Sebastopol, Torfaen
Sebastopol is the southernmost suburb of Pontypool in the county borough of Torfaen, within the historic boundaries of Monmouthshire in South Wales. It is named in honour of the Crimean city Sevastopol (also known as Sebastopol) that was taken during the Crimean War. It is a working-class area consisting of mainly privately owned terraced houses and a substantial number of local authority/ex-local authority housing (known as the Kemys Fawr Estate).
The town itself
Today Sebastopol is a large community that is all but merged with nearby Griffithstown. Like nearby New Inn, Sebastopol doesn't have a central village area, but is spread out along its main thoroughfares South Street & Greenhill Road.
The town boasts little infrastructure due to its proximity with Griffithstown. There are three general shops: two on South Street and a general store on The Avenue (Kemys Fawr Estate). There is a fish & chip shop as well as a barber shop, printer, a garage door operation and poodle parlour. A large number of second hand cars salesrooms are based on Station Rd. "The Crown", "The Open Hearth" and "Sebastopol Social Club" are the local pubs. There are two churches: Penry Gospel Hall and St. Oswald's Anglican Church, but most ecclesiastical needs are met by Griffithstown. Kemys Fawr Infant & Nursery School is located on the Kemys Fawr Estate and provides education for 3 - 7 year olds, but children must then attend Griffithstown Junior School for further schooling. Until April 2012 there was also a special needs school: Crownbridge School, catering for pupils in the age range 3 - 19 with severe learning difficulties; this has relocated to the grounds of Croesyceiliog School in Cwmbran. There is a park near Kemys Fawr Infant & Nursery School with a football pitch.
The Monmouthshire Canal runs through Sebastopol from Brecon on its way to Newport.
Future developments
Since 1996 local residents have been fighting long and hard with developers and Torfaen County Borough Council to prevent plans for a new village being built on a large greenbelt zone to the south of the town. To be known as "South Sebastopol", the sprawl of new housing would join the Pontypool district suburbs of northern Torfaen to the Cwmbran district suburbs of southern Torfaen. On 21 July 2011 the plans were refused by the councillors.
Coordinates: 51°40′44″N 3°01′30″W / 51.679°N 3.025°W