• Time from Maesteg to Craig y Nos Castle Wedding Venue: 49 minutes
  

• Distance from Maesteg to Craig y Nos Castle Wedding Reception Venue: 29 miles
  

Reflect the story of Maesteg in your decor, to connect your personal history in your home city's roots, and your family's location in Maesteg. You may get some ideas from the quick history of Maesteg below, its buildings, street names, or local transport routes etc.

3. The poet William Wordsworth was one of the investors in the Llynfi ironworks, as was Dr. John Bowring - who introduced the florin, a two shilling piece that became the forerunner of our present decimal system, specifically the ten pence piece today.

4. Export markets for the iron included Italy and Turkey and USA. The ironworks closed when steel production replaced iron. Steel production could not be replicated in Maesteg, so coal mining replaced iron production in the Llynfi valley.

5. Coal mining took over as the main industry in the area. Thanks to coal mining Maesteg's population increased from 10,000 in 1891 to 30,000 in 1921. Between 1890-1925 the valley was renowned worldwide as a producer of Admiralty-grade steam coal, high quality coking coal and the best house coal in South Wales.

6. The recession of 1928-38 saw a reduction in the demand for coal and exports of coal ceased. The population almost halved as workers sought employment elsewhere, in London and the Midlands. There was large scale unemployment.

7. Maesteg is now a dormitory town for neighbouring Port Talbot, and for Bridgend and Cardiff. The last coal pit closed in 1985. Fortunately more jobs were created in Bridgend and Port Talbot, so Maesteg and the Llynfi Valley was able to maintain its population at 20,000, as a mainly residential area, served by three railway stations in Maesteg.

8. Wards in Maesteg: Maesteg West, Maesteg East, Nantyffyllon and Caerau.

9. Maesteg has a reputation for music and choirs with eight choirs:

• (i) Maesteg and District Male Voice Choir,
  

• (ii) the Gleemen Male voice Choir,
  

• (iii) the Old Parish Choir,
  

• (iv) Llynfi Valley Ladies Choir,
  

• (v) the Harmony Ladies Choir,
  

• (vi) the Noteworthy mixed choir,
  

• (vii) the Take Note contemporary vocal group and finally,
  

• (viii) Maesteg Children's Choir.
  

10. Maesteg was the first place where the Welsh National Anthem Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau was performed.

11. The earliest settlement was over 2000 years ago in the Llynfi Valley, at the Bwlwarcau Iron Age Hillfort near Llangynwyd. This is two miles south of Maesteg Town centre while additional settlements futher around Maesteg go back 4,000 years.

3. If you wish to name your wedding tables after Maesteg, you have greater potential with the choirs, of which there are eight. Assuming eight round tables of ten guests on each and a separate head table of a similar number, this would allow for a wedding of 88 – 90 wedding guests, including the head table.

4. Alternatively do something with all the neighbouring larger towns: Newport, Port Talbot, Cardiff, etc, from where most of your wedding guests may indeed be coming anyway.