Visiting the Town - a brief history

John Griffith Williams came to Blaenavon in 1830 as a draper and proved to be Blaenavon’s first business entrepreneur. When he first arrived he remarked that there were only “five chapels, four shops, five public houses and very few cottages”. He soon became an influential man in Blaenavon and supplied the town with its first brewery, first hotel (The Lion), its first hall (The Coliseum, now demolished), a pottery, gas works, water works, town hall, street lighting, market, and influenced the establishment of Broad Street and a road connecting Blaenavon to Brynmawr.

Within a short space of time the population grew due to the influx of workers seeking employment at the Blaenavon Ironworks and local coal mines. With this growth in population came the rapid expansion of the town and by the end of the 19th Century Blaenavon was a thriving town full of terraced houses, shops, chapels, churches and public houses. A building that illustrates the prosperity of the town at this time is the Workmen’s Hall & Institute which was opened in 1895 at a cost of £10,000, partly paid for by the workmen themselves through weekly contributions.

Broad Street has been the main commercial area of the town since 1875. Originally it was known as ‘Heol-y-Nant’ or Brook Street due to the stream that ran down it’s length to the Afon Lwyd. It was once only a narrow street with a few houses and had a low wall and a hedge running between the street and the brook.

By 1881 Broad Street was a thriving commercial area with, among others, ten grocer shops, seven drapers, three watchmakers and two fishmongers. Well known faces in the town would have no doubt been Henry Davies the chemist of 74 Broad Street (Inspirations Jewellery & Gifts today), Joseph Perkins the boot maker of 82 Broad Street (The Card Shop today), George Archer the paint & decorators shop at 33 Broad Street (Browning’s Bookshop today), and Job Williams the butcher of 24 Broad Street which has been a butchers shop since 1911 and is still a traditional Butchers shop today (Morris Butchers)

The town of Blaenavon by 1901 had 18 churches and chapels which dominated the life of the town. They were not only places of worship but provided education, law and order and entertainment through choirs and bands. In the town there were now over two hundred commercial buildings, dozens of public houses and eight schools to cater for the town’s increasing population. Broad Street was home to a variety of shops such as grocers, butchers, boot makers, jewellers, ironmonger and a book shop!
Today, the town still has the traditional shops which now sit comfortably side- by-side second-hand bookshops, gift shops and cafes.

For further information on where to stay, please contact the Tourist Information Centre (Tel:01495 742333) located at the new World Heritage Centre, or email blaenavon.tic@torfaen.gov.uk