BRIDGEND

Welsh Pen-y-Bont ar Ogwr county borough, historic county of Glamorgan (Morgannwg), southern Wales. Bridgend county borough extends from the mining valleys of Ogmore, Garw, and Llynfi in the north to the arable lowlands and an extensive coastline in the south. Discoveries of Bronze Age and Iron Age artifacts have been made near the village of Merthyr Mawr, and the remains of many Norman castles give further evidence of the area's long history. Ogmore Castle, situated in the Ogmore river valley between Bridgend town and Ogmore-by-the-Sea, is one of these; it was founded in 1116 by William de Londres, and its stone keep is one of the earliest built in Wales. Others are Coity Castle (also built in the 12th century), located north of Bridgend town, and Candleston Castle (14th century), near Merthyr Mawr. Mining was once important in the northern part of the county borough, but it had virtually ceased by the end of the 20th century. New industries (engineering, clothing manufacture, and cosmetics) have been introduced, particularly in the town of Maesteg, in the Llynfi valley. Agriculture remains economically important in the south. The town of Bridgend, the administrative centre of the county borough, has industrial and commercial estates and shopping centres. Porthcawl is one of the leading coastal resorts in South Wales. The M4 motorway connects Bridgend with Cardiff and Newport to the east and with Swansea to the west. Area 111 square miles (287 square km). Pop. (1998 est.) 131,400. Welsh Pen-y-bont Ar Ogwr town, Bridgend county borough, historic county of Glamorgan (Morgannwg), Wales, on the River Ogmore. It has grown up on the site of medieval riverside twin villages (Oldcastle and Newcastle) with a 12th-century castle and 15th-century hospice; a stone bridge was built over the river about 1435. Historically, Bridgend has been the market town for the western Glamorgan lowland and the valleys immediately north. In addition the town's industrial base was expanded after World War II with the conversion of a wartime ordnance factory into a large industrial estate, and the Ford Motor Company opened an automobile engine factory southeast of the town. Pop. (1991) 35,841.