Out Of The Blue Artifacts A Library of a lifetime of collecting
Public House, Inn and Hotel facilities in Abertillery.
Here is a list of such places that were in the area over the years gone by. I compiled the list from official sources and with the help of Mr Bryan Boots. There will undoubtedly be more yet to be found. The individual licenced premises featured on the following pages in this section are the ones that most information could be found and which were featured most prominently in the newspapers and official documentation of the time. More will be added in the future.
Pubs and Clubs in Abertillery & District.
Glo-Byllau Farm – Cider House. The farm house Old Blaina Road. Welsh translation “Pools Of Coal”. Was known to sell cider in the 1800’s.
The Rose Heyworth Club – Rose Heyworth Housing Estate.
The Clyn Mawr Hotel – Blaenau Gwent.
The Crown Inn – Blaenau Gwent. Rebuilt in a different place though just a few yards away from the original building in 1901.
The Royal Exchange – Blaenau Gwent.
The Blaenau Gwent Workmen’s Club – Lewis Street/Gaen Street, Blaenau Gwent. Later turned into the Physique Fitness Centre.
The Mount Pleasant Inn – Blaenau Gwent.
The Britannia Inn (Old Maids) – Penybont.
The Old Bridge End Inn – Old Penybont Road. Located just 3 doors away from the Old Maids Inn.
The New Bridge End Inn – New Penybont Road.
The Rising Sun Inn – Cock n Chick.
The Cwmtillery Workmen’s Club – Gwern Berthi Road. Later turned into the Paradise Club.
The South Wales Inn – Cwmtillery.
The Top Hat Club (Excelsiors Club) – Cwmtillery.
The Celtic Club – Cwmtillery. Used for special functions.
The Blaentillery Club – Cwmtillery.
The Woodland Inn – Cwmtillery.
The White Horse Inn – Cwmtillery.
The Fountain Inn – Cwmtillery.
The Penybont Workmen’s Club – New Penybont Road, Abertillery. Locally known as the Diamond Club.
The Cwmtillery Welfare Club – Tillery St, Abertillery. The Abertillery Comprehensive School was later built upon the site of the club.
The Highbury Club – Alma St/Gladstone Street junction, Abertillery.
Ty Panau Park Place – Was a pub/inn at one time in its 600 year history but don’t know what it was called when it was a licensed premises?
The Yew Tree Social Club – Alma St, Abertillery. Situated on the eastern side of Alma Street somewhere between the junctions of Oxford Street and Ashfield Road. Opened in 1934 truck off the register in the 1936, reopened as the Alma Street Social Club and Institute, although again struck off the register and closed in 1939.
The Kings Head – Glandwr/Oak St, Abertillery. Was built on the main tramroad from Newport to Nantyglo, when Oak Street was constructed the landlady asked for permission to move her premises up onto the new street. Her application was denied owing to the fact that it would be too close to the new Intermediate School and a bad influence on the pupils who would have to walk past there every day.
The Oak Street Club – Oak St, Abertillery. Originally Buckley’s Temperance Hall.
The Station Hotel – Later renamed The Abertillery Rugby Club and Penndragon.
The Lymes Club – Station Hill, Abertillery. Rebuilt in 1983 in different place down in Carlyle Street/Bridge Street.
Ralph’s Club – Station Hill, Abertillery.
The Railway Inn – Bridge St, Abertillery.
The Odd Fellows Arms – Located where the Abertillery Fire Station is today. One of the oldest inn’s, was on the 1841 maps. Owned by Mr Thomas Cardy a haulier for the colliery companies. Mr Cardy had a pack of horses to haul coal and supplies to and from the Cwmtillery Collieries, he retired when the companies began using steam power. It was also used as a Magistrates Court.
Abertillery Arms – Believed to have been in Chapel Street, Abertillery. Featured in a report from 1860.
The Bush Hotel – Bush Hill, High St, Abertillery. One of the oldest inn’s, had a lease in 1731 and was on the 1841 maps. Rebuilt in 1896 in the same place.
The Globe Hotel – High St, Abertillery.
The Royal Oak – High St, Abertillery. Later to become the Blaenau Gwent R.F.C.
The Highfield Social Club – High St, Abertillery.
The Tillery Non Political Club – High St, Abertillery.
The Prince of Wales – High St, Abertillery – Rebuilt in the same place.
The Rolling Mill – Church St, Abertillery – Rebuilt in the same place in 1904.
The High Street Social Club – High St, Abertillery.
The Colliers Arms – High St, Abertillery.
The Lamb Inn – High St, Abertillery.
The Mitre Inn – Mitre St, Abertillery.
The British Legion Club – Mitre St and King Street. Originally the D.S.S.C. Demobbed Soldiers & Sailors Club. Later became the British Legion Club.
The Commercial – Market St, Abertillery.
The Glasgow Club – Market St, Abertillery. Originally a shopping and retail building called Glasgow House. Abertillery.
The George Inn – Market St, Abertillery.
