Banwen
Encyclopedia
Banwen is a small village
in Neath Port Talbot
county borough
in Wales
. Banwen is part of the community of Onllwyn along with the village of Onