CWMBRAN has been featured in a book about how Britain was rebuilt after the Second World War.

John Grindrod, 43, from Croydon, explained that he wanted to find out how places like his town were rebuilt after the war.

In his journey of 30 towns, he came to Cwmbran to look at its architecture.

He said: “Places like Cwmbran were pioneering by leading the way as a new town.

“I spent the day in Coed Eva in 2011, and also visited the town centre, which struck me because of its concrete murals. It remains still very much a 50s build.”

The book, Concretopia, looks at the post-war rebuilding of Britain, including blitzed Plymouth, modernist Cumbernauld and his home town, Croydon.

Mr Grindrod was also struck by Cwmbran’s tower block, which was built to be a landmark.

On his trip he was also fascinated to see the different style of architecture, from early 1950s houses and flats near Cwmbran town centre, through to the 1960s concrete murals in the centre, and the Scandinavian-style ‘60s and ‘70s houses in Coed Eva.

He added: “After my visit I have a lot of admiration for the planners of Cwmbran as they led the way and other towns simply copied them.”

Concretopia is published by Old Street Publishing and available on Amazon for £16.25 (RRP £25).