IT'S GRIM IN THE VALLEYS! 8 Worst places in historic Gwent, Wales

It's a brand new episode of Turdtowns. This month we visited Monmouthshire/Gwent and the Welsh valleys. These are areas which have lacked in funding since the mines of Wales closed. This visit was a real eye opener as we drove up every single valley in the county. Many of the valley towns were similar so we've tried to pick on the worst, most run down and derelict.
Despite the lack of funding in the area, it has to be said that the Welsh people were polite and friendly, noticeably more than English people. I hope these areas can one day redeem themselves but for now they are the urinals of Wales!

[Turdtowns]

Just in case anyone is confused. This video covers the historic county of Monmouthshire. It was changed into Gwent in the 70s and then split into smaller counties like Blauenau Gwent and Torfaen in the 90s.

[shinywarm]

As someone born in Brynmawr, raised in Cwmbran and living in Ebbw Vale, I can truly say I'm a child of Turdtown

[jackhargreaves]

I used to run a government agency in South Wales (reporting to Whitehall). We really tried to do everything we could for the (genuinely) good people of the region, but the devolved Welsh Assembly Government preferred to spend all the money on themselves, their friends and families (plus the occasional vanity project such as amazingly expensive bridges). I’ve never met a more self-important, self-satisfied, self-serving group of (middle class) windbags in my life (and remember, I reported to Whitehall). Talk about fiddling while Rome burns!

[Peter-lmic]

I well recall many years ago visiting Merthyr Tydfil as part of my job on the engineering side of the coal industry and a local invited me on a Saturday night to the M T Working Man's Club. It was absolutely packed with of course Welsh coal miners, but they were very friendly to the only Englishman there, vast quantities of beer was being drunk but there was no trouble whatsoever and when the last bell was rung they all stood up and sang their national anthem; 'Land of my Father's'. Very impressive. I stood up also of course but could only mouth the words. Not forgotten! I used to visit the engine house and the winding engineman were the best of the best! Wales is a beautiful country and has great traditions which some countries can only envy!

[TheBlackcredo]

My dad says that the best thing they ever did with Newport was to build the M4 tunnel under it. Also, can't wait for the Merthyr video. They throw spears at passing aeroplanes and have yet to discover fire.

[froogsleegs]

coming from a small town myself it's safe to say that with the loss of industry, business and community life in general people living in these small towns are going insane. these towns are essentially becoming residential districts, everything else you need has relocated to the next big town/city you commute to. drug and alcohol addictions are pretty common but so is mental illness. i think the condition of the housing reflects the condition of the people, and the condition of the people pretty much reflects the condition of the UK at large, slowly falling apart.

[utubeape]

You are a brilliant writer "...built from wood, asbestos and tears"
How sad that people feel they are better off living in a tent rather than a boarded up abandoned house

[marcboblee]

The industrial and military might of the British Empire was founded on the coal mines and steel foundries in Wales and England..these communities were used and abandoned by successive governments...you should do a video on that....

[arawn]

That's so depressing... My family is from Wales originally (around Bridgend)..
I appreciate your joking and honesty, but this made me feel like crying..

[larryfroot]

I escaped. I ran like hell from the Cwmbran / Newport whoops what happened here. The vast majority of people living in both towns deserve so much better because their culture is still friendly, open and warm - though more so in Newport, I think. I can't look at the place and not reflect that the vast (and the marine coal value was truly vast) wealth of the country was dug up and sold and we didn't see a penny of it. Torfaen has the highest percentage of anti-depressant prescribing in the whole of the UK. As John Cooper Clarke said "It bloody hurts to look around."

[williamalmquest]

According to Google, the 'ugly thing' opposite McDonalds in Brynmawr is the boiler house of the Brynmawr Dunlop Semtex Rubber Factory. Built post-war, the building was grade 2 listed. However, it was demolished in 2001 leaving only the boiler house intact. Thanks for the laughs your videos give me!

[Decoffeee-kych]

Also another problem
Newport had was the council decided to build another shopping centre on the outskirts of town thinking Newport was big enough for 2 shopping hubs (it wasn’t). So a lot of shops left the town centre, leaving it in the terrible state it’s in today.

[Decoffeee-kych]

As someone from Newport, the reason why house prices are going up is due to people moving here from Bristol.
As house prices are soo expensive in Bristol, people having been moving here since the Severn bridge tolls were removed.
The Newport council don’t mind as there’s been such a brain drain for the past several decades, new people moving here with money has been a positive.
But there is a way to go before Newport becomes a nice place again (lack of investment does not help).

[scottyoung]

Very amusing… enjoyed that. We live in Pontypool, such warm, friendly, humble and humourous people…. There’s so much more to the place than the symptoms of gross neglect and decades of underinvestment. Breaks your heart to see a high street that was thriving fall into decline.

