The Square is an earlier nineteenth century developement of workers' housing, depicted on the Tithe Map of 1840, but not on an estate map of about 1834. It is shown in some detail on the 1st edition OS County series of 1882 (Monmouth. XXIII.10). It is thought to have been built to accommodate workers at the adjacent brick works and the nearby Cwm-bran colliery (NPRN 33583).
This is a square open area with cottage rows on the south-east and south-west sides. The north-east side is open and on the north-west side is the Ebenezer Chapel (NPRN 13143) and a short row of cottages. Most of the south-east row and the northern end of the south-west row survive. The north-west row is ruinous. The Square is laid out on steeply sloping ground and the cottages are stepped up in pairs, each no consolidated into single houses. These were single bay cottages although the two bay north end unit of the south-west row was a single house in 1882, as was the south end unit of the south-east row in 1901 (OS County series 2nd edition).
The Squirrel Inn was situated in The Square and a school was held in its upper from from 1852 to 1868.

Source: Cadwell 'Upper Cwmbran: a Search into the Past, Torfaen Museum Trust

John Wiles 13.02.08