The ''Pontypool Free Press'' is an English language weekly regional newspaper that was originally published in
Pontypool
Pontypool ( ) is a town and the administrative centre of the county borough of Torfaen, within the Historic counties of Wales, historic boundaries of Monmouthshire (historic), Monmouthshire in South Wales. , it has a population of 29,062.
Locat ...
, as the ''Pontypool Free Press and Herald of the Hills'', in 1859 and is circulated in Pontypool and the surrounding area of
Torfaen
Torfaen (; ) is a Principal areas of Wales, county borough in the South East Wales, south-east of Wales. Torfaen is bordered by the county of Monmouthshire to the east, the City status in the United Kingdom, city of Newport, Wales, Newport to t ...
, in
south-east Wales.
History
The ''Pontypool Free Press and Herald of the Hills'' was established in 1859, with the first edition on 5 March 1859. It was printed and published in Pontypool, in English, by the proprietor David Walkinshaw.
In 1877 Henry Hughes Junior agreed to purchase the paper, along with the ''Pontypool Local Register and the Pontypool Almanack'', for £1,000 from Walkinshaw.
The name of the newspaper changed on 5 July 1879, to ''The Pontypool Free Press'', and on 2 April 1909 to ''The Free Press of Monmouthshire''.
In the 1980s,
Don Touhig, later to become the
Member of Parliament for
Islwyn and a
life peer
In the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the peerage whose titles cannot be inherited, in contrast to hereditary peers. Life peers are appointed by the monarch on the advice of the prime minister. With the exception of the D ...
, was editor of the newspaper. Touhig worked on the paper from 1968 to 1994, starting as a journalist, and ending as general manager of the Free Press Group.
An edition covering
Chepstow
Chepstow () is a town and community in Monmouthshire, Wales, adjoining the border with Gloucestershire, England. It is located on the tidal River Wye, about above its confluence with the River Severn, and adjoining the western end of the ...
was added in 1980, with other editions added later, giving four titles produced by the Free Press Group:
*''Abergavenny Free Press''
*''Chepstow Free Press''
*''Monmouth Free Press''
*''Pontypool Free Press''
In 1997 the Bailey Newspaper Group, the then owners of the Free Press Group, was bought by Southern Newspapers, based in
Southampton
Southampton is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. It is located approximately southwest of London, west of Portsmouth, and southeast of Salisbury. Southampton had a population of 253, ...
. In 1998 Southern Newspapers changed its name to Newscom and, in 2000, was bought by the
Newsquest Media Group
Newsquest Media Group Limited is the second largest publisher of regional and local newspapers in the United Kingdom. It is owned by the American mass media holding company Gannett.
It has 205 brands across the UK, publishing online and in pr ...
.
Current owners
In November 2008
Newsquest Media (Southern) Ltd merged the Abergavenny, Chepstow, and Monmouth editions into one edition covering Monmouthshire called ''The Free Press''. The ''Pontypool Free Press'' continued as a separate edition.
In November 2011 Newsquest moved the editorial staff to its regional headquarters, at the offices of the
South Wales Argus, in
Newport, closing its offices in Pontypool and Chepstow. Soon after,
Torfaen County Borough Council offered the paper an office at the
Pontypool Civic Centre, and journalists now use the office as a drop-in centre every Friday.
The paper maintains a close relationship with the local rugby club,
Pontypool RFC, as "Official Media Partner".
The paper is part of a group of papers covering some of south-east Wales, including the ''South Wales Argus'', ''
Penarth Times'', and the ''Penarth & District News''. The papers are all based at Cardiff Road,
Maesglas, Newport NP20 3QN, with Kevin Ward as Regional Managing Editor and Nicole Garnon as Deputy Editor. The paper is currently released as a tabloid and in 2013 had an average circulation of 5,022 (including ''The Free Press'') with a cover price of £0.40.
Archives
Paper, and microfiche, archives of the ''Pontypool Free Press'' and ''The Free Press of Monmouthshire'' are held at
Gwent Archives,
Ebbw Vale
Ebbw Vale (; ) is a town at the head of the valley formed by the Ebbw Fawr tributary of the Ebbw River in Wales. It is the largest town and the administrative centre of Blaenau Gwent county borough. The Ebbw Vale and Brynmawr conurbation has a ...
and
Newport Central Library.
An online digital archive of the paper (1859–1869 and 1872–1893) is available from
Welsh Newspapers Online.
Notes
References
External links
Free Press- online version of Pontypool Free Press and Monmouthshire Free Press
Pontypool Free Press and Herald of the Hills- online archive from National Library of Wales
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pontypool Free Press
Newspapers published in Wales
Newspapers published by Newsquest
Newspapers established in 1859
1859 establishments in Wales
Pontypool