Van () is a

suburb A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area. They are oftentimes where most of a metropolitan areas jobs are located with some being predominantly residential. They can either be denser or less densely populated ...

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 ...

Caerphilly Caerphilly (, ; , ) is a town and community (Wales), community in Wales. It is situated at the southern end of the Rhymney Valley and separated from the Cardiff suburbs of Lisvane and Rhiwbina by Caerphilly Mountain. It is north of Cardiff an ...

county borough in

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 ...

, situated in the east of the town of

. It contains the vast housing estate of Lansbury Park and the estates of Porset Park, Castle Park,

Mornington Meadows Mornington Meadows () is a residential area in the town of Caerphilly, south Wales. The name comes from the pastoral land and hay meadows which once covered this area. It borders Porset Park to the south, with pastoral land to the north-east. It i ...

and Badgers Wood. Van mainly consists of residential properties, one industrial estate and only one public house - The Fisherman's Rest. Nearly all of the property in Van is of post war construction. The area is served by one large primary school -

St James Saint James or St. James may refer to: People Saints *James, brother of Jesus (died 62 or 69), also known as James the Just *James the Great (died 44), Apostle, also known as James, son of Zebedee, or Saint James the Greater *James, son of Alphaeu ...

. The same name is given to the electoral ward of Caerphilly County Borough council that also covers Van. According to the

United Kingdom Census 2001 A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th Census in the United Kingdom, UK census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194. The 2001 UK census was organise ...

Van had a

population Population is a set of humans or other organisms in a given region or area. Governments conduct a census to quantify the resident population size within a given jurisdiction. The term is also applied to non-human animals, microorganisms, and pl ...

of 5,050., decreasing to 4,923 in 2011 census. For political administration Van is served by a Community Council that meets monthly.

Van Castle

In the 1580s, permission was given to Thomas Lewis to use stone from nearby

Caerphilly Castle Caerphilly Castle () is a medieval castle, fortification in Caerphilly in South Wales. The castle was constructed by Gilbert de Clare, 7th Earl of Gloucester, Gilbert de Clare in the 13th century as part of his campaign to maintain control of ...

to build a manor house. The resulting building was known as Van Castle, Castell y Fan, or simply 'The Van'. The building was seen as an innovation of its day but its construction led to the further dilapidation of the original castle in Caerphilly. Van Castle was abandoned in the mid-18th century when the

Lewis family Lewis may refer to: Names * Lewis (given name), including a list of people with the given name * Lewis (surname), including a list of people with the surname Music * Lewis (musician), Canadian singer * " Lewis (Mistreated)", a song by Radiohe ...

moved to

St Fagans Castle St Fagans Castle () is an Elizabethan mansion in St Fagans, Cardiff, Wales, dating from the late 16th century. The house and remaining medieval fortifications are Grade I listed. The grounds of St Fagans Castle now contain St Fagans National Mu ...

. The gardens surrounding the house are listed on the

Cadw/ICOMOS Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in Wales The Cadw/ICOMOS Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in Wales is a heritage register of significant historic parks and gardens in Wales. It is maintained by Cadw, the historic environment service of the Welsh Government and ...

Industrial Heritage

Van industrial heritage revolved around the

Great Western Railway The Great Western Railway (GWR) was a History of rail transport in Great Britain, British railway company that linked London with the southwest, west and West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, ...

, where many of the engine and repair works were housed and the T Ness, Caerphilly Tar Distillation Works, which ceased operations in 1985.

Notes

External links

www.geograph.co.uk : photos of Van and surrounding area
Villages in Caerphilly County Borough Communities in Caerphilly County Borough Registered historic parks and gardens in Caerphilly County Borough {{Caerphilly-geo-stub