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Promoting Cwmtillery Countryside -
Habitats... A short Story from a Cwmtillery resident |
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 Before the industry
arrived a valley full of green fields, thriving woodlands and just a few
farming homesteads could be seen. A valley which had indeed been cultivated
from the earliest of times, I have found a record dated 1694 which shows John
Lewis Thomas, Evan John Harry and Lewis Harry Lewis among the few small holders
of that time. In 1799 Archdeacon Coxe is said to have described it as :- "An extensive district, well peopled, rich wooded and highly cultivated, almost rivalling the fertile counties of England.... we looked down with delight upon numerous valleys which abound with romantic scenery...." Under these rich and fertile times the four main requirements for the preservation of wildlife must have existed in abundance - Food, Water, Habitats and Shelter. With the arrival of the industry boom in the mid 19th century, these main requirements would diminish and cause a serious reduction in the valley's wildlife population . This pressure on the wildlife would remain until the mid 80s. With the main industry gone, and air pollution, noise and traffic reducing, visible signs of the increase in the wildlife populations would be seen again.  A wide range of habitats are found in the valley; dry stone walls, which have defined boundaries for many hundreds of years, hedges, ponds, woodlands and water ways. Our landscapes are made up of an interweaving of habitats and have been shaped over aeons by weather, geological movements and by humans. A recent walk one day took me to the top of Mynydd James mountain, continuing north, passing what seemed to be miles and miles of heather, fern and whimberry growth. I came to the source of the River Tyleri (well a trickle that is!) and into the valleys extreme northern boundary (locally known as the Dingle).  Following the river on its journey south towards the
reservoir, through the valley which gives you the sense of time standing still.
In places, the trees on both sides formed a tunnel over the river, masking off
the sunlight. Underneath, thriving in these conditions, fungi and other
organisms live, some around the waters edge and others on rock faces. The river
winds itself out of the dingle and into the remains of the Tyleri Forest, or
Coed Enynfa, know locally as Nun's Wood. This dark and eerie woodland, with its
decaying wood and peat covered floor; is home to all kinds of insect and plant
life. A past Cambridge study identified that
this deciduous wood is the highest to survive in Britain. It's sheltered
location enables the woodland to survive at an altitude not normally associated
with deciduous trees. Wood from this area was used many years ago in the
iron industry at Blaenavon.In the distance the reservoir sits quietly in the valley, disturbed only by the few anglers trying their luck, or trekkers exploring the mountainside. Below the reservoir is a wetland area and the lower lake, both full of lilies, reeds, course fish and other water creatures. A few small quarries can also be seen scattered on the mountainside, and the dry stone walling that started at the upper most part of the valley, continues southwards, disappearing into the distance. Below the lakes, housing development areas are found, with mature gardens, hedgerows and other established shrubbery. All these resources are the requirements needed to sustain our wildlife in and around the valley.
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