Maesteg (; ) is a town and

community A community is a social unit (a group of people) with a shared socially-significant characteristic, such as place, set of norms, culture, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given g ...

Bridgend County Borough Bridgend County Borough () is a county borough in the south-east of Wales. The county borough has a total population of 139,200 people, and contains the town of Bridgend, after which it is named. Its members of the Senedd are Sarah Murphy ...

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

. Maesteg lies at the northernmost end of the

Llynfi Valley The River Llynfi (), is one of three main tributaries of the River Ogmore (). It runs for around 10 miles from its source north of Maesteg and flows generally southwards through the Llynfi Valley to the confluence with the River Ogmore and the ...

, close to the border with

Neath Port Talbot Neath Port Talbot () is a Principal areas of Wales, county borough in the South West Wales, south-west of Wales. Its principal towns are Neath, Port Talbot, Briton Ferry and Pontardawe. The county borough borders Bridgend County Borough and Rhon ...

. In 2011, Maesteg had a population of 20,612. The English translation of Maesteg is 'fair field'. Maesteg officially became a town in 1826 and is celebrating it's bicentenary in 2026 with organised events and celebrations being organised by a committee of residents and local groups and businesses.

Historically History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some theorists categ ...

a part of

Glamorgan Glamorgan (), or sometimes Glamorganshire ( or ), was Historic counties of Wales, one of the thirteen counties of Wales that existed from 1536 until their abolishment in 1974. It is located in the South Wales, south of Wales. Originally an ea ...

, the growth of the town started with the opening of

ironworks An ironworks or iron works is an industrial plant where iron is smelted and where heavy iron and steel products are made. The term is both singular and plural, i.e. the singular of ''ironworks'' is ''ironworks''. Ironworks succeeded bloome ...

in the 1820s and 1830s. Once a

coal mining Coal mining is the process of resource extraction, extracting coal from the ground or from a mine. Coal is valued for its Energy value of coal, energy content and since the 1880s has been widely used to Electricity generation, generate electr ...

area, the last pit closed in 1985. With the decline of the coal industry and, more recently, the closure of one large factory producing cosmetics and another manufacturing vehicle components, the valley has become a residential/dormitory area for the Port Talbot, Bridgend and Cardiff journey to work areas. 11% (1,867 out of 20,702) of the town's population speak Welsh with 27.9% of 3-15 year olds speaking the language. It is one of the few areas of Wales where the traditional

Mari Lwyd The Mari Lwyd (, ) is a wassailing tradition, folk custom in South Wales. The tradition entails the use of an eponymous hobby horse which is made from a horse's skull mounted on a pole and carried by an individual hidden under a sheet. The custo ...

is still celebrated during Christmas. The community of Maesteg had a population of 17,580 in the 2011 census and includes Nantyffyllon. The built-up area having a population of 21,000.

History

Before the development of industry in the 1820s, the Llynfi Valley was a sparsely populated area of scattered farms. The nearest settlement was the village of

Llangynwyd Llangynwyd is a village (and electoral ward) 2 miles to the south of Maesteg, in the county borough of Bridgend, Wales. It was part of the medieval commote (Welsh: ''cwmwd'') of Tir Iarll. History and amenities The village is the site of Llang ...

, located on the hillside about south of the present-day town centre of Maesteg. Close to Llangynwyd is an extensive earthwork known as ''Y Bwlwarcau'' ("the bulwarks"), an

Iron Age The Iron Age () is the final epoch of the three historical Metal Ages, after the Chalcolithic and Bronze Age. It has also been considered as the final age of the three-age division starting with prehistory (before recorded history) and progre ...

enclosure that is probably a remnant of the earliest settlement in the Llynfi district. During the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

, the valley was part of ''Tir Iarll'' (the Earl's Land), an area "famous for its game coverts, its woods and sparkling streams" that was set aside as a hunting reserve by Robert Fitzhamon, Earl of Gloucester, the

