At the heart of this town was the Ebbw Vale Iron Works (later to become the Steel Works) and the Many coal mines that were formed around 1790, Brynmawr, was home originally to ironworkers at Clydach, Nantyglo and Blaina.

At the end of the 18th century, the population the Ebbw Fawr valley was only about 140. However the founding of the Ebbw Vale Ironworks in 1778 transformed the valley. In 1781, the furnace and ironworks employed around 70 workers. By 1815, the population of the valley had grown to 1200.

In 1803 the name of Ebbw was still spelt Ebwy and doubtless this was obtained from the river of that name which runs along the side of the town. The town itself is situated one thousand feet above sea level. It is also known that during the last 18 and 19 hundreds the town of Ebbw Vale was know as Pen-y-Cae. Some of the older members of the town still call it by this name. The town itself is situated in one of the many valleys in the hills of South Wales, UK.

The second half of the century saw Ebbw Vale begin to take shape. 1853 saw the opening of the Literary and Scientific Institute. Christ Church was consecrated in 1869.

Conditions for workers in Ebbw Vale gradually improved, with the

working day reduced to nine hours in the 1880s. Also the hated 'Truck Shops' were abolished in 1872. These were often overpriced company-owned shops which people were obliged to use, as the company would allow no other competition. Much of the credit for these improvements lies with the trade union movement, which was strong in the area.

A precursor of the National Health Service was set up here as early as 1851, with the establishment of the first Board of Health in England and Wales.

The Ebbw Vale Company followed the example of Dowlais when in 1866 they commenced the manufacture of steel. In 1875-76 the works comprised of seven five-ton Bessemer converters, six Meland cupolas for supplying molten pig for the converters. six ordinary cupolas for smelting spiegeleisen, one 30" train of rolls driven by a pair of 50" vertical engines of 4’ stroke, six large Siemens gas heating furnaces for ingots and blooms, also twenty-four gas producers. When in full production at that time Ebbw Vale could produce 1,000 tons of ingots per week, 800 tons of rails were rolled per week. In 1886, 154,407 tons of pig iron were made, railway iron bars, angles. etc., 9.894 tons. and from us foundries 7,330 tons of castings.

Mr. Abraham Darby and Mr. Thomas Brown both managing partners of the great concern between the years 1864-1873, were both gifted men of genial disposition, firm yet kind. They were followed by Windsor Richards 1873-75, John F. Rowbotham 1876-1881, C. B. Holland 1881-1892, Franklin Hillon 892-1899. Sir Frederick Mills 1899-1920, A. B. Sweet-Escort 1920-22. F. P. Hann 1922-27.

Connection with somerset continued in the form of a mineral Railway, together with its iron mining sites, the line ran six miles from Watchet to Comberow, at the foot of the Brendon Hills. In order to reach the ironstone mines at the top of the hill, a 1100 yards long incline was constructed on a gradient of 1 in 4, lifting the railway 800ft to the top of the hill.From the top of the incline, the railway was extended westwards in 1864 to serve other ironstone mines. Mineral trains took iron ore to Watchet Harbour, where it was loaded onto boats at and sent to the Ebbw Vale Ironworks in South Wales. The railway was closed in 1898 due to rising imports of cheaper foreign ore. A brief reopening of the mines by a syndicate was short lived, and the railway was last used in 1914.

The works continued to expand, in 1916-17 two mechanically charged blast furnaces were constructed which were partially dismantled and modified in 1936 and a third furnace added.

The Ebbw Vale Steel, Iron & Coal Company was taken over by Richard Thomas & Co., in 1936 and a new steel plant and strip mill was erected. Later, Baldwins amalgamated with Richard Thomas and the works continued to function under the Richard Thomas and Baldwins Group up to the time of steel nationalization under the Labour Government when it was absorbed into what is now known as the British Steel Corporation.

The quarries continued to supply limestone to the Ebbw Vale works throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. In 1908, the Trefil Rail Road was converted into a narrow-gauge railway on which two locomotives and hopper wagons brought limestone to the furnaces.

A little to the west of the Rassau Industrial estate ( at SO 1387 1173) is well-preserved, in situ run of four well-preserved, stone sleepers. Sleepers I to III are set at regular 0.75m intervals. Sleeper I (the most westerly) measures 60cm by 30cm, sleepers II and III are 50cm by 30cm. Sleeper IV lies some 6m to the east of sleeper III at SO 1387 1172 (399m OD) and measures 50cm by 52cm.

