Ogmore Vale

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For other places, see Ogmore (disambiguation).
Ogmore Vale
Welsh: Cwm Ogwr
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Ogmore Vale is located in Bridgend
Ogmore Vale
Ogmore Vale
 Ogmore Vale shown within Bridgend
Population 3,117 (ward 2011)[1]
OS grid reference SS929904
Community Ogmore Valley
Principal area Bridgend
Ceremonial county Mid Glamorgan
Country Wales
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Post town BRIDGEND
Postcode district CF32 7xx
Dialling code 01656
Police South Wales
Fire South Wales
Ambulance Welsh
EU Parliament Wales
UK Parliament Bridgend
Welsh Assembly Bridgend
List of places
UK
Wales
Bridgend

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File:Gwalia Stores and Photographer's Shop, St Fagans. - geograph.org.uk - 138568.jpg
Gwalia Stores, built in 1880 was moved, and rebuilt in St Fagans National History Museum.

Ogmore Vale (Welsh: Cwm Ogwr) is a village in the county borough of Bridgend, Wales on the River Ogmore. The village's main source of income came from coal mining. Up until the year 1865, the Ogmore valley was a quiet, isolated, rural hill farming community of less than ten farms and a few cottages. Today, along with Nantymoel and Price Town it makes up the community of Ogmore Valley.

History

In 1851 the total population of the valley was probably less than one hundred people. On the 1 August 1865 the Ogmore Valley Railway was opened by John Brogden and Sons for mineral, goods and passenger traffic from Porthcawl to Nantymoel. The completion of the railway connections with Bridgend through Tondu and Porthcawl Dock, enabled the development to begin of the vast reserves of high quality house coals and dry steam coals of the valley.

The No. 2 and No. 3 Rhondda house and bituminous coals which outcrop along the valley were quickly proved and the Aber, Caedu and Tynewydd collieries were opened by drift mining driven into the seams from the mountain sides. In the latter part of 1865, John Brogden and Sons commenced the sinking of the two shafts at the Wyndham Colliery to prove and work the high quality smokeless dry steam coals of the Lower Coal Measures.

Brogdens lost control, first through an unavoidable merger in 1872 with the Llynvi Coal and Iron Company Ltd to make the Llynvi, Tondu and Ogmore Coal and Iron Company, then by the 1878 liquidation of the merged company after a large debenture-holder demanded his money back. After some abortive attempts to revive the business, stability was restored by the establishment of North’s Navigation Collieries (1889) Ltd.

From 1865 to 1983, when the last colliery (Wyndham/Western Mine) closed, the coal industry provided employment for the communities of the valley and much wealth was produced for the nation.[2]

The village's Gwalia Stores, built in 1880 was moved, brick by brick, and rebuilt in St Fagans National History Museum.

The village has a rugby union club, prize winning brass band, a local history society,[3] community centre, Wyndham Boys & Girls Club, ladies choir and a male voice choir.

There is one primary school, opened in September 2003, taking pupils from four original schools which were closed in July 2003. They were, with opening dates in brackets; Tynewydd Junior (1875), (Tynewydd was first opened in 1865 as a company school for the Aber Colliery Company), Aber Infants (1873), (Aber was originally known as Craigrhiwglyn School and built privately by Mrs Ann Blandy-Jenkins in 1873 and later purchased by the Llandyfodwg School Board), Fronwen Primary (1914), Ogmore Vale Nursery (1947).

Of the former school sites, the original Craigrhwiglyn (Aber Boys), Fronwen and Tynewydd sites have all been developed for local housing. The former nursery in Park Avenue has been demolished but as yet the site is undeveloped.

The village lies in the parliamentary constituency of Ogmore.

Notable residents

Notable famous people include Micheal "Moose" Thomas, Micheal Paget,and Jason James from the Metal band, Bullet for my Valentine.

  • Windsor Davies, actor
  • Aneurin Barnard, actor
  • Lynn Davies, long jump gold medal, 1964 Tokyo Olympics.
  • Grahame Hodgson, Wales rugby union international, played 15 times between 1961 and 1967[4]
  • Aldwyn Morse, Senior amateur football international. Capped 7 times for Wales 1966-1968. Part of the Welsh team that won the British Championships for the first and only time. Also holds the record for most goals scored by a player at Bridgend town FC (377 goals).

Films, TV and books

  • William Ingram who wrote the book 'The District Nurse' which was filmed between 1984 and 1987 starring Nerys Hughes lived in Gorwyl Road in Ogmore Vale until he died in early 2013. Several scenes from the programme were filmed in the village.
  • A Run for Your Money (filmed at Nantymoel railway station) c.1948.
  • Very Annie Mary a 2001 comedy film filmed in Ogmore.
  • "Framed" (BBC Drama) filmed in Ogmore Vale as well as Snowdonia, 2008.
  • Gaffers' Row, a 2008 period-drama novel by R.T. Hunt is inspired by Ogmore and its people. The author also lives in Nantymoel, a town in the valley.

References

  1. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ See David Owen (2002), South Wales Collieries, Volume 3, pages 12/3 for more details
  3. ↑ OVLHS.co.uk
  4. ↑ Hodgson`s WRU Player profile

External links

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