Norman Norman or Normans may refer to: Ethnic and cultural identity * The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 9th and 10th centuries ** People or things connected with the Norma ...

conqueror of Glamorgan. Up to the 18th century, many of the farms of the Llynfi Valley were centres of local culture. For example, Llwydarth, the home of the influential Powell family, was a centre for writers and poets in Glamorgan in the 17th century. According to the ''Daily Telegraph'', Maesteg was the first place in the UK where

Japanese knotweed ''Reynoutria japonica'', synonyms ''Fallopia japonica'' and ''Polygonum cuspidatum'', is a species of herbaceous perennial plant in the knotweed and buckwheat family Polygonaceae. Common names include Japanese knotweed and Asian knotweed. It is ...

was spotted in the wild, sometime before 1886.

Industrial history

The origins of the present-day community in the Llynfi Valley date from the late 1820s, when the area's considerable coal and iron ore resources were developed on an industrial scale for the first time. In 1828, a horse-drawn railway was completed between Porthcawl and Garnlwyd in the Llynfi Valley. This was the Dyffryn Llynfi and Porthcawl Railway (DLPR); it was extended to the Coegnant district near the head of the valley in 1830. The railway opened up the district and led to the formation of an iron company, which began building a works on Maesteg Uchaf Farm, near the site of the present-day town centre, in 1826. The company took its name from the farm, and by 1831 two

blast furnace A blast furnace is a type of metallurgical furnace used for smelting to produce industrial metals, generally pig iron, but also others such as lead or copper. ''Blast'' refers to the combustion air being supplied above atmospheric pressure. In a ...

s were in operation and the first rows of workers' housing had been completed near the Maesteg Ironworks. Around the same time, one of the first zinc smelters in Wales was set up on Coegnant Farm near the northern terminus of the DLPR. Maesteg Cornstores

In 1839, work on a second, larger, ironworks commenced at Nantycrynwydd Farm on a site now largely occupied by the

Tesco Tesco plc () is a British multinational groceries and general merchandise retailer headquartered in the United Kingdom at its head offices in Welwyn Garden City, England. The company was founded by Jack Cohen (businessman), Sir Jack Cohen in ...

store and car park. The works, which became known as the Llynfi Ironworks (or "The New Works"), was started by the unsuccessful Cambrian Iron and Spelter Company and was bought by the ambitious Llynvi Iron Company in 1845. The Cornstores section of the Maesteg Sports Centre and the adjoining base of a blast furnace remain as links to the Llynfi Works and the valley's significant 19th century iron industry. The two ironworks, with associated collieries and new housing, transformed an area of scattered farms with a population of about 400 in 1821 into a growing township with a population of 4,000 by 1841. The Cambrian/Llynfi Works attracted investment capital from a number of prominent figures of the early Victorian period, including the poet

William Wordsworth William Wordsworth (7 April 177023 April 1850) was an English Romantic poetry, Romantic poet who, with Samuel Taylor Coleridge, helped to launch the Romanticism, Romantic Age in English literature with their joint publication ''Lyrical Balla ...

, who was a Cambrian shareholder in the early 1840s, the gin distiller Sir Felix Booth, and the writer and radical politician Dr John Bowring. Bowring invested heavily in the Llynfi Works in the mid-1840s and, for a number of years, that part of the valley around his works was known as Bowrington. During his association with the Maesteg district, he campaigned in Parliament for a decimal system of coinage and was largely responsible for the introduction of Britain's first decimal coin, the

florin The Florentine florin was a gold coin (in Italian ''Fiorino d'oro'') struck from 1252 to 1533 with no significant change in its design or metal content standard during that time. It had 54 grains () of nominally pure or 'fine' gold with a pu ...

or two shilling piece (now the ten pence piece). John Bowring lost his capital in the trade depression of the late 1840s, although the iron company continued trading. After his Llynfi venture, John Bowring became British Consul in Canton,

