Purpose built in 1970 as a supermarket, this building stands on the site of the Astoria cinema. Built in 1940, the picture house is recalled in the name of this Wetherspoon pub. The town of Ebbw Vale owes its existence to the iron, steel and coal industries. The transformation of an isolated area, at the head of a wooded valley, into an industrial town began with Ebbw Vale Ironworks, set up in 1790. Within 30 years, the industrial system had taken a firm grip of the valley.