Hills Tramroad: Blaenavon World Heritage Site

The incredible story of the primitive railways, known as tramroads, built in order to link the iconic ironworks around Blaenavon - now a UNESCO world heritage site.

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Hill’s Tramroad was established in about 1817 by the Blaenavon ironmaster Thomas Hill to connect his ironworks with Llanfoist Wharf on the Brecknock & Abergavenny Canal. Trams loaded with pig iron were hauled by horses through a long tunnel to Pwlldu on the other side of the mountain. From there they were taken on a dramatic journey along a ledge cut into the hillside to reach Garnddyrys Forge, situated at an altitude of 1,100 feet above sea level.

Here the pig iron was refined and converted into products such as bars, rails and plates, which were then loaded onto the trams to be hauled around to the front of the Blorenge Mountain and then lowered down a series of inclines to arrive at Llanfoist Wharf, where narrow boats were waiting to begin a two-day journey to Newport Docks.

In this book, author Chris Barber takes the reader through the fascinating story of this early transport route, set within the Blaenavon Industrial Landscape World Heritage Site and the Brecon Beacons National Park.