[jamieedwards]

I was born in pontypool and lived in cwmbran most of my life and the most depressing thing about this video from a locals point of view is the towns that didn't feature that are nestled between the ones that did are equally as grim and miserable, Blaina, Cwm, Crumlin and so on and that's just the Eastern valleys, there's a whole host of deprived miserable holes laying to the west in Rhondda Cynon Taf. I now live in Aberdare which I'd ague is the best town in the valleys however this is like saying I have to eat a bag of sick but at least its still warm.
In fairness to the valleys the whole place shouldn't exist, just look slightly north at the brecon beacons national park, that's how the valleys used to look, beautiful mountainous landscapes with a few farms but the discovery of coal seams in the valleys turned the whole area into one big boom town and the world became a slightly less cheerful place for it.
This "boom town" mentality is partly to blame for the valleys sense of impending doom, they simply wasn't built to last.
When the mines opened it wasnt the locals that worked in them as there wasnt any locals just sheep and a few farmers so the mines attracted people from all over Britain and the world but it attracted a certain type of person, think Gimli from lord of the rings, short, stocky, quick to anger and liked the thought of spending all day down a hole, so naturally when the mines closed the miners and their decendents sturuggled to adapt to the modern world and live like surface dwellers so unemployment is very high.
I know first hand that valleys people are salt of the earth and some of the most genuine people you could wish to meet they have just been dealt a devastating hand and catastrophically lost the lottery of life by being born in the valleys at the wrong time. I'll sum up like this, and I say this as a local, growing up in the valleys is like being a kitten, everything is great until you realise where you are and where you are is actually a sack with a bunch of other kittens slowly drowning, there's no escape and then you die.

[johnbarnes]

I was born and raised in Newport but since leaving (for the Welsh Valleys would you believe it) I have zero desire to return. It really is a sad story of Town/City going to shit. Even the pigeons look miserable there.

[davem]

Was born in Newport and despite moving to Yorkshire with parents when young, I still spent around six weeks a year visiting my late grandparents so in many ways consider myself a Maindee boy (grandparents rented a huge house above a shop, now student flats) and whilst I could feel Newport would top your chart, I think you have done the with a bit of a dis-service by missing some key points. 

The parks in Newport are as good as anywhere of comparable size I've seen in England, the new shopping centre is shiny and did replace the (for me) iconic John Frost Squarre as well as unfortunately some of the beautiful murals near the square depicting the chartist riots and the ensuing bloodbath outside the Westgate Hotel, an event that led to similar uprisings around Britain. 

The Transporter bridge is a cherished landmark, in fact the number of bridges crossing the Usk are impressive. There are the ruins of a castle in the city centre as well as the various sporting venues (as mentioned) plus the theatres, Newport Centre and site of recent archeological finds along the river. 

At the two ends of the city you hsvr the impressive Tradegar House and the equally impressive Celtic Manor Resort - a full resort hotel complex that draws conference and event attendees from around the UK as well as hosting the G7 Summit. The old part of the hotel also used to be the Lydia Beynon maternity hospital in the 70s and is where any local born in that period would have come from (including the guy who owns the Resort, a certain famous thespian who is more well known for connection to Port Talbot and myself). Being on the M4 gives fast access to the other key cities in South Wales, Bristol and London. Getting to the South West is a cinch (I used to consider Wdston Super Mare a local seaside town) and whilst the drive into Mid-Wales isn't exactly rapid, the countryside you go through on the way is jaw droppong. Yes, parts are run down and a bit bleak but I'd say it has more identity and character than many English cities - I'd take Newport over say, Wakefield, Rotherham, Derby or Luton. Oh, and between Newport and Cwmbran you have the village of Caerleon which contains an impressive roman amphitheatre, roman barracks, museum and has more pubs than you can handle including one that used to be owned by Anthony Hopkins. On a sunny day, it's a beautiful place to spend some time. FINALLY, if you walk through a rougher part of town at 6am then don't be surprised to see shutters up on shops....it doesn't necessarily mean they are closed, but Hardly a representative time. Vent over. Enjoyed the video aside from not bigging the 'port up more :)

ps. someone mentioned how dangerous it was on a night out and they are correct - nightclubs used to stagger closing times to avoid running battles. Thing is the whole problem wasn't the Newportonians as much as the kids coming down from rival Valleys villages/towns to party, and fight.

[cervelo]

Thank you for making the video that I requested. Absolutely brilliant. I know all 8 places very well as i grew up in Abergavenny about 10-20 miles from all these places.

[cedriclynch]

Newport (Gwent) used to be the only place in the UK where they made cold-rolled grain-oriented electrical steel, needed for the most efficient transformers. On the other hand it was also the place where a mob burned down a woman's house and car because they had heard that she was a paediatrician.

[chrisevans]

Feel for these people 😡
Towns and cities all over Britain just left to die .
The councils The schools The police The government The rich
They don’t care .
The only thing that can change it is us !!
Clean your streets
Talk to the kids and try and put them on the right path !!
Don’t be afraid to call the authorities out for not doing their jobs !!
Just get out there and change it otherwise they win !!!!