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

, and was

Governor of Hong Kong The governor of Hong Kong was the representative of the United Kingdom, British The Crown, Crown in British Hong Kong, Hong Kong from 1843 to 1997. In this capacity, the governor was president of the Executive Council of Hong Kong, Executiv ...

from 1854 to 1859. The iron industry in Maesteg continued, with varying degrees of success, until

wrought iron Wrought iron is an iron alloy with a very low carbon content (less than 0.05%) in contrast to that of cast iron (2.1% to 4.5%), or 0.25 for low carbon "mild" steel. Wrought iron is manufactured by heating and melting high carbon cast iron in an ...

making was replaced by the manufacture of cheaper, mass-produced steel during the 1870s. In its heyday, after the opening of the broad gauge, steam-hauled Llynfi Valley Railway in 1861, the Llynfi Works had a reputation for producing high-quality iron. In the mid-Victorian period there was a flourishing export trade to

Southern Italy Southern Italy (, , or , ; ; ), also known as () or (; ; ; ), is a macroregion of Italy consisting of its southern Regions of Italy, regions. The term "" today mostly refers to the regions that are associated with the people, lands or cultu ...

and

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

; rails were exported to the United States and Llynvi "Navy Quality" No.3 Cable Iron was highly regarded by the makers of Admiralty-tested anchor chains. However, as the Llynfi site could not be adapted for the production of steel, iron making ceased in the Maesteg area in 1885. During the mid-1880s, with the closure of the Llynfi Works and its associated collieries, the Maesteg district, with a population of about 10,000, faced an uncertain future. However, the local coal industry then began to expand with the formation of North's Navigation Collieries Ltd in 1889. The colliery company was led by Colonel North, the "Nitrate King". In 1900, another company, led by Sir Alfred Jones of the Elder Dempster shipping line, also developed collieries in the valley. Due to the expansion programme set in motion by the two mining companies, two of the local, former iron company collieries (Coegnant and Garth) were modernised, and two new large collieries were sunk at Caerau and St John's (Cwmdu). With the development of the coal industry, the local population increased from about 10,000 in 1891 to almost 30,000 in 1921. Between 1890 and 1925, the valley gained a worldwide reputation as a producer of Admiralty-grade steam coal, high quality

coking Coking is the process of heating coal in the absence of oxygen to a temperature above to drive off the volatile components of the raw coal, leaving behind a hard, strong, porous material with a high carbon content called coke. Coke is predomina ...

coal and what was regarded as the best house coal in

South Wales South Wales ( ) is a Regions of Wales, loosely defined region of Wales bordered by England to the east and mid Wales to the north. Generally considered to include the Historic counties of Wales, historic counties of Glamorgan and Monmouthshire ( ...

. Due to the quality of the steam coal, North's Imperial Navigation coal was included on the prestigious Admiralty List of the twenty–six best Welsh steam coals. In 1908, the Cunard liner ''

Mauretania Mauretania (; ) is the Latin name for a region in the ancient Maghreb. It extended from central present-day Algeria to the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, encompassing northern present-day Morocco, and from the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean in the ...

'' was entirely fired by Llynfi coal when the ship established a new record for crossing the Atlantic. By the early 1920s there were over 7,000 miners at work in the valley. However, as the area depended to such a large extent on the coal export trade, it was seriously affected by the trade depression of 1928–38. During that period of acute poverty and large-scale unemployment, the population of the Llynfi Valley decreased by almost a third as many left the district to seek employment in the new light industries growing up in areas such as

West London West London is the western part of London, England, north of the River Thames, west of the City of London, and extending to the Greater London boundary. The term is used to differentiate the area from the other parts of London: Central London, N ...

and the

English Midlands The Midlands is the central region of England, to the south of Northern England, to the north of southern England, to the east of Wales, and to the west of the North Sea. The Midlands comprises the ceremonial counties of Derbyshire, Herefordshi ...

