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Gwent Archives (Welsh: Archifau Gwent) is the local records office and genealogy centre, based in Ebbw Vale, South Wales for the historic counties of Gwent and Monmouthshire. It covers the modern local authority areas of Blaenau Gwent, Caerphilly County Borough, Monmouthshire, Newport and Torfaen.
Contents
Background
Gwent Archives was established in 1938 for the county of Monmouthshire. Following the creation of the county of Gwent in 1974, it became the Gwent County Record Office. In October 2011 the record office moved from County Hall in Cwmbran to a newly developed site in Ebbw Vale. It was renamed Gwent Archives.
Location
The Gwent Archives are housed in the Grade II* listed office buildings of Ebbw Vale Steelworks. The red brick building with its tall clock tower was built in 1915/6 for the Ebbw Vale Iron and Steel Company. In 2009 plans were approved for architects Stride Treglown to convert the building into a headquarters for Gwent Record Office, with a new extension, exhibition and educational facilities. The building was finished off with a bilingual poem specially written by the National Poet of Wales, Gillian Clarke, which is partially reproduced on the facade of the new extension.
Holdings
Gwent Archives has a photograph store and two main strongrooms with 10 km of shelving, containing records going back as far as the 12th-century. The new wing has a double roof to help keep a stable temperature and environment. The Ebbw Vale Steelworks Archive Trust, a voluntary group which preserves the history of the industry in the area, is also based at the Archives.