Blackwood
Statistics
Population:	15,306
Ordnance Survey
OS grid reference:	Maps for ST175975
Administration
Principal area:	Caerphilly
Constituent country:	Wales
Sovereign state:	United Kingdom
Other
Police force:	Gwent Police
Ceremonial county:	Gwent
Historic county:	Monmouthshire
Post office and telephone
Post town:	BLACKWOOD
Postal district:	NP12
Dialling code:	+44-1495, 1443
Politics
UK Parliament:	Islwyn
European Parliament:	Wales

Blackwood (Welsh: Coed Duon) is a small town in South Wales on the River Sirhowy. It is a regional shopping centre and market town. Much of its popularity as a retail centre is because it has an unusually wide main street due to the tramway that formerly ran through the centre of the town. The British national grid reference system is a system of geographic grid references commonly used in Great Britain, different from using latitude or longitude. ... For local government purposes, Wales is divided into 22 unitary authorities. ... Caerphilly [county borough] is a local government principal area in southern Wales, straddling the boundary between the traditional counties of Glamorgan and Monmouthshire. ... Constituent country is an official term used to describe three of the four principal component parts of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (UK): England; Scotland; Wales. ... Motto: (Welsh for Wales forever) Anthem: Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau Capital Cardiff Largest city Cardiff Official language(s) Welsh, English Government Constitutional monarchy  - Queen Queen Elizabeth II  - Prime Minister of the UK Tony Blair MP  - First Minister Rhodri Morgan AM Unification    - by Gruffudd ap Llywelyn 1056  Area    - Total 20,779... This is an alphabetical list of the sovereign states of the world, including both de jure and de facto independent states. ... There are a number of policing agencies in the United Kingdom. ... Gwent Police (Welsh: Heddlu Gwent) is the Home Office police force responsible for policing the local authority areas of Blaenau Gwent, Caerphilly, Monmouthshire, Newport and Torfaen in southeast Wales. ... The Preserved counties of Wales are the current areas used in Wales for ceremonial purposes such as Lieutenancy. ... Gwent as a preserved county since 2003. ... Wales has thirteen traditional counties (or vice counties). ... Monmouthshire (Welsh: Sir Fynwy) is both a principal area and a traditional county in south-east Wales. ... A post town is a required part of all UK postal addresses. ... UK postal codes are known as postcodes. ... The UK telephone numbering plan, also known as the National Numbering Plan, is regulated by the Office of Communications (Ofcom), which replaced the Office of Telecommunications (Oftel) in 2003. ... To see the list in alphabetical order see the categories UK Parliamentary constituencies and UK Parliamentary constituencies (historic). ... Islwyn is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. ... Sign in the entrance of the European Parliament building in Brussels, written in all the official languages used in the European Union as of July 2006 The European Parliament building in Strasbourg The debating chamber, or hemicycle, in Strasbourg The European Parliament building in Brussels The European Parliament (formerly European... Wales is a constituency of the European Parliament. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Wales. ... Welsh redirects here, and this article describes the Welsh language. ... Approximate extent of South Wales South Wales (Welsh: ) is an area of Wales bordered by England and the Bristol Channel to the east and south, and Mid Wales and West Wales to the north and west. ... The River Sirhowy (Welsh Afon Sirhywi) is a river in south Wales and a tributary of the River Ebbw. ...

Blackwood was founded by John Hodder Moggridge who resided at Woodfield Park Estate and owned a number of collieries in the area in the early 19th century. The first streets of Blackwood were built by Moggridge to house his workers to whom he leased the buildings and land for growing food. They represented a breakthrough in early working class housing and were hailed as a successful social experiment. The houses were considered of a high standard for the time.

This was not enough however and as the industrial revolution took hold, workers' conditions became a prominent subject. Blackwood was central to the Chartist movement. The Chartists were a british organisation determined to change the electoral system in Britain to more fully represent the populace. The South Wales leaders, John Frost, Zephaniah Williams (a Blackwood man) and William Williams met regularly at the Coach and Horses in Blackwood planning their march on Newport that was to coincide with a british wide 'revolution' against the govenment in 1839. Indeed when the insurrection erupted on a cold November night, a large contingent gathered at Blackwood and upon meeting their comrades who had arrived from the upper Sirhowy Valley, armed themselves and marched on Newport to take the town and demand the adoption of the People's Charter. However the South Wales Movement were the only ones to march and the Insurrection failed with the leaders being sentenced to death, later commuted to deportation to Tasmania. The final chapter though must go to the Chartists as many of their demands now form the basis of the current electoral system in the UK. A movement for social and political reform in the United Kingdom during the mid_19th century, Chartism gains its name from the Peoples Charter of 1838, which set out the main aims of the movement. ... John Frost was a prominent leader of the Chartist movement. ... Zephaniah Williams (1795-1874) was a collier and innkeeper, prosecuted for his part in the Chartist Rising at Newport, Monmouthshire in 1839. ... For other uses of the name Newport, please see Newport, Rhode Island, Newport, Isle of Wight or Newport (disambiguation). ...

History touched the valley once more in 1912 when the Titanic's distress signals were picked up by amateur wireless enthusiast Arthur (Artie) Moore who resided at the Old Mill, Gelligroes, just outside the town. Artie Moore went on to work as a senior Scientist for Marconi and was involved with the invention of the transistor in telecommunications.

Finally, the former Penllwyn House on the outskirts of the town, now a pub was originally part of the Tredegar Estates and is believed to be the original home of the family of Henry Morgan, Privateer and Governor of Jamaica.

People from Blackwood include the rock bands Manic Street Preachers, 80s rock singer Steve Strange; David Alexander (singer) and Dame Margaret Price (international Opera singer); Alun Pask (rugby player); Alun Lewis (rugby player). Manic Street Preachers (often known colloquially as The Manics) are a Welsh rock band often associated with the Britpop scene, and were one of the biggest bands in Britain for a period in the late 1990s. ... David Alexander (died 4 February 1995) was a Welsh singer and entertainer. ...

The town is home to the Maes Manor Hotel, a large and grand edifice housed in an old manor-house known as Maesrudded. The house was formerly home to the Lord Lieutenant of Monmouthshire. This is an incomplete list of people who served as Lord Lieutenant of Monmouthshire. ...

Blackwood have rugby union and rugby league sides, both of whom play at Glan-yr-afon Park. Their rugby league club is called the Blackwood Bulldogs and plays in the Welsh Conference Premier. A rugby union scrum. ... Rugby league is a team sport played by two teams of 17 players, with 13 on the field at any one time and 4 on the bench (reserves). ... The Rugby League Conference (RLC) (also known as the TotalRL Conference as a result of sponsorship from totalrl. ...