Croesyceiliog situated on the old main road between Newport and Pontypool.
Croesyceiliog is primarily a residential district and contains a wide variety of housing from victorian terraces and even older Welsh cottages to property built between 1930 and 1970.
In 1949 the area in and around the village was incorporated with the designated site of Cwmbran New Town. Old buildings were demolished but one or two remain.
Originally the people of Croesyceiliog were farmers and agricultural workers, the tin-plate industry attrated new workers and the village grew.
Pontrhydyrun baptist church was built in 1815 for the benefit of the industry workers and families. The building was pulled down in 1836 and at a cost of £2,000 the present chapel was erected and opened for worship on 16th August 1837.
The Upper Cock Inn is a very ancient inn standing at the crossroads of the The Garw and The Highway. The inn has been modernised in recent years and the old sign carved on the stone are now incorporated on a traingular stone plinth beneath a stained glass lamp.
The sign reads:
Here is an inn, the cross of the cock
A welcome is yours for a penny
For payment so small a good beer wait you all
Come in, taste our ale, good as any
The name of the inn probably derived from the extra horses – ‘cock’ horses used to draw loads up the hill.
Croesyceiliog has become the administrative centre of Gwent. The Gwent Police Headquarters and Gwent County Hall are situated on Turnpike Road.
The main shopping precinct is Edlogan Square and contains among others a newsagent, a pharmacy, a grocer, fish and chip shop and a chinese take-away.
Croesyceiliog has a cricket club who play’s in the Glamorgan and Monmouthshire league and the rugby team play’s in the Welsh division.
The area is served by Croesyceiliog Comprehensive school and a primary school on North road.