The Bottom Bell & Bell Tap – Somerset St. The same building but with entrances in Market Street and Somerset street – Top & Bottom.
The Somerset – Somerset St, Abertillery.
The Sports Club – Carmel St, Abertillery.
The Castle Inn – Castle St, Abertillery.
The Golden Lion – Castle St, Abertillery.
The Forge Hammer Inn – Hill St, Abertillery. Owned by Webb’s and closed along with the Ivorites in Vivian Street in 1901 to open the Cwm Hotel. Webb’s wasn’t allowed by the courts to have the monopoly of 3 pubs in such a small area.
The Ivorites Inn – Vivian St, Abertillery. Owned by Webb’s and closed along with the Forge Hammer Inn at Hill Street in 1901 to open the Cwm Hotel. Webb’s wasn’t allowed by the courts to have the monopoly of 3 pubs in such a small area. There was another establishment of the same type, associated with the Ivorites Society, although the other place was called the Ivorites Arms and was situated at Aberbeeg.
The Officers Club – Somerset St, Abertillery.
The Old Tyleryan’s Club – Somerset St, Abertillery.
The Cwm Hotel – Cwm St, Abertillery. Later turned into the Abertillery Council Offices.
The Six Bells Club – Alexandra Rd ,Abertillery. Later turned into the Vivian.
The Coronation Tavern – Six Bells. One of the oldest Inn’s, was on the 1841 maps. Situated close to the Tramway from Newport to Nantyglo but during the widening of the railway in the 1870s it was demolished and later re-sited closer to the river and renamed the Coach & Horses.
The Coach & Horses – Six Bells. Originally called the Coronation Tavern. Located by the side of the railway but rebuilt where it is now when the railway lines were widened in the 1870’s.
The Arrail Street Club – Arrail St. The club was originally built as the Six Bells Miners Institute under the Messrs J. Lancaster Co. Also known in old reports as being the Arrael Street Club and the Griffin Club.
The Six Bells Hotel – Victoria Rd. Originally located on the railway lines but rebuilt in the 1890s where it is now.
The Waterloo Inn – Llandavel Village Cwm. The Waterloo Inn was in Llandavel Village, part of Abertillery until 1892 when the council re-drew the boundary lines and gave the village to the Ebbw Vale Council.
Modern Build or Renovated Clubs/Pubs etc.
The New Lymes Club – Carlyle St/Bridge St.
The Imperial Snooker Club – Carmel St.
The Bear – Carmel St.
Wetherspoons – Somerset St.
Pubs/Clubs/Hotels Known to Exist but no Locations.
The Goodfellows – The Goodfellows were in the Webb’s Southern Darts League in the 1930s.
Pubs/Clubs/Hotels That Were Planned but Withdrawn from Licensing.
The Park Hotel – Glandwr St. Early 1900’s, opposed by Webb’s as the Aberbeeg Brewers had pubs in that vicinity and were scared of opposition.
The Pioneer Hotel – Carlyle St. Early 1900’s, opposed by Webb’s as the Aberbeeg Brewers had pubs in that vicinity and were scared of opposition.
The New Mount Pleasant Inn – Bottom of Wallace’s Lane. Application withdrawn for no apparent reason.
Aberbeeg and Llanhilleth Area.
The area below Aberbeeg.
The Potters Arms – Situated on Cemetery Road, Brynithel, close to the Cemetery.
St Illtyd’s Club – Unknown location although the club was struck off the register in December 1930.
The Bridge Inn – Situated at Aberbeeg between the Mill and the Little House Cottage. It was on the 1861 census and owned by John and Mary Evans. Mr Evans was registered as the Innkeeper and Farmer of 20 acres.
The Hanbury Arms – Hotel. Built in 1830.
The Walpole Arms – Hotel. Built in 1896.
Llanhilleth Conservative & Unionist Club – Built in 1911.
The Central Hotel – Built in 1905.
The Llanhilleth Hotel – Top Hotel. Built in 1891.
The Hillside Club – No details as yet.
The Llanhilleth Workmen’s Club & Institute – Situated on the Horseshoe Bend, Llanhilleth and was opened in December 1922 struck off the register in June 1928.
The Llanhilleth Progressive Workmen’s Club and Institute -Situated on Commercial Street, Llanhilleth. Formed 1931.
The Union Foundry Inn – Situated at Llanhilleth and was featured on the 1841 census. Mr William Rogers was landlord and was listed as a brewer by trade.
The Carpenters Arms – Situated close to St Illtyds Church.
The Castle Inn – Situated a few yards away from the Carpenters Arms.
The Travellers Rest – Situated on the top of Brynithel mountain slightly east of Ty Dafydd and Gilfach Wen farms.
An Extract from the Weekly Mail Newspaper, February 8th 1908.
Inspector Lewis, Abertillery, reported that the population of that district was 30,431 and there were 77 licensed houses, or one to 422 people, exclusive of grocers’ licences. Nine licence-holders had been proceeded against, and 138 persons had been proceeded against for drunkenness.