Blaenavon Community Wood to Whistle Road

A small town, once at the heart of the Industrial Revolution 

Start: Blaenavon Community Wood, Llanover Road

Finish: Whistle Road, Blaenavon

Parking: Small parking area at the entrance to the Community Woods

Approximate Distance: 5.5 kms / 3.4 miles

Time Allowance: 2.5 - 3 hours

The town of Blaenavon contains a wealth of history and interesting buildings. 

You will pass an old schoolroom (Once Hawkins Corn Stores) which is constructed of original rubble stone with dressed stone quoins and slate roof. It was a later addition to Moriah Chapel on Broad Street. 

Blaenavon Evangelical Moriah Chapel was opened in 1888 and is a Grade ll Listed Building. 

Along Broad Street are some well-preserved 19th century shops, Nos 15-19. They are Grade ll Listed Buildings. 

The Horeb Baptist Chapel opened in 1863 and is Listed Grade ll. The chapel’s design is unusual because it was built along the lines of an industrial engine house. Inside is particularly beautiful and worth a visit. Adjacent to Horeb Chapel is the War Memorial, built in 1931 in the art deco style, and the Workmen’s Hall and Institute, built in 1894, both Listed Grade ll. Interestingly, the Institute was built using subscriptions raised from the workmen themselves. 

St Peter’s Church, built by Samuel Hopkins and Thomas Hill in 1805 to replace the tiny Capel Newydd on the Llanover Road. The church has many interesting features, including a unique cast iron font as well as iron topped “chest tombs” in the graveyard. Next to the church is what was the school founded by Sarah Hopkins in 1816, one of the first examples of industrialists using their private wealth to provide their workers children with an education. During the chartist uprisings the school was used as a barracks for “Redcoats”. The school now houses the Blaenavon Heritage Centre. 

Download a copy of the Torfaen Trail - Figure of 8 Leaflet which includes the Blaenavon Community Wood to Whistle Road walk here.