Pontymoile Basin
Encyclopedia
Pontymoile Basin is a mooring point and canal junction
on the Monmouthshire & Brecon Canal
.
stretch of the Monmouthshire & Brecon Canal
in the Pontypool suburb of Pontymoile
in the historical county of Monmouthshire
in south east Wales, now part of Torfaen
.
narrows significantly as it approaches the basin. There is an old toll house
on the bank called Junction Cottage, built in 1814. The basin itself is a large expanse of water adjacent to the canal. It is used for turning narrowboat
s and filling up with water.
Pontmoile Basin was the site of the junction with the 3 mile Monmouthshire Canal to Pontnewynydd, containing 11 locks. This spur was fed from tramways carrying coal and iron down the valley. The junction was enacted in 1797 and completed in 1812. The spur was problematic due to water supply issues, and it was overtaken by rail when the Monmouthshire Railway and Canal Company
drained it and reused the bed for their railway line in 1854, though it had seen decline prior to that date. Today traces of both canal and railway have disappeared under the reshaped A472 road
.
The basin is located near Pontypool Park
and is a stopping point for boats en route to Goetre Wharf
.
Junction (canal)
A canal junction is a place at which two or more canal routes converge or diverge. This implies a physical connection between the beds of the two canals as opposed to them crossing on different levels eg via an aqueduct....
on the Monmouthshire & Brecon Canal
Monmouthshire & Brecon Canal
The Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal is a small network of canals in South Wales. For most of its length it runs through the Brecon Beacons National Park, and its present rural character and tranquillity belies its original purpose as an industrial corridor for coal and iron, which were brought to...
.
Location
The basin lies on the PontypoolPontypool
Pontypool is a town of approximately 36,000 people in the county borough of Torfaen, within the historic boundaries of Monmouthshire in South Wales....
stretch of the Monmouthshire & Brecon Canal
Monmouthshire & Brecon Canal
The Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal is a small network of canals in South Wales. For most of its length it runs through the Brecon Beacons National Park, and its present rural character and tranquillity belies its original purpose as an industrial corridor for coal and iron, which were brought to...
in the Pontypool suburb of Pontymoile
Pontymoile
Pontymoile is a large community of the town of Pontypool in Torfaen, south east Wales, within the historic boundaries of Monmouthshire....
in the historical county of Monmouthshire
Monmouthshire
Monmouthshire is a county in south east Wales. The name derives from the historic county of Monmouthshire which covered a much larger area. The largest town is Abergavenny. There are many castles in Monmouthshire .-Historic county:...
in south east Wales, now part of Torfaen
Torfaen
Torfaen is a county borough in Wales within the historic boundaries of Monmouthshire. It was originally formed in 1974 as a district of the county of Gwent and in 1996 it was reconstituted as a unitary authority.-Education:...
.
History
Originally a toll point, the canalCanal
Canals are man-made channels for water. There are two types of canal:#Waterways: navigable transportation canals used for carrying ships and boats shipping goods and conveying people, further subdivided into two kinds:...
narrows significantly as it approaches the basin. There is an old toll house
Toll house
A tollhouse or toll house is a building with accommodation for a toll collector, beside a tollgate on a toll road or canal. Many tollhouses were built by turnpike trusts in England, Wales and Scotland during the 18th and early 19th centuries...
on the bank called Junction Cottage, built in 1814. The basin itself is a large expanse of water adjacent to the canal. It is used for turning narrowboat
Narrowboat
A narrowboat or narrow boat is a boat of a distinctive design, made to fit the narrow canals of Great Britain.In the context of British Inland Waterways, "narrow boat" refers to the original working boats built in the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries for carrying goods on the narrow canals...
s and filling up with water.
Pontmoile Basin was the site of the junction with the 3 mile Monmouthshire Canal to Pontnewynydd, containing 11 locks. This spur was fed from tramways carrying coal and iron down the valley. The junction was enacted in 1797 and completed in 1812. The spur was problematic due to water supply issues, and it was overtaken by rail when the Monmouthshire Railway and Canal Company
Monmouthshire Railway and Canal Company
The Monmouthshire Railway and Canal Company built and operated the Newport and Pontypool Railway. It was known as "The Rat and Cat's".- Overview :...
drained it and reused the bed for their railway line in 1854, though it had seen decline prior to that date. Today traces of both canal and railway have disappeared under the reshaped A472 road
A472 road
The A472 is a cross valley link road in South Wales that runs west to east across the old South Wales coalfield from Treharris through Nelson, Ystrad Mynach, Maesycwmmer, Pontllanfraith, Newbridge, Crumlin, Hafodyrynys, Pontypool and thence into the Usk valley, through Little Mill and Usk to a...
.
Visitor attraction
Today the basin is something of a visitor attraction. Narrow boats and cruisers can be seen along the private stretch of moorings and day boat hire was introduced in 2007. The boats can be hired for full days or half days. There is a small café which was itself formerly a canal boat. There is a picnic area and several amenities (toilets, car park, etc.) that one would expect for such a place.The basin is located near Pontypool Park
Pontypool Park
Pontypool Park is a park containing predominantly mature trees with some open meadowland located in Pontypool, south Wales. The park was formerly the grounds of Pontypool House and was laid out in the closing years of the 17th century for Major John Hanbury, the local ironmaster, who is closely...
and is a stopping point for boats en route to Goetre Wharf
Goetre
- Location :Goetre is located five miles south of Abergavenny and four miles north of Pontypool, Torfaen.- History and amenities :Goetre has a canal wharf and visitor centre on the Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal , complete with interactive sculptures . The Llanover private estate, once presided...
.
See also
- Canals of the United KingdomCanals of the United KingdomThe canals of the United Kingdom are a major part of the network of inland waterways in the United Kingdom. They have a colourful history, from use for irrigation and transport, through becoming the focus of the Industrial Revolution, to today's role for recreational boating...
- History of the British canal systemHistory of the British canal systemThe British canal system of water transport played a vital role in the United Kingdom's Industrial Revolution at a time when roads were only just emerging from the medieval mud and long trains of pack horses were the only means of "mass" transit by road of raw materials and finished products The...