 thumb|right|until 1957 there was a railway station which had been opened a hundred years before by the london and north western railway :see also bryn mawr (disambiguation) for other places with this name. brynmawr (pronounced  , , sometimes hyphenated to bryn-mawr, ) is a market town in blaenau gwent, south wales. the town, sometimes cited as the highest town in wales, is situated at 1,250 to 1,500 feet above sea level at the head of the south wales valleys. it grew with the development of the coal mining and iron industries in the early 19th century. ==history== prior to the industrial revolution brynmawr was a small village settlement called gwaun helygen (cors helygen in modern welsh, meaning "marsh of the willow" in english), and lay in the former county of brecknockshire. with the expansion of the nantyglo ironworks housing was required for the workers and brynmawr turned into a prosperous town. although coal mining has virtually ceased, a large mining museum has been established at big pit in nearby blaenavon. ==population== brynmawr has an estimated population of over 6,000 people. at the 2001 census 5.75% of the 16-65 age group spoke welsh, but the proportion of children (ages 3â15) able to speak welsh was much higher at 30.54%.http://www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/census2001/report_on_the_welsh_language.pdf the town had the only welsh-medium primary school, ysgol gymraeg brynmawr, in blaenau gwent with 310 pupils ranging from nursery to year 6 until 2010, when the school re-located to a brand new, purpose-built building in blaina. ==commerce and local economy== the town centre's primary shopping areas are contained within beaufort street and on market square which is also the focal point of the town where many events are hosted. the former market hall is now a cinema and theatre presenting films and productions from the local amateur operatic society. the bus
Market_towns_in_Wales Towns_in_Blaenau_Gwent