Ebbw Vale

Ebbw Vale (Welsh: Glyn Ebwy) is a town at the head of the valley formed by the Ebbw Fawr tributary of the Ebbw River, south Wales. It is the largest town and the administrative centre of Blaenau Gwent county borough. The Ebbw Vale and Brynmawr conurbation has a population of roughly 33,000. Originally a rather insignificant spot in rural Monmouthshire with only about 140 inhabitants at the end of the 18th century, Ebbw Vale—and the whole valley—was transformed by the Industrial Revolution. The Ebbw Vale Iron Works, later to become the Ebbw Steel works, opened in 1778, followed by the opening of a number of coal mines around 1790. At its height (1930s — 40s) the steel works in Ebbw Vale was the largest in Europe, attracting attention...