Llanwern is a village 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 ...

in the eastern part of the city of Newport, South East Wales. The name may be translated as "the church among the grove of the alders".

Location and populace

Llanwern is bounded by the M4 and Langstone to the north, by Ringland and Lliswerry to the west, by Nash, Goldcliff and Whitson to the south and by the city boundary to the east. The population of the Llanwern community in 2011 was 333, which contains Llanwern village and the western half of the site of Llanwern steelworks. The community population dropped to 289 in 2011. The community also includes the area of Glan Llyn.

Notable features

Church of St Mary

The church is dedicated to

St Mary Mary was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother of Jesus. She is an important figure of Christianity, venerated under various titles such as virgin or queen, many of them mentioned in the Litany of Loreto. ...

and is a

Grade II* listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...

and dates from the 14th century. The church has a particularly good collection of

stained glass Stained glass refers to coloured glass as a material or art and architectural works created from it. Although it is traditionally made in flat panels and used as windows, the creations of modern stained glass artists also include three-dimensio ...

. The west tower, stylistically more elaborate than most local churches, contains five bells of various dates. The bells were restored in the 1990s.

Llanwern House

Llanwern House was the home of David Alfred Thomas, 1st Viscount Rhondda (1856–1918), who was Minister of Food during the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. In 1887, a year before his election to Parliament, Thomas took the lease of the house, where he lived the life of a country squire, riding to hounds and breeding prize

Hereford cattle The Hereford is a British List of cattle breeds, breed of beef cattle originally from Herefordshire in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England. It was the result of selective breeding from the mid-eighteenth century by a few famil ...

. He bought the house in 1900 and acquired the neighbouring Pencoed estate shortly before his death, the purchase making Thomas the largest landowner in Monmouthshire after Lord Tredegar. Despite his fortune Thomas was content to retain the mansion at Llanwern, a large square house on a hilltop overlooking the village. The house, dating to 1760, was old-fashioned in its appearance but that appearance concealed a "delicate and beautiful interior" with ''

Chinoiserie (, ; loanword from French '' chinoiserie'', from '' chinois'', "Chinese"; ) is the European interpretation and imitation of Chinese and other Sinosphere artistic traditions, especially in the decorative arts, garden design, architecture, lite ...

'' influences. The house was demolished in the 1950s, although the site is still visible, and the parkland intact. Thomas's ashes are interred in the family graveyard in the church.

Governance

Llanwern has a community council, represented by up to seven community councillors. Llanwern is covered by a

Newport City Council Newport City Council () is the governing body for Newport, one of the principal areas of Wales. It consists of 51 councillors, who represent the city's 20 wards. The council is currently, and has historically been, held by the Labour Party. ...

electoral ward A ward is a local authority area, typically used for electoral purposes. In some countries, wards are usually named after neighbourhoods, thoroughfares, parishes, landmarks, geographical features and in some cases historical figures connected t ...

, also called Llanwern, though also including Goldcliff, Nash, Whitson and Redwick, as well as the community of Llanwern. It elects one city councillor. Since 2008 this has been

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

Martyn Kellway.

Regeneration

A £115m renewal project called Glan Llyn, led by St. Modwen Properties Limited, is transforming the former steel-producing part of the Llanwern steelworks site. Started in 2004, the masterplan envisages of employment-generating accommodation hosting 6,000 jobs, 4,000 new dwellings, community facilities and open space including three new lakes. Completion is anticipated by 2026–2028.

References

External links

Church Heritage Records

www.geograph.co.uk : photos of Llanwern and surrounding area

www.llanwernvillage.org.uk : Information relating to Llanwern Village and Llanwern Community Council
{{City of Newport Communities in Newport, Wales Villages in Newport, Wales