The image above shows the rail track from Hereford - Merthyr Tydfil before 1959

The Brynmarw - Ebbw Vale line ran from - platform 1
Depart. 7.25, 8.39, 9.16, 10.00, 11.00, 12.25,
13.00, 14.00, 15.15, 15.40, 16.15, 17.48, 18.22, 19.00, 20.15, 21.13, 22.20

Brynmawr - Ebbw Vale line closed to passengers on 2nd April 1951- .
On the 2nd November 1959 it closed to freight.

Day	Month	Year	Company	Event
1700's
		1779	Beaufort Ironworks	Lease to the Kendall family of land between Beaufort and Gilwern.
		1780	Beaufort Ironworks	Opened.
		1794	Rassa Railroad	Sirhowy Ironworks connected to the Beaufort Ironworks by the Rassa Railroad. Tramroads served limestone quarries at Trevil and area to the north.
		1799	Beaufort Ironworks Tramway	Opened from Crumlin to Beaufort Ironworks.
1800's
26	6	1802	Monmouthshire Canal Tramway	Act passed for the Monmouthshire Canal to build a line from Newport to Nine Mile Point and from Risca to Crumlin to join the Beaufort Ironworks Tramway.
		1833	Beaufort Ironworks	Crawshay Bailey buys ironworks for £45,000. Beaufort starts to supply iron for the mills at Nantyglo.
		1837	Beaufort Ironworks Tramway	Passenger station by Victoria Ironworks and Ebbw Vale Company's Victoria Colliery called Victoria.
21	12	1850	Beaufort Ironworks Tramway	Aberbeeg opened
		1855	Monmouthshire Canal Tramway	Converted to standard gauge and passenger services commence between Newport and Nantyglo.
			Beaufort Ironworks Tramway
			Blaina Branch
20	10	1855	Taff Vale Extension	Connection to the Beaufort Ironworks Tramway at Llanhilleth Junction opened.
		1855	Monmouthshire Canal Tramway	Converted to standard gauge and passenger services commence between Newport and Nantyglo.
			Beaufort Ironworks Tramway
			Blaina Branch
20	10	1855	Taff Vale Extension	Connection to the Beaufort Ironworks Tramway at Llanhilleth Junction opened.
1	9	1867	Beaufort Ironworks Tramway, London and North Western Railway, South Wales	Link between lines opened.
		1871	Crawshay Bailey	Sells the Nantyglo and Beaufort Ironworks for £300,000.
		1872	Nantyglo and Beaufort Ironworks Company	Many mines flooded in bad weather.
1	1	1873	London and North Western Railway South Wales	Line extended to Dowlais Top and Ivor Junction with the Brecon and Merthyr Railway and access to Dowlais Lloyd Street and the Dowlais Iron Company.
	11	1873	London and North Western Railway South Wales	Bill for line to Merthyr and the Brecon and Merthyr Railway, Vale of Neath Railway and Geothin Railway.
18	5	1874	London and North Western Railway South Wales, Brecon and Merthyr Railway	London and North Western Railway agrees to withdraw Merthyr bill in exchange for joint ownership of the Brecon and Merthyr Railway branch from Dowlais to Merthyr. A link was to be opened from Penywern Junction, by Ivor Junction, and run from there to Morlais on the Brecon and Merthyr Railway.
14	6	1874	London and North Western Railway South Wales	Morlais Tunnel completed.
16	7	1874	London and North Western Railway South Wales	Act for extension from Penywern Junction to Morlais.
		1874	Nantyglo and Beaufort Ironworks Company	Closed.
14	2	1881	London and North Western Railway South Wales	Cwmbargoed Junction to Cwmbargoed (LNWR) opened.
4	5	1885	London and North Western Railway South Wales	Dowlais High Street opened, through trains to Merthyr stop using Dowlais Lloyd Street, and Dowlais Top closed.
1990's
		1937	London and North Western Railway South Wales	Cwmbargoed branch closed.
22	11	1954	London and North Western Railway South Wales	Freight services transferred to Great Western Railway routes.
6	1	1958	London and North Western Railway South Wales	Closed to passengers.
5	2	1951	Beaufort Ironworks Tramway, London and North Western Railway, South Wales	Link closed to passengers.
2	11	1959	Beaufort Ironworks Tramway, London and North Western Railway, South Wales	Link closed completely.
30	4	1962	Beaufort Ironworks Tramway	Closed to passengers.
30	4	1962	Beaufort Ironworks Tramway	Aberbeeg closed

The Ebbw Vale Forge School provide education for children living in Pond Row, Armoury Row, School Row, Forge Row, and Church Row-now replaced by Holland Street, Alexander Street, Church Street and Church Crescent. In addition the settlement of Briery Hill known to Welsh speaking natives as Twyn Dryseog . The English translation for Twyn is
Tump or mound, hence the traditional nickname for the area.

