Investors in Cats

Welsh Icons - Towns & Villages
Aberkenfig

Welsh Icons
About Wales

and all things Welsh

Aberkenfig

 Back

 Previous

Next

Photos Wanted

Do you have any photographs of this location we can use on the site?
Please email them along with a description to [email protected].
They will remain your copyright and you will be credited as the photographer.

Aberkenfig (Welsh: Abercynffig meaning mouth of the Kenfig (Stream) is a village of around 2,000 people located in the County Borough of Bridgend to the north of Bridgend.

Location
Aberkenfig is located in south Wales, located just off the A4063 link to the M4 at Junction 36.It is nestled at the confluence of the River Llynfi and the River  Ogmore. It is located to the south of Tondu and to the west of Sarn, Brynmenyn and Bryncethin. These five villages which all lie to the north of the M4, whilst remaining distinctly separate areas have expanded to form one contiguous urban area of several thousand which is primarily a dormitory suburb of Bridgend, although many people also work in Cardiff and Swansea, due to the proximity to the motorway. As a result of its location next to both the rivers, it is somewhat lower in elevation compared to the other villages (especially Sarn) and this results in a microclimate which can produce some fog during the winter months, and also can disrupt analogue television signals.

Commercial Activity
Compared to other villages around Bridgend County, and relative to its size, Aberkenfig has a large range of commercial activity. It also has an extremely diverse commercial sector, indeed, it is (somewhat notoriously) home to the only licenced sex shop between Cardiff and Swansea which is opposite a gun and tackle shop. There are a number of hairdressers in the village, along with two corner shops, a taxi firm, two furniture shops, a photographic studio, a betting shop and a number of fast food outlets - which are primarily Cantonese, or fish and chip shops. The village is also home to a highly regarded Chinese restaurant, the New Garden, which has been featured in the Egon Ronay guide.

The centre of the village is a small green patch of grass and a bench at the junction of Bridgend Road, Pandy Road and Dunraven Street, and is accompanied by a CCTV camera, placed as a response by the council to growing concerns about the activities of youths in the village. The locus of commercial activity is around this centre, although it has moved here from further up Bridgend Road closer to Tondu, although some shops have remained there, and some new shops have opened in recent years.

Religious Establishments
In spite of this area of south Wales following the rest of the United Kingdom in increasing secularisation throughout the twentieth and twenty-first centuries; there are a number of religious houses of worship in the village. The village's central and accessible location at the confluence of the two rivers (and the Garw river flows into the Ogmore near Brynmenyn) and three valleys (LLynfi, Ogmore and Garw) have historically dictated the development of religious houses of worship (and also impacts favourably on commercial development here, rather than any other of the five villages). There is a Roman Catholic church, testament to Irish and Italian immigration, and this is also reflected in people's surnames around the area. This is the only Catholic church between Bridgend and Maesteg and is also frequented by people who live in the Ogmore and Garw valleys. There is a Church in Wales church, and there are several smaller non-conformist chapels doted around the village. Both the Catholic and Anglican Churches lack their own priests and are served by other parishes. Interestingly, the former Catholic Church recreational hall in Dunraven Street was sold off, bought and turned into a Mosque - which again is the only one between Cardiff and Swansea. This area has been, and still is (according to the 2001 Census) almost uniformily visibly white, with the next largest ethnic group being Chinese (about 0.2%) so the appearance of a mosque in Aberkenfig could be attributed to the very central location of the village (almost exactly halfway between Cardiff and Swansea and less than two minutes from the motorway junction) and the fact that a large building fit for communal use was being put up for sale. Also, bucking the national trend for churches to be shut and used for other purposes, the Lyric Bingo Hall on Pandy Street was closed down and turned into a charismatic evangelical church.

Education and Amenities
Aberkenfig has a Catholic Primary School, St. Robert's, in Dan y Lan, which is in the south of the village, it also has a state Primary school, Tondu Primary School (which was originally located in Tondu, but was knocked down and rebuilt in Meadow Street, but retained the name), which is in the north of the village and Pandy Infants School, which is just off Heol Persondy.

Aberkenfig also has a bowling green, and has another communal space, the Aberkenfig Welfare Hall. Aberkenfig also has a telephone exchange

Transportation
The centre of Aberkenfig is a lot quieter than it used to be after a new road, (now the B4281 Park Road) was built, to bypass the centre of Aberkenfig and cut traffic off Dunraven Street, which is very narrow. Another bypass (the A4063) was built to bypass Bridgend Road to take valleys traffic en route to Bridgend out of the village. This second bypass cut Heol Persondy in two, which was the road from Aberkenfig to Sarn, and reduced it to a footpath. Whilst this did have an impact on commercial activity, the road infrastructure in the village would now not be able to cope with the amount of traffic that the bypass now takes.

It is not served by the Maesteg Line although both Tondu railway station (around 10 minutes walk away from the village centre) and the closer Sarn railway station (about seven minutes walk away) via Heol Persondy are on the line. It is also served by First Cymru Bus service 32 and 36 to Maesteg (via the A4063) and to Bridgend (via the A4063 link and the A4061), which also links Aberkenfig to the McArthur Glen Designer Outlet Wales and Sainsbury's supermarket at the motorway junction. It is also served by service 30, which although going between Maesteg and Bridgend goes via Pen-y-fai and the A4063 towards Bridgend. Also it is served by service 63, which goes between Bridgend (following the route of the 32 and 36 services but then goes as far as Porthcawl via Kenfig Hill and Pyle. Service 30, 32 and 36 stop in the centre of the village, but Service 63 stops only on Park Road.


