Pontllanfraith

Pontllanfraith (Pontllanfraith ) is a large village and community located in the Sirhowy Valley in Caerphilly County Borough, Wales, within the historic boundaries of Monmouthshire. It is situated adjacent to the town of Blackwood, with the Sirhowy River passing through both locations. The village includes the communities of the Penllwyn, Springfield and The Bryn. The population of the community at the 2011 census was 8,552.

The name of the village is a combination of pont "bridge" + llyn "lake" + fraith "speckled", "the bridge of the speckled lake". Although a masculine noun in Modern Welsh, llyn "lake" was feminine in the medieval language of the south, hence the mutated feminine form fraith, rather than unmutated masculine brith as would be found today. The word fraith probably refers to speckled sunlight on the water of a pool in the Sirhowy River. The modern name acquired the change from llyn "lake" to llan "church", a common element in Welsh toponymy, somewhere around the eighteenth century and led to the belief that there was a saint called Braith, whose mutated form Fraith was similar to Ffraid, Welsh for Saint Brigid.

The Penllwyn Manor, an old stone building which is now a public house, was originally part of the Tredegar Estate, and is believed to be the original home of the family of the pirate Henry Morgan. In 1912, at the 17th century mill in Gelligroes amateur wireless operator Artie Moore picked up a distress signal from the RMS Titanic using wireless receiving equipment. Pontllanfraith was home to a Welsh coal mining community during the early to mid 20th century, providing homes for men working in a number of local pits such as Wyllie, Penallta, and Oakdale. In 1874 and 1875, Gelligroes Colliery was established, striking the Mynyddislwyn Red Ash vein, although the pits were later abandoned in 1875 due to water problems. In 1914, Lloyd's Navigation Steam Coal Co. Ltd. restarted work at the colliery, but World War I caused it to stop again. The colliery was abandoned for a second time in 1915. The colliery was used for a final time in 1917 after being acquired by the Tredegar Iron & Coal Co. Ltd., but was abandoned again in 1918.

Following the 2011 census, Caerphilly County Borough Council published a profile for each ward. This profile covered population, age structure, economic activity and inactivity, ethic groups, national identity, marital status, hours worked, car/van ownership, lone parents, health and provision of unpaid care, qualifications, household spaces and accommodation types, household tenure, industry of employment, household composition, occupation groups and knowledge of Welsh. Notable findings include:
Out of the 8,552 residents, 4,230 were male and 4,322 were female. 30 44 year olds were the largest age group, making up 19.5% of the total population. 99.1% of the population was white. 70.5% of males were economically active compared to 59.5% of females (aged 16–74). 80.6% identified as 'Welsh' whilst 22.6% identified as British (more than one option could be selected). 6,900 residents were aged 16+, with 48.3% being married. 76.8% of households owned at least one car/van. 68.7% of households were owner occupied. 85.9% of the population aged three and above had no knowledge of the Welsh language.

In 1926, Pontllanfraith Secondary School opened. In 1944, under the Tripartite System, it became Pontllanfraith Grammar School, and in 1959 it became Pontllanfraith Grammar Technical School (incorporating Pontllanfraith Technical School). In 1975, it became known as Pontllanfraith Comprehensive School, after incorporating Ynysddu Secondary Modern School (which existed from 1948 to 1975). Pontllanfraith Comprehensive School closed in 2016. As part of the Welsh Government's 21st Century Schools Programme, Pontllanfraith Comprehensive School and Oakdale Comprehensive School were merged together to form Islwyn High School. Due to construction being incomplete, pupils remained on the Pontllanfraith and Oakdale sites until 2017 before moving to the new building located on the former site of Oakdale Colliery. On 28 September 2017 the then First Minister Carwyn Jones officially opened Islwyn High School. Pontllanfraith is home to numerous primary schools; Bryn Primary School, Penllwyn Primary School and Pontllanfraith Primary School.

Pontllanfraith is a Caerphilly County Borough Council ward, comprising three seats. The current councillors are Mike Adams, Patricia Cook and Colin Gordon. At a parliamentary and devolved level, Pontllanfraith is part of the constituency of Islwyn.

+2022, Electorate: 6416, Turnout: 30.99%CandidatePartyVotes%NotesMike AdamsWelsh Labour1,04519.98%ElectedCathrine ClarkWelsh Conservative Party3737.13%Pat CookWelsh Labour92617.7%ElectedColin John GordonWelsh Labour81515.58%ElectedJacob PearceSocial Democratic Party Wales2104.01%Laura Jane RichardsIndependent 78214.95%James Freeman WellsIndependent 5159.85%Roy WilliamsIndependent 56510.8%

+2017, Electorate: 6241, Turnout: 36.5%CandidatePartyVotes%NotesMichael AdamsWelsh Labour1,10718.27%ElectedColin John GordonWelsh Labour1,03917.15%ElectedGez KirbyWelsh Labour96615.95%ElectedJim CriddlePlaid Cymru77312.76% Zoe Alexandra HammondPlaid Cymru5899.72% Andrew WilliamsonWelsh Conservative Party5448.98% Wendy PhillipsWelsh Conservative Party5338.80% Mike JacksonPlaid Cymru5078.37%