The Ebbw Vale Forge schools had been built and managed by the Ebbw Vale Company, owners of the iron work and forges. They provided very bad accommodation.

An Education Act of 1870 enabled Elementary Schools to be set up throughout England and Wales by locally elected Church School Boards. Ebbw Vale had developed within the boundaries of four churches. So it's schools came under four different school boards-Aberystruth, Bedwellry,Llangattock and
Llangynidir. The last two lay to the North of the valley and were still rural to
A certain extent. Aberystruth, bedweelliy church lay to the east and went of the river Ebbw.

Was born in Tredegar, Monmouthshire on November 15, 1897. Although not a native Ebbw Valian, Aneurin Bevan The son of a miner, he went down the pit himself at the age of 13 and overcome a severe stammer to become chairman of his local lodge of the South Wales Miners Federation, local Councillor, and eventually a prominent Government Minister where he represented Ebbw Vale in Parliament and served as the town's MP from 1929 until his death in 1960.

His most significant achievement was the shaping of the National Health Service through unifying the network of local authority and voluntary hospitals in a single national system. Medical Aid Societies, formed in the area during the 19th century, provided a model for the National Health Service.

His successor as MP for the area, Michael Foot MP, said Ebbw Vale was, '...a name known all over the world - thanks to steel, Aneurin Bevan and to the individuality of its people and history.'

Steel production in Ebbw Vale was phased out by 1974, with production transferred to Llanwern, in Newport. This was done without large-scale redundancies.

Noble people of Ebbw Vale

On May 1st 1992 the Ebbw Vale Garden Festival was opened to the general public and ran for a period of six months until 4th October 1992. Its mascot was a clown-type figure called Gryff which was Ebbw Vale's version of Mickey Mouse.

The main area of the garden festival is now a housing estate, where sports stars and the like have chosen to live, the wooded area now keeps an owl sanctuary with a shopping area nearby.

The railway link will be reopened in Ebbw vale with six stations that will be located at Ebbw Vale Parkway, Victoria, Llanhilleth, Newbridge, Crosskeys, Risca and Rogerstone with an hourly service to Cardiff that will start in 2005 followed by an hourly service to Newport in 2009, but what they failed to say is that the station will be situated three miles from the town its self or the timetable of these trains.

On Jan 20th 2005 we see that the promise of the Ebbw Vale line reopening scheme had become a victim of the rail industry's out-of-control cost escalation.

Phase 1 (Ebbw Vale to Cardiff hourly) will not now commence until 2007, and instead of a lengthy double-line section in the central part of the route, most of it will be built as single track with single-platform stations. This will preclude a half-hourly service and eliminate freight paths. This hardly inspires confidence that :-

Phase 2 will ever be funded. That was to include building back into Ebbw Vale town, and to Abertillery, with two trains per hour in the valley - one to Newport and one to Cardiff. We regard this later phase as essential if the railway is to fulfil its potential.

Past experience amply demonstrates that when a reopening scheme is built with minimum capital exenditure, subsequent expansion is much more expensive than it would have been if provision had been made at the outset. In the case of Ebbw Vale, the second phase will now be a bigger construction job which will have to take place on a working railway, and this in itself will add to costs.

In January 2005 we see the installation of the cctv cameras the local headlines state that its to protect innocent people from the yobbish culture that is supposed to be rife on the town, ( yes this is true if you also believe the sky is pink with bright green spots, as all this will do is to make the town a no go area for innocent people who concider there civil liberties to be more important and push the so called yobbish culture into the nearby council house estates of Hiltop, Briery Hill and others.)

The former Borough of Blaenau Gwent was formed by the amalgamation of the Abertillery Urban District, the Brynmawr Urban District, the Ebbw Vale Urban District, the Nantyglo and Blaina Urban District, the Tredegar Urban District and part of the Crickhowell Rural District.