It has been suggested that the site of the church was originally dedicated to Saint Gwladys. Historians have suggested that Bassaleg is the only British place whose name derives from the word basilica, a term used in early Christianity for a church containing the body of a saint. Until the mid-19th century, a grave chapel for St. Gwladys survived close to the church.[2] The church is part of the Rectorial Benefice of Bassaleg.[3]
Communications
Bassaleg ViaductBassaleg Junction railway station in 1962Bassaleg Station in 1962
Bassaleg lies near the junction of the Brecon and Merthyr Railway and Great Western Railway and used to have two stations (Bassaleg and Bassaleg Junction). Both were victims of the Beeching Axe in the 1960s. Pye Corner station, built close to the site of Bassaleg Junction station on the former GWR line, opened on 14 December 2014.[4][5] Served by the existing Ebbw Valley Railway service between Cardiff Central and Ebbw Vale Town, the station is operated by Transport for Wales. Trains run hourly Monday-Saturday and 2-hourly on Sundays. The journey time to Cardiff Central is 19–22 minutes, and is around 38 minutes to Ebbw Vale Town.[6]
Bassaleg's earliest known inhabitant is Saint Gwladys, a hermit and wife of St. Gwynllyw or Woolos, who founded her own hermitage at Pencarnu, supposedly at a site at Pont Ebbw.[17] While there she bathed in the Ebbw River and the Lady's Well at Tredegar may have been dedicated to her. It has been suggested that site of St. Basil's church was originally dedicated to her. In the 14th century (fl. c. 1320 - 1360/1380), a Welsh lord, Ifor Hael (real name, Ifor ap Llywelyn) lived in Gwernyclepa manor near Bassaleg. He was a well known promoter of poetry, and he was a friend to the famous Welsh bard, Dafydd ap Gwilym. There have been many poems written about him, and for the sadness of the state of his manor now. One such is an englyn, written by 18th-century poet Evan Evans (Ieuan Fardd):
Llys Ifor hael, gwael yw'r gwedd, - yn garnau
mewn gwerni mae'n gorwedd;
drain ac ysgall mall a'i medd,
mieri lle bu mawredd.
A direct translation from the englyn form is unavailable as due to the differences between the English and Welsh languages.
The hall of Ivor the generous, poor it looks
A cairn, it lies amongst alders
Thorns and the blight of the thistle own it
Briars, where once there was greatness
The englyn is a part of a longer poem, which was traditionally sung.[18]
The most important local influences was the local estate of the Morgans, Lords Tredegar, at Tredegar House many of whom are buried in the churchyard.
During the Newport Rising of 1839 the Chartist marchers passed through this area heading into Newport.[19]
↑ Wales, Archifau Cymru Archives (27 November 2021). "Witness testimonies from the 1839 Newport Rising uncovered as part of Explore Your Archive week". Archives Wales. Thomas Hawkins Esquire, Tin Plate manufacturer from the parish of Bassaleg: In my opinion about 1500 persons were there standing on the Tram Road near my House – they were on their way towards Newport – a great number of those on the Tram Road were armed – Calling themselves Chartists.
Newport is a city and county borough in Wales, situated on the River Usk close to its confluence with the Severn Estuary, 12 mi (19 km) northeast of Cardiff. The population grew considerably between the 2011 and the 2021 census, rising from 145,700 to 159,587, the largest growth of any unitary authority in Wales. Newport is the third-largest principal authority with city status in Wales, and sixth most populous overall. Newport became a unitary authority in 1996 and forms part of the Cardiff-Newport metropolitan area, and the Cardiff Capital Region.
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The Brecon and Merthyr Tydfil Junction Railway (B&MR) was a railway company in Wales. It was originally intended to link the towns in its name. Finding its access to Merthyr difficult at first, it acquired the Rumney Railway, an old plateway, and this gave it access to Newport docks. This changed its emphasis from rural line to mineral artery.
Rogerstone is a large village and community (parish) in Newport, Wales. The area is governed by Newport City Council. The village falls within the ancient parish of Bassaleg and historic county of Monmouthshire.
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Pye Corner railway station is a station serving a residential area in the west of Newport, Wales, between the suburbs of Bassaleg and High Cross. It opened on 14 December 2014.
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Ebbw Vale Town railway station serves the town centre of Ebbw Vale in Blaenau Gwent, Wales, serving as the terminus of the Ebbw Valley Railway.
Jamie Corsi is a professional rugby union player. He is a former pupil of Bassaleg School, Newport. He was born in Cardiff.
Saint Gwladys ferch Brychan or St Gladys, daughter of King Brychan of Brycheiniog, was the queen of the saint-king Gwynllyw Milwr and the mother of Cadoc "the Wise", whose Vita may be the earliest saint's life to mention Arthur. Gwladys's other children were Cynidr, Bugi, Cyfyw, Maches, Glywys II and Egwine. Today her main church and associated school is in Bargoed.
The Newport, Abergavenny and Hereford Railway was a railway company formed to connect the places in its name. When it sought parliamentary authorisation, it was denied the southern section, and obliged to use the Monmouthshire Railway between Pontypool and Newport.
The Monmouthshire Railway and Canal Company was a canal and railway company that operated a canal and a network of railways in the Western Valley and Eastern Valley of Newport, Monmouthshire. It started as the Monmouthshire Canal Navigation and opened canals from Newport to Pontypool and to Crumlin from 1796. Numerous tramroads connected nearby pits and ironworks with the canal.
The Rumney Railway in Wales was a 4 ft 2 in plateway built to connect the ironworks at Rhymney to the Monmouthshire Canal Company's tramroad near Newport, Wales providing a connection the wharves at the Newport Docks. The line was opened in 1826. It was later converted to a standard gauge railway,
The South Wales Metro is an integrated heavy rail, light rail and bus-based public transport services and systems network currently being developed in South East Wales around the hub of Cardiff Central railway station. The first phase was approved for development in October 2013. Works are currently under way, with a new depot under construction at Taff's Well and new trains being built by Stadler Rail in Switzerland. The development will also include the electrification of the core Valley Lines and new stations. All nine lines will be electrified, and the service is expected to be in operation by the end of 2024.
Ebbw Vale bus station, also known as Inner Bypass, is a bus terminus located in the town centre of Ebbw Vale, South Wales.
St Basil's Church stands in the village of Bassaleg, to the west of the city of Newport, Wales. An active parish church, it is a Grade II* listed building.
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