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Ebbw Vale (Welsh: Glyn Ebwy) is a town at the head of the valley formed by the Ebbw Fawr river in south Wales. It is the largest town and the administrative centre of Blaenau Gwent county borough. The Ebbw Vale/Brynmawr conurbation has a population of roughly 33,000.
Originally a rather insignificant spot with only about 140 inhabitants at the end of the 18th century, Ebbw Vale — and the whole valley — was transformed by the Industrial Revolution. The Ebbw Vale Iron Works (later the Ebbw Steelworks) opened in 1778, followed by the opening of a number of coal mines around 1790. At its height (1930s — 40s) the steel works in Ebbw Vale was the largest in Europe, attracting attention from German bombers during World War II. However the deep valley proved difficult to bomb and the plant survived. Ebbw Vale suffered from the decline of the steel and coal industries and there are now no steelworks or mines left in or around the town. In 2003 work began on demolishing the long-standing steelworks, and currently around one to two miles of the valley stands empty awaiting development. Plans have been made to re-introduce a railway service to the area, bringing a much-needed transport link.
Ebbw Vale hosted the National Eisteddfod in 1958 and the National Garden Festival in 1992.
Aneurin Bevan, the father of the National Health Service, stood for election into parliament as Labour Party candidate for Ebbw Vale in 1929, on his death in 1960 he was succeeded as MP by Michael Foot.
The Ebbw Vale conurbation today is a product of ten areas which grew up as a result of the iron industry or have developed as a result of distinct housing areas they include: Beaufort, Rassau, Garn Lydn, Hill Top, Glyncoed, Willowtown, Glanarafon, Cwm, Newtown, Victoria and Ebbw Vale itself. In particular Beaufort and Victoria were the two original iron producing areas.
- Steel from Ebbw Vale built the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
- 44,000 red engineering bricks from Beaufort are said to support the Empire State Building, although this has been contested.
- Southampton Docks stand on the crushed slag (cooled impurities from iron making) from Beaufort Ironworks.
- The world's first steel rail was rolled at Ebbw Vale in 1857.
- The rails for the Stockton and Darlington Railway were made at Ebbw Vale.
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