Pontypool

The Afon Lwyd valley, in which Pontypool is situated, provided an abundance of resources for the manufacturing of iron, including coal, iron ore, charcoal and waterpower. The wider technological developments of the Tudor period, such as the utilisation of blast furnaces to produce iron, allowed for the greater exploitation of the mineral resources of south Wales. A blast furnace was in use at Monkswood, near Pontypool, from as early as 1536 and was followed by the erection of other blast furnaces in the area surrounding Pontypool. An ironworks was established in what later became Pontypool Park in c. 1575. Forges, where cast iron could be converted into wrought iron, were also developed and included Town Forge within Pontypool, which was in operation during the last quarter of the sixteenth century, and the Osborne Forge, near Pontnewynydd, which produced the renowned Osmond iron.