. For many years after the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, the local coal industry employed well over 2,000 workers and new jobs were created in local government-built factories and in new industries in the

Port Talbot Port Talbot (, ) is a town and community (Wales), community in the county borough of Neath Port Talbot, Wales, situated on the east side of Swansea Bay, approximately from Swansea. The Port Talbot Steelworks covers a large area of land which d ...

and

Bridgend Bridgend (; or just , meaning "the end of the bridge on the Ogmore") is a town in the Bridgend County Borough of Wales, west of Cardiff and east of Swansea. The town is named after the Old Bridge, Bridgend, medieval bridge over the River Og ...

journey-to-work areas. Due to the buoyant coal industry and the success of the new factories during the years 1950–75, the population of Maesteg and district stabilised at about 20,000, roughly the figure today. With the creation of more jobs in the Bridgend and Port Talbot districts, the Llynfi Valley gradually became a residential area, a process which speeded up with the terminal decline of the coal industry during the period 1977 to 1985. Llynfi Valley metal-working centres Llynfi Valley collieries

Demography

Economy

Maesteg Market

Maesteg Market was situated at the ground floor level of

Maesteg Town Hall Maesteg Town Hall () is a municipal structure in Talbot Street, Maesteg, Wales. The town hall, which was the headquarters of Maesteg Borough Council, is a Grade II listed building. History In the 1870s, the local board of health decided to pr ...

and offered a variety of goods until the final stallholder left in 2018. This space has now home to Maesteg's library.

Transport

Railway

Maesteg has three

railway stations A train station, railroad station, or railway station is a railway facility where trains stop to load or unload passengers, freight, or both. It generally consists of at least one platform, one track, and a station building providing such a ...

, all on the

Maesteg Line The Maesteg Line is a commuter rail line in South Wales from Bridgend to Maesteg. Services usually operate hourly from Maesteg to via , using the South Wales Main Line, followed by the Ebbw Valley Railway. Electrification by 2019 was annou ...

. Services are operated by

Transport for Wales Transport for Wales (TfW; ; ) is a not-for-profit company owned by the Welsh Government and managed at arms length by its appointed board. TfW oversees the Transport for Wales Group (TfW Group) consisting of itself and its subsidiaries: Trans ...

and run directly to Cardiff Central via

. The services usually continue to

Cheltenham Spa Cheltenham () is a historic spa town and borough adjacent to the Cotswolds in Gloucestershire, England. Cheltenham became known as a health and holiday spa town resort following the discovery of mineral springs in 1716, and claims to be the mo ...

via Newport and

Gloucester Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city, non-metropolitan district and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West England, South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean ...

with one early morning service to Ebbw Vale Town. Previous, long-distance extensions to London Waterloo and Wrexham General were short lived. The terminus station is

Maesteg Maesteg (; ) is a town and community in Bridgend County Borough, Wales. Maesteg lies at the northernmost end of the Llynfi Valley, close to the border with Neath Port Talbot. In 2011, Maesteg had a population of 20,612. The English translatio ...

; the other two stations are the most recently built , and Garth station which serves the Garth and Cwmfelin villages situated just outside Maesteg. The

Rail linc rail linc () is a brand name applied to routes formerly operating under the now-defunct South East Wales Transport Alliance- but now operating under Adventure Travel. History In a number of cases, the services were set up sometime after rail ...

bus service used to replace a withdrawn rail service from Maesteg to Caerau, but it was removed in January 2012 due to council cutbacks. In the past, there were other railway stations in Maesteg. Llangynwyd Station used to lie on the Maesteg line a few miles east of where Garth Station is today, and Maesteg (Neath Road) was on the old Port Talbot Railway Line, but these are now closed. The original Maesteg station was situated a few yards west of the terminus that is there today. Remains of the original station remain behind the

Asda Asda Stores Limited (), trading as Asda and often styled as ASDA, is a British supermarket and petrol station chain. Its headquarters is in Leeds, England. The company was incorporated as Associated Dairies and Farm Stores in 1949. It expanded ...

supermarket, including the platforms and the bridge joining the two platforms. The old track was removed in 2007 during a land reclamation project. The present stations were reopened by

British Rail British Railways (BR), which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was a state-owned company that operated most rail transport in Great Britain from 1948 to 1997. Originally a trading brand of the Railway Executive of the British Transport Comm ...

in 1992.

