Oldcastle, Bridgend

Oldcastle is an area and electoral ward of the town of Bridgend, Wales, to the south of the town centre. The ward elects councillors to Bridgend Town Council and Bridgend County Borough Council.

Description
Nolton Street, Bridgend

Oldcastle is located immediately south of Bridgend town centre. The area is bordered to the west by the River Ogmore. Oldcastle originally spread along Nolton Street and Cowbridge Road (and was also known as Nolton).[1]

The Oldcastle name is believed to refer to Nolton Castle (rather than the nearby Newcastle Castle), whose remains were recorded in the 16th-century on the southeast of a bend in the River Ogmore.[2] With the 'new' castle dating from at least 1106, the 'old' castle is presumed to have been in existence before 1100 and would have been an earth and timber structure.[3]

The modern area also includes the Bridgend campus of Bridgend College.

Electoral ward

The Oldcastle electoral ward extends south to include the areas of Whiterock and Hernston. The ward is bounded by the River Ewenny (and the Vale of Glamorgan) to the south, The Rhiw, Brackla Street and Pen-y-Banc in the north, coterminous with the boundaries of Bridgend town to the east and west.[4] According to the 2011 UK Census the population of the ward was 4,799 (with 3,930 aged 18 or over).[5]

Oldcastle is one of three wards to Bridgend Town Council (with Morfa and Newcastle), electing up to six of the nineteen Bridgend town councillors.[6]

Prior to 1996 Oldcastle was a ward to Ogwr Borough Council, electing two (Conservative) councillors.

Oldcastle is also a county ward to Bridgend County Borough Council, electing two county councillors.[7] Since the 1995 elections the ward has generally been represented by the Labour Party, though had Liberal Democrat representation between 2004 and 2012.[7] In February 2015 the Oldcastle (Labour) councillors were two of six councillors suspended from the council for voting against a merger proposal with the Vale of Glamorgan Council.[8]

References
  1. "Oldcastle, Glamorgan". A Vision of Britain Through Time. Retrieved 4 April 2019.
  2. "Oldcastle, Nolton, suggested castle site". Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales. Retrieved 4 April 2019.
  3. "Oldcastle Bridgend". Gatehouse Gazetteer. Retrieved 4 April 2019.
  4. "Election maps". Ordnance Survey. Retrieved 4 April 2019.
  5. "Oldcastle - Key Stats / Age structure". UK Census Data. Retrieved 5 April 2019.
  6. "Wards and Councillors". Bridgend Town Council. Retrieved 4 April 2019.
  7. "Bridgend County Borough Council Election Results 1995-2012" (PDF). The Elections Centre. Retrieved 3 April 2019.
  8. Abby Boulter (19 February 2015). "Labour suspends six Bridgend councillors for not supporting failed merger bid with Vale of Glamorgan". Wales Online. Retrieved 4 April 2019.

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