+2012, Electorate: 6208, Turnout: 36.07%CandidatePartyVotes%NotesMike AdamsWelsh Labour1,30021.04ElectedJim CriddlePlaid Cymru5639.11%John EvansWelsh Conservative Party2273.67%Colin John GordonWelsh Labour1,25020.23%ElectedZoe Alexandra HammondPlaid Cymru4296.94% Winifred Margaret JonesWelsh Conservative Party2033.29% Gez KirbyWelsh Labour1,15818.74%Elected Anna LewisIndependent3095% Jane MclainWelsh Conservative Party2053.32% Malcolm George ParkerPlaid Cymru5358.66%

+2008, Electorate: 6300, Turnout: 36.2%CandidatePartyVotes%NotesJim CriddlePlaid Cymru98414.22%ElectedMalcolm ParkerPlaid Cymru96513.95%ElectedMichael AdamsWelsh Labour79411.48%ElectedMalcolm PritchardPlaid Cymru77611.22%Gwyn PriceWelsh Labour74810.81% Gerald KirbyWelsh Labour6619.55% Teresa EtheridgeIndependent5798.37%Ian ChiversWelsh Conservative Party3254.7% Pat LambethIndependent3084.45% Jane McLainWelsh Conservative Party2784.02%Phyllis HuntWelsh Conservative Party2653.83%Piers LangheltIndependent2353.4%

+2004, Electorate: 5940, Turnout: 36%CandidatePartyVotes%NotesMalcolm ParkerPlaid Cymru1,03315.56%ElectedMichael AdamsWelsh Labour98614.85%ElectedGwyn PriceWelsh Labour90413.62%ElectedMalcolm PritchardPlaid Cymru83812.62%Ian RogersWelsh Labour83512.58% Gwenfron WilliamsPlaid Cymru76011.45% Patricia PresleyIndependent6369.58%Ian ChiversWelsh Conservative Party3415.14% Jane McLainWelsh Conservative Party3064.61%

+1999, Electorate: 6285, Turnout: 40%CandidatePartyVotes%NotesM. ParkerPlaid Cymru1,90822.56%ElectedM. PritchardPlaid Cymru1,56118.46%ElectedG. WilliamsPlaid Cymru1,49317.65%ElectedJ. MorganWelsh Labour1,16113.73%R. SaralisWelsh Labour1,15413.65% H. MosesWelsh Labour91410.81% J. ShillitoWelsh Conservative Party2663.15%

+1995, Electorate: 6202, Turnout: 39.3%CandidatePartyVotes%NotesJ. MorganWelsh Labour1,65219.8%ElectedR. SaralisWelsh Labour1,61519.35%ElectedH. MosesWelsh Labour1,36716.38%ElectedM. ParkerPlaid Cymru1,35116.19%J. RichardsPlaid Cymru1,17514.08% A. BrookbanksPlaid Cymru91610.98% D. PitmanWelsh Conservative Party1511.81%J. ShillitoWelsh Conservative Party1181.41%

Caerphilly County Borough Council previous had council offices at the building named Pontllanfraith House, although they now been demolished. The land has since been sold to a property developer and construction on a new housing estate has begun. This was regarded as a controversial move, both prior to and following the demolition of Pontllanfraith House, with councilors raising concerns about affordable housing for the existing population.

Pontllanfraith is under the jurisdiction of the Aneurin Bevan University Health Board. Blackwood Medical Group, an approved training practice, runs two centres – Avicenna Medical Centre and Oakdale Medical Centre, with the former being situated in Pontllanfraith. Pontllanfraith Medical Centre is located on the same site and is contracted to provide core services such as immunisations, child health surveillance and limited minor surgery procedures alongside a number of additional services. Pontllanfraith Pharmacy, an independent NHS Community Pharmacy, is situated adjacent to Pontllanfraith Medical Centre.

Pontllanfraith Rugby Football Club run a number of teams, with the first fifteen playing their home matches at Islwyn Park. The club has been in existence for many years and the first entry on the captain's board relates to the season 1958–59. Ponllanfraith Diamonds Cycle Club founded by Roland Morgan in 1958, which spawned a number of successful cyclists until it disbanded in 1968. Pontllanfraith A. F. C. was a football club which operated from 1947 until 1992, when they merged with Fields Park Athletic A. F. C. to form Fields Park Pontllanfraith. The club was dissolved in 2005. Pontllanfraith Leisure Centre is situated on the same site as the former comprehensive school. Although still operational, Caerphilly County Borough Council has expressed intentions of closing it to invest the £125,000 annual running cost elsewhere. In 2019, a High Court bid to overturn the council's planned closure succeeded under the principle of "public sector equality duty". However, in 2020, the Court of Appeal overturned the decision, and an appeal to the Supreme Court was rejected.