Buses

Maesteg bus station is situated to the rear of the

town hall In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or municipal hall (in the Philippines) is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses the city o ...

First Cymru First Cymru is an operator of bus services in South West Wales. It is a subsidiary of FirstGroup. With its headquarters previously in Swansea, it is now part of the First Wales and West region which also covers Bristol, Bath, Somerset, Bath and ...

operate the majority of the services from this station. Services run to

Swansea Swansea ( ; ) is a coastal City status in the United Kingdom, city and the List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, second-largest city of Wales. It forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area, officially known as the City and County of ...

via

, Caerau Park,

and Cymmer.

Welsh language

In common with the rest of Wales, the town has two official languages, English and Welsh. The majority of people in Maesteg are native English speakers, but there is a Welsh-speaking minority. The 2011 census reported that 11% of people over the age of 3 spoke Welsh. However, there were large discrepancies between age groups. 27.9% of 3-15 year olds spoke Welsh, 8.6% of 16-64 year olds spoke Welsh, and the lowest proportion was among the over 65s at 5.3%. Primary and secondary education is available through the medium of Welsh, there are Welsh-language chapels, and the headquarters of Menter yr Iaith Pen-y-bont ar Ogwr is based in the town. The Welsh-language author and Welsh-medium education campaigner

Norah Isaac Norah Isaac (1914 – 3 August 2003) was a Welsh author, drama producer and campaigner for Welsh-language education. She became head of the country's first Welsh-medium school, Ysgol Gymraeg yr Urdd, in 1939. Background Norah Isaac was born in ...

was born and raised in Caerau. She was described as 'the most influential individual in the history of Welsh-medium education' by Iolo Wyn Williams in his book ''Our Children's Language: The Welsh-Medium Schools of Wales, 1939-2000''. Wales' first ever Welsh-language nursery was opened in Maesteg in 1949.

Education

Maesteg has six English language state

primary school A primary school (in Ireland, India, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, South Africa, and Singapore), elementary school, or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary ...

s: Cwmfelin, Plasnewydd, Caerau, Nantyffyllon, Llangynwyd and Garth. Plasnewydd is one of the biggest primary schools in the

, with just over 400 pupils, and is an

Eco-School Eco-Schools is an international programme of the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) that aims to “empower students to be the change our sustainable world needs by engaging them in fun, action-orientated, and socially responsible lear ...

. There is also a

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

primary school, St. Mary's and St. Patrick's, and a Welsh-medium school, Ysgol Cynwyd Sant. There are two

comprehensive school A comprehensive school is a secondary school for pupils aged 11–16 or 11–18, that does not select its intake on the basis of academic achievement or aptitude, in contrast to a selective school system where admission is restricted on the basis ...

s in Maesteg. The English-medium Ysgol Maesteg School, previously known as Maesteg Comprehensive School, recently moved to a new site, at a cost of £17,000,000. The Welsh-medium

Ysgol Gyfun Gymraeg Llangynwyd Ysgol Gyfun Gymraeg Llangynwyd is a Welsh-medium secondary school for pupils aged between 11 and 18. The school is based in the village of Llangynwyd in the borough of Bridgend, Wales. The school opened on 3 September 2008 on the site of the f ...

then relocated to the former school's previous premises. The pupils of St. Mary's and St. Patrick's pursue their secondary education in Archbishop McGrath Catholic Comprehensive School, located in

Brackla Brackla () is a large housing estate and community in the east of Bridgend in Bridgend County Borough, Wales. Along with the communities of Bridgend and Coychurch Lower, it makes up the town of Bridgend. At the 2001 census the community of Brac ...

