Race
- Varteg Hill
- Victoria Village
- Wainfelin
- Waterloo
Geography
The Afon Lwyd, the grey river, rises above Blaenavon and runs 14 miles south through Abersychan, Pontypool and Cwmbran to join the Usk near Caerleon. Torfaen means breaker of stones and was the older name for the same river.
Blaenau Gwent and Caerphilly lie to the west, Newport to the south and Monmouthshire to the east. The northern tip around Blaenavon reaches 1,896 ft (578 m) on Coity Mountain and lies inside Bannau Brycheiniog National Park.
Demographics
The 2021 census counted 92,276 usual residents, up from 91,075 in 2011. Cwmbran holds about half of them; the population thins steadily northwards up the valley.
11.5% of residents aged three and over could speak Welsh in 2021. The figure reflects Welsh-medium schooling rather than continuous community use; Ysgol Gyfun Gwynllyw at Trevethin serves the whole of Gwent.
Economy and Local Life
Manufacturing still matters here more than in most of south Wales. Cwmbran’s industrial estates carry electronics, plastics and food production, and the town centre draws shoppers from across Gwent.
Public services, distribution and construction make up the rest. Tourism is concentrated at Blaenavon, where Big Pit National Coal Museum admits visitors free and takes them 300 ft underground with former miners as guides. Pontypool Park, Llandegfedd Reservoir and the Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal draw local visitors.
History
Iron came first. The Blaenavon Ironworks opened in 1789 and its blast furnaces survive largely intact. At Blaenavon in 1878 Sidney Gilchrist Thomas and Percy Gilchrist worked out how to remove phosphorus from iron, which allowed most of the world’s ore to be turned into cheap steel.
The Blaenavon Industrial Landscape was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2000, covering the ironworks, Big Pit, the tramroads and the quarries around them. Pontypool was known for japanware, a lacquered tinplate made there from the 1660s, and Pontypool Park was the seat of the Hanbury family who ran the local ironworks.
Cwmbran was designated a new town in 1949 to house workers for the Gwent coalfield and grew from a village to the largest settlement in the borough within 30 years. Torfaen was a district of the county of Gwent from 1974 and became a principal area in 1996.
Getting There
The A4042 dual carriageway runs the length of the borough from Newport through Cwmbran and Pontypool to Abergavenny, meeting the M4 at junction 26. The A472 crosses west to Ystrad Mynach, and the A4043 climbs to Blaenavon.
Cwmbran station, opened in 1986, is on the Welsh Marches line with trains to Newport, Cardiff, Hereford and Manchester. Pontypool and New Inn station is on the same route. The Pontypool and Blaenavon Railway runs heritage trains to Big Pit. Cardiff Airport is about 30 miles away and Bristol Airport about 35.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the population of Torfaen?
92,276 at the 2021 census, in an area of just 49 square miles.
What is the largest town in Torfaen?
Cwmbran, with roughly half the borough’s population. Pontypool, Abersychan and Blaenavon follow.
How many villages are there in Torfaen?
67 named settlements are listed above, including the Cwmbran new-town estates and the older mining villages north of Pontypool.
What does Torfaen mean?
Breaker of stones. It was the old name of the river now called the Afon Lwyd, the grey river.
What are the postcodes for Torfaen?
NP44 covers Cwmbran and NP4 covers Pontypool, Abersychan and Blaenavon.
Where is Torfaen?
In south-east Wales, between Newport and Abergavenny, running north from Cwmbran up the Afon Lwyd valley to Blaenavon.