Sport and Leisure

Six Bells Lido. In the early 1930’s the people of Six Bells, Abertillery banded together and formed a baths committee with the intention to have a lido, an open-air baths built in the village. The committee contacted various influential people in the area for backing and Mr A. Lewis a landowner gave the land at Cwm Llwydrew, he also gave …

The Six Bells Children’s Swimming Paddling Pool. Owing to the success of the Six Bells Lido, the need for a children’s pool was debated and the women of Six Bells banded together to form a group to raise funds and to receive donations in their quest to have a small paddling pool constructed in the Cwm Llwydrew valley close to …

Abertillery Tennis Club and Courts. I am not sure when the sport of tennis was first introduced and played at Abertillery. I believe that it began on the Barn Field at Abertillery. In the early days, the Barn Field was used for the sport of rugby and tennis, although the local tennis players who used the fields desperately needed their …

Abertillery Bowls Club. The Official Opening. On Thursday 8th of June 1911, the Abertillery Bowling Green was officially opened. The size of the bowling green was 40 yards square and situated at the southern end of the football enclosure. Arrangements had been made for a team from Newport to come and open the new green though they cancelled at the …

Abertillery Park Outdoor Swimming Baths. An outdoor swimming baths at Abertillery Park was first proposed by Mr Arthur Tilney, Councillor of Abertillery. In the late 1890’s, Mr Tilney put his ideas to the council for consideration. Following is a brief story of his fight for, and the construction of, the outdoor swimming baths for the people of Abertillery. Following is …

Abertillery Cricket – An Early History. In the 1870’s the Abertillery Cricket Grounds (coloured green on the map above) was originally on the fields where Glandwr St is now built (between the river and the tin works feeder). There is a news report that Abertillery played Ebbw Vale, at Ebbw Vale as early as 1871. The Glandwr Cricket Field was …

Abertillery Recreational Grounds. In the early days of Abertillery there wasn’t one specific recreational ground for any sport to be played, or for anyone to go and relax, to hold shows or fete’s etc. The population was rapidly increasing, ground being sold off for substantial house building projects and the need for a park or recreation ground was at the …

Story to be uploaded

Powell’s Tillery Institute Gymnastics Teams. The Powell’s Tillery team was known as such but also reported as being the Tillery team, Powell’s Gymnastics team, the Tilleryites and also the Tilleryans. There was no right or wrong way to refer to the squad, it was just the preference of the individual reporters who wrote their stories. It may look confusing to …