Sirhowy Hill Woodlands, Tredegar
Sirhowy Hill Woodlands cover a reclaimed former spoil and refuse tip. The area was used as a depository for waste from the iron and steel industry and from households, until the refuse and shale tips were closed in 1973-74.
Before the industrial revolution, the area was covered in ancient woodland, ferns and flowers. Tredegar was inhabited by farmers and shepherds.
Industrialisation transformed Tredegar, where iron was made using locally mined iron ore and coal. By the early 19th century South Wales was the world’s biggest producer of iron, and a third of the world’s coal was mined in the region over a century later.
By 1851 Wales was the world’s first industrial society – where more people worked in industry than agriculture. The landscapes of the South Wales Valleys, including those around Tredegar, became unrecognisable as ancient woodlands were destroyed by open-cast mining and dumping of slag and other waste.
As industrialisation receded, nature returned to the scarred landscapes, helped along in many places by a major land reclamation programme which spanned decades.
Most of Sirhowy Hill Woodlands was planted in phases between 1985 and 1990 – see the footnotes for details of the main species. More broadleaved trees were planted in selected areas later.
The woodlands and surrounding areas that make up Sirhowy Hill Woodlands cover about 85 hectares between Tredegar and Ebbw Vale. The woodlands was designated as a Local Nature Reserve in 2020. The land is mainly owned by Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council. The area is managed as a community woodland by Sirhowy Hill Woodlands Community Interest Company, incorporated in 2019.
Grid reference: SO147097
Sirhowy Hill Woodlands website
Footnotes: Main tree species at the woodland
Initial planting
Common alder (Alnus glutinosa)
Grey alder (Alnus incana)
Italian alder (Alnus cordata)
Norway spruce (Picea abies)
Various pines (Pinus spp)
Various willows (Salix spp)
Various poplars (Populus spp)
Later planting
Sessile oak (Quercus petraea)
Beech (Fagus sylvatica)
Birch (Betula spp)
Common hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna)
Rowan (Sorbus aucuparia)