, a few miles to the south.

Maesteg Town Council

Maesteg Town Council has seventeen representatives covering the four electoral wards of Maesteg East (5), Maesteg West (5), Nantyffyllon (3) and Caerau (4). Until recently, there had been a majority of Labour members for over forty years. Following mass resignations from the local Labour Party as a result of an internal row over candidate selections, several Councillors resigned from the party and now sit as independents. The make-up of the council as of June 2019 is 9 Labour and 8 Llynfi Independents members.

Religion

The largest religion in the valley is Christianity; the majority of denominations are Nonconformist. There are many churches and chapels in the Maesteg area, several of which have been converted into flats because they are no longer used for religious purposes. There is a Kingdom Hall of

Jehovah's Witnesses Jehovah's Witnesses is a Christian denomination that is an outgrowth of the Bible Student movement founded by Charles Taze Russell in the nineteenth century. The denomination is nontrinitarian, millenarian, and restorationist. Russell co-fou ...

in one of Maesteg's villages, Nantyffyllon.

Culture

Maesteg has a tradition of music and theatre, including a rich tradition of singing. At present, there are two male voice choirs – Cor Meibion Maesteg A'r Cylch (Maesteg and District Male Voice Choir) and Maesteg Gleemen Male Voice Choir. Regarding competitions and awards, Maesteg Gleemen is the most successful MVC in the Llynfi Valley and Bridgend County Borough Council area. There is also a women's choir: Harmony Ladies Choir. There are two mixed groups, Noteworthy Choir and Take Note contemporary vocal group. Maesteg Musical Theatre Society (previously Maesteg Amateur Operatic Society) is a multi-award winning society which performs a musical and concert every year in Maesteg. Maesteg Children's Choir hosts many concerts throughout the year, and Curtain Up Youth Theatre has been performing musicals since the turn of the millennium. The rock band

Funeral for a Friend Funeral for a Friend are a Welsh post-hardcore band from Bridgend, Wales, Bridgend, formed in 2001. The band's members are Kris Roberts (guitar, backing vocals), Gavin Burrough (guitar, vocals), Darran Smith (guitar), Richard Boucher (bass), an ...

originates from Maesteg. The Welsh national anthem "

Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau "" () is the unofficial national anthem of Wales. The title, taken from the first words of the song, means "The Old Land of My Fathers" in Welsh, usually rendered in English as simply "Land of My Fathers". The words were written by Evan Ja ...

" was first performed in Maesteg, in the vestry of the original Capel Tabor which is now Maesteg Workingmen's Club. The artist Christopher Williams was born in Maesteg in 1873: seven of his paintings are on display in the town hall.

Media

As part of

, the local commercial radio station is Bridge FM. Maesteg is also on the fringes of the broadcast area of the

-based local commercial radio stations Hits Radio South Wales, its sister station Greatest Hits Radio South Wales and Swansea Bay Radio, as well as local Internet based station, Radio Maesteg. The town is also served by three local newspapers: ''The Glamorgan Gazette'', published weekly, has its main office in

, but prints news related to Maesteg; ''The Gem'', formerly ''The Recorder'', a free weekly, printed in

Cowbridge Cowbridge () is a market town in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales, approximately west of the centre of Cardiff. The Cowbridge with Llanblethian community and civil parish elect a town council. A Cowbridge electoral ward exists for elections to ...

, and ''The Llynfi News'', a free monthly paper, based in Maesteg.

Sport

Maesteg is home to Maesteg Park A.F.C. an

association football Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...

team founded in 1945 and affiliated to the

Football Association of Wales The Football Association of Wales (FAW; ) is the Governing bodies of sports in Wales, governing body of association football and futsal in Wales, and controls the Wales national football team, its Wales women's national football team, correspo ...

