Pontrilas
 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification.(December 2013) |
| Pontrilas | |
|---|---|
  Pontrilas Location withinHerefordshire | |
| Civil parish | |
| Unitary authority | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Hereford |
| Postcode district | HR2 |
| Police | West Mercia |
| Fire | Hereford and Worcester |
| Ambulance | West Midlands |
| UK Parliament | |
Pontrilas(English:Bridge over Three Rivers) is a village in southHerefordshire,England, half a mile from the border withWales.It is in the parish ofKentchurchand lies midway betweenHerefordandAbergavenny.In 2011 the main village contained 66 residential dwellings,[1]as well as Pontrilas Business Park.[2]
The village name comes from the Welsh language, and means 'bridge over three rivers' due to theRiver Dore,Dulas brook and another smaller stream (which descends via Dineterwood but appears to have no specific name) meeting there. The mainA465 roadskirts the west of the village.
The neighbouring villages include;Ewyas Harold,Llangua,Dulas,Wormbridge,Kilpeck,Bagwyllydiart,Abbey DoreandHowton.
History
[edit]There has been a settlement in the area since at least 1086 when the hamlet was called Elwistone, possibly originating from the Welsh names Elwin or Helys. Over the centuries there have been several variations of name e.g. Ailstone and Heliston. The latter being the name of a terrace of houses in the modern day village.
The name Pontrilas originally only belonged to the manor housePontrilas Court,once one of the homes of the Baskerville family, which sits beside the bridge over the River Dore, near where it meets the Dulas brook and another smaller stream. From 1750 the hamlet was also marked as Pontrilas on maps.
TheNewport, Abergavenny and Hereford Railwayline came to Pontrilas in 1854. The line was sponsored by theLondon North Western Railwayand merger with other lines took place in 1860 with theWest Midland Railwaywhich itself was taken over to eventually result in theGreat Western Railway(GWR) running the line from 1863. A local company constructed theGolden Valley Railwayline in 1881 and the hamlet grew in importance. However the line was not a financial success and it closed in 1898. It was subsequently purchased and reopened in 1901 by the GWR.
The village had a cattle market and a pub, The Pontrilas Inn built by the Scudamore family, who still own much land in the area. The pub was burned down in the 1970s. There was also a chemical factory owned by Wrekin Chemical Company beside the main railway line to the north of the village.
Since the closing of the station in 1958 the village has declined in importance, though it does still boast an auction room and a number of businesses including Pontrilas Timber which has been there since 1947, an estate agency and a number of other smaller businesses. The formerWorld War IIElm Bridgemunitions depotis now the site of theQinetiqmanagedPontrilas Army Training Area.
Transport
[edit]Pontrilas is served byStagecoach South Walesservice X4 which runs betweenHerefordandCardiff[3]andNational Express Coachesservice 321 which linksAberdareandBradford[4]
Pontrilas railway stationis currently closed but has the potential to be re-opened with services calling for passengers on theWelsh Marches Line.
References
[edit]- ^"Herefordshire Local Plan - Core Strategy. Rural Housing Background Paper"(PDF).Herefordshire Council. March 2013.Retrieved19 August2016.
- ^"Pontrilas Business Park".Completely Industrial.Retrieved19 August2016.
- ^"X4 Cardiff Pontypridd Merthyr Brynmawr Abergavenny Hereford".Stagecoach South Wales.2013. Archived fromthe original(pdf)on 16 December 2013.Retrieved16 December2013.
- ^"National Express Coach service NX321".National Express Coaches.2013.Retrieved16 December2013.
External links
[edit]
- Map sourcesfor Pontrilas