 Libraries in Aberkenfig:
 Aberkenfig Library
       Heol y Llyfrau
       Aberkenfig
       CF32 9PT
 01656 754820
 Mon 9.30-13.00 14.00-18.00
       Tue 9.30-13.00 14.00-18.00
       Thur 9.30- 13.00 14.00-18.00
       Fri 9.30-13.00 14.00-19.00
       Sat 9.30-13.00


 Pubs/Bars in Aberkenfig:
 Colliers Arms
       52 Bridgend Road
       Aberkenfig
       Bridgend
       Mid Glamorgan
       CF32 9BA
 01656 720493

 The Golden Lion
       103 Bridgend Road
       Aberkenfig
       Bridgend
       Mid Glamorgan
       CF32 9AP
 01656 724098

 The Prince Of Wales
       87 Bridgend Road
       Aberkenfig
       Bridgend
       Mid Glamorgan
       CF32 9BA
 01656 722249

 The Swan Inn
       128 Bridgend Road
       Aberkenfig
       Bridgend
       Mid Glamorgan
       CF32 9AE
 01656 725612


 Restaurants in Aberkenfig:
 New Garden (Chinese)
       40 Pandy Road
       Aberkenfig
       Bridgend
       Mid Glamorgan
       CF32 9PP
 01656 724361

 The Silver Swan (Chinese)
       128 Bridgend Road
       Aberkenfig
       Bridgend
       Mid Glamorgan
       CF32 9AE
 01656 724238

 Simla Tandoori Restaurant (Indian)
       83-85 Bridgend Road
       Aberkenfig
       Bridgend
       Mid Glamorgan
       CF32 9BA
 01656 729161

 Tru-Orient (Chinese)
       81 Bridgend Road
       Aberkenfig
       Bridgend
       Mid Glamorgan
       CF32 9BA
 01656 723209


 Cafes in Aberkenfig:
 Hot Pots
       21 Bridgend Road
       Aberkenfig
       Bridgend
       Mid Glamorgan
       CF32 9BN
 01656 723099


 Take Aways in Aberkenfig:
 Elachi Tandoori (Indian)
       30 Bridgend Road
       Aberkenfig
       Bridgend
       Mid Glamorgan
       CF32 9AY
 01656 725621

 Jasmin
       Pandy Road
       Aberkenfig
       Bridgend
       Mid Glamorgan
       CF32 9PP
 01656 722391

 Venh-Ly House
       62 Bridgend Road
       Aberkenfig
       Bridgend
       Mid Glamorgan
       CF32 9AP
 01656 720365

 Village Fish Bar (Fish & Chips)
       58 Bridgend Road
       Aberkenfig
       Bridgend
       Mid Glamorgan
       CF32 9BA
 01656 725986


 Taxis in Aberkenfig:
 Mini Bus Bridgend
       3 The Moulders
       Aberkenfig
       Bridgend
       Mid Glamorgan
       CF32 9AH
 01656 724571

 Village Cars
       101 Bridgend Rd
       Aberkenfig
       Bridgend
       Mid Glamorgan
       CF32 9AP
 01656 722161


 Schools/Colleges in Aberkenfig:
 Bridgend Pupil Referral Unit
       Heol Persondy
       Aberkenfig
       Bridgend
       CF32 9RF
 01656 720225

 Pandy Infants School
       Heol Persondy
       Aberkenfig
       Bridgend
       CF32 9RF
 01656 720339

 St Robert's Primary Catholic School
       Danylan
       Aberkenfig
       Bridgend
       CF32 9AB
 01656 720336

 Tondu Primary School
       Meadow Street
       Aberkenfig
       Bridgend
       CF32 9BE
 01656 722447



 

Comment Script
Post this page to: del.icio.us Yahoo! MyWeb Digg reddit Furl Blinklist Spurl

Comments

Name
E-mail (Will not appear online)
Title
Comment
;-) :-) :-D :-( :-o >-( B-) :oops: :-[] :-P
[Home] [Food & Drink] [Symbols] [Sport] [Products] [Places] [Buildings] [Artists] [Entertainers] [Events] [Famous Welsh] [Journalists] [Musicians] [Politicians] [Songs] [Writers] [Welsh Info] [About Us] [Vox Pop] [Contact Us] [Forums] [Our Sponsors] [Welsh Produce] [Arts & Crafts]

All copyrights acknowledged with thanks to Wikipedia. Another site by 3Cat Design 2006-2008
Whilst we try to give accurate information, we accept no liability for loss or incorrect information listed on this site or from material embedded on this site from external sources such as YouTube.
If you do spot a mistake, please let us know.
Email: [email protected]

 

 

Help Keep this site
running

 

This Space
could be YOURS
From Just �30
a Year

Click Here to
Find Out More

Help us to keep
this Site up and running

 

Key

Bold Red
Internal Link
Red
External Link

 Admission Charges
 Address
 Arts/Galleries
 Buses
 B&B�s/Guest Houses Campsites/Caravans
 Castles
 Credit Cards
 Cricket
 Disabled Facilities
 Email
 Farmers Markets
 Fax
 Film
 Food
 Football
 Parks/Gardens
 Golf
 Historic Houses
 Hotels
 Libraries
 Museums
 Opening Hours
 Places of Worship
 Pubs/Bars
 Rugby
 Schools/Colleges:
 Shops/Gifts
 Taxis:
 Telephone No.
 Theatres
 Tourist Information
 Trains
 Vets
 Web Address
 Welsh Produce
 Youth Hostels
llustration(s) or photograph(s) viewable Illustration(s) or
       photograph(s)