Brackla

Brackla (Welsh: Bragle (standard Welsh) or Bracla (Glamorganshire Welsh)) is a suburb of the town of Bridgend in Wales.

It is a large private housing estate built on farmland to the east of Bridgend town centre and is home to approximately 12,000 of the 40,000 or so residents of Bridgend. It is home to four primary schools, one of which is the local Welsh language school, another a Church in Wales school. Its expansion continues today. It is hoped Brackla will have a park and ride railway station on the Great Western Railway main line soon.

Brackla used to be part of the Bridgend Royal Ordnance Factory (Arsenal), most of the munitions made at nearby Waterton were stored in underground tunnels (the 8 X's). Two of the munitions storage magazines in the Brackla ROF site were converted to an RGHQ (Regional Government Headquarters) during the Cold War as part of the UK continuity of government plans. It is now in the hands of a private company. See Subterrania Britannica for more information on the [http://www.subbrit.org.uk/rsg/sites/b/brackla/index.html Brackla RGHQ] .

Churches

There are four churches in Brackla. Brackla Evangelical Church is affiliated to the FIEC, and meets at the Community Centre. Brackla Anglican Church is a congregation of St. Mary's, Nolton, Church in Wales. It meets at the Archdeacon John Lewis School. Brackla Baptist Church is a member of the Baptist Union of Wales. It meets at Brackla Primary School. Brackla Tabernacle ( [http://www.brackla-tabernacle.org website] ) is the only church in Brackla with a building. It is part of the Apostolic Church( [http://www.apostolic-church.org website] ).

References

* [http://www.bracklacommunitycouncil.gov.uk Brackla Community Council]
* [http://www.subbrit.org.uk/rsg/sites/b/brackla/index.html Brackla RGHQ - Subterranea Britannica]
* [http://www.bracklaordnance.co.uk Royal Ordnance factory Brackla]