Blaina

Town in Wales

Human settlement in Wales

Blaina

Location within Blaenau Gwent

Population4,808 OS grid referenceSO1908Principal area

Blaenau Gwent

Preserved county

Gwent

CountryWalesSovereign stateUnited KingdomPost townABERTILLERYPostcode districtNP13Dialling code01495PoliceGwentFire South Wales AmbulanceWelsh UK Parliament

Blaenau Gwent

Senedd Cymru – Welsh Parliament

Blaenau Gwent

List of places: UK; Wales; Blaenau Gwent

51°46′00″N 3°10′00″W / 51.7667°N 3.1667°W / 51.7667; -3.1667

Blaina (/ˈblaɪnə/ BLEYE-nə Welsh: Blaenau Welsh pronunciation: [ˈbleɨnaɨ]) is a small town, situated deep within the South Wales Valleys between Brynmawr and Abertillery in the unitary authority of Blaenau Gwent, ancient parish of Aberystruth, preserved county of Gwent and historic county of Monmouthshire. The place name is derived from the Welsh word blaenau "uplands".^[1]^[2] As of 2011, the town has a population of 4,808.^[3]

Welsh language

According to the 2011 Census, 6.3% of the ward's 4,808 (303 residents) resident-population can speak, read, and write Welsh.^[4] This is above the county's figure of 5.5% of 67,348 (3,705 residents) who can speak, read, and write Welsh.^[4]

The Bells of Rhymney

Blaina is mentioned in the folk song The Bells of Rhymney: "And who robbed the miner?" say the grim bells of Blaina, quoting poetry from Idris Davies.

Notable people

See also Category:People from Blaina

Arthur Fear, opera singer
Parry Jones, opera singer
William Partridge, soldier, fought at Rorke's Drift
Raymond "Ray" Price, rugby union and rugby league footballer of the 1940s and 1950s for Abertillery RFC (RU), Great Britain (RL), Wales, Other Nationalities, Belle Vue Rangers, Warrington, and St. Helens
Kingsley Jones, rugby union flanker, coach
Frank Richards, author
Mike Ruddock, rugby coach
Florence Eleanor Soper, wife of Bramwell Booth, General of The Salvation Army
Mostyn Thomas, opera singer
David Watkins, Welsh rugby union and rugby league international
Emlyn Watkins, rugby union and rugby league footballer of the 1920s for Wales (RU), Blaina RFC, Wales (RL), and Leeds
Emlyn A G Watkins, George Medal recipient

References

^ Mills, A. D. (2003). A Dictionary of British Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780198527589.
^ "Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru". Archived from the original on 12 April 2021.
^ "United Kingdom: 1000 Largest Cities by population". The Geographist. November 2013. Archived from the original on 29 January 2014. Retrieved 26 January 2014.
^ ^a ^b Welsh language skills by electoral division, 2011 Census Retrieved 13/12/21