Llantarnam Secondary School was one of four secondary schools planned by the Cwmbran Development Corporation and Monmouthshire County Council to serve the new town of Cwmbran. Llantarnam was the first of these four to be completed, opening in 1955. Designed by the Monmouthshire County Coucil architects department, led by Colin Jones, the complex consisted of a central hall with full-height glazing and long classroom ranges with plentiful lighting provided by bands of continuous glazing set below shallow pitched roofs with deep eaves supported on brick piers. The caramel brickwork, light and airy feel, and the clock tower all became characteristic of the county’s style. The school became a comprehensive in 1971, with a series of ancillary buildings added by 1975.

The school was closed in 2015 and was merged with Fairwater High to form the larger Cwmbran High School. Llantarnam School was subsequently demolished and the site redeveloped for housing.

S Fielding RCAHMW July 2021

Ref: Cwmbran New Town: An Urban Characterisation (RCAHMW, 2021)