. There are four

Welsh Rugby Union The Welsh Rugby Union (WRU; ) is the governing body of rugby union in the country of Wales, recognised by the sport's international governing body, World Rugby. The WRU is responsible for the running of rugby in Wales, overseeing 320 member clu ...

teams in Maesteg. The oldest is

Maesteg RFC Maesteg Rugby Football Club is a rugby union team from the town of Maesteg, South Wales. The club currently play in the Division 3B west Central Welsh Rugby Union and is a feeder club for the Ospreys. Club history Maesteg RFC was formed in 18 ...

, founded in 1877, while Maesteg Harlequins RFC was formed in the 1920s. Other rugby union teams from the area include Nantyffyllon RFC and Maesteg Celtic RFC. For a time, Maesteg was also home to the now-defunct

rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as rugby league in English-speaking countries and rugby 13/XIII in non-Anglophone Europe, is a contact sport, full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular Rugby league playin ...

team South Wales Scorpions. The town is home to two cricket clubs. Maesteg Cricket Club was founded in 1846 and won the South Wales Cricket Association League Cup in 2016. Maesteg Celtic Cricket Club is based at Garth Welfare Park; they have won the Welsh Cup three times and the first division of the South Wales Cricket Association on seven occasions, including a record four times consecutively. Both clubs play in the South Wales Cricket Association Division 1.

Notable people

:''See :People from Maesteg'' * Billy Banks (1925-1991), Wales and Great Britain rugby league player * Allan Bateman, Wales and British Lions rugby union and rugby league player *

Dave Bowen David Lloyd Bowen (7 June 1928 – 25 September 1995) was a Welsh football player and manager, who captained his country to their first ever World Cup finals, in 1958. Playing career Born in Maesteg, Bowen first played for Northampton Town. ...

(1928–1995), Arsenal and Wales, footballer and football manager * Henry Bracy (1846–1917), opera singer, director and producer * Gwyn Evans, Wales and British Lions rugby union player *

Howell Evans Howell Albert John Evans (3 March 1928 – 9 September 2014) was a Welsh actor, comedian, and singer who worked extensively in television and theatre roles in a career spanning over 60 years. He was best known for having played "Daddy" in th ...

(1928-2014), actor * Chico Hopkins, Wales and British Lions rugby union and rugby league player *

(1915-2003), author and pioneer of Welsh-language education * George Jeffries (1889–1972), founder of the worldwide Elim Pentecostal Church *

Siân Lloyd Siân Mary Lloyd (born 3 July 1958) is a Welsh television presenter and meteorologist from Maesteg. She was the United Kingdom's longest-serving female weather forecaster, having appeared on ITV Weather for 24 years, from 1990 until 2014. ...

(1958-), ITV weather presenter * James Morgan (1985-), actor * Sir Rhys Hopkin Morris (1888–1956), politician, stipendiary magistrate and first director of the Welsh Region BBC * Sir William Beddoe Rees MP (1877–1931), Welsh chapel architect, town-planner and politician * Brinley Richards (1904–1981), Archdruid of Wales 1972–75 *

Menna Richards Menna Richards OBE was the Controller of BBC Cymru Wales from February 2000 to February 2011. Biography Born in Maesteg, Bridgend County Borough, Wales, Richards was educated at the town's Grammar School, and later at the University of Wales, Ab ...

, Controller of BBC Wales, 2000–2011 * David Emlyn Thomas (1892–1954), politician and trade unionist * Rees Thomas (1926-1984), rugby league player * Thomas Llyfnwy Thomas (1912–1983), U.S.-based singer and TV personality * Sidney Wilcox (1893–1973), cricketer * Christopher Williams (1873–1934), painter * John J. Williams (1948–2020), Wales and British Lions rugby union player and international athlete

References

External links

Maesteg

Visit Maesteg

Wikivoyage Maesteg

Radio Maesteg
{{authority control Towns in Bridgend County Borough Communities in Bridgend County Borough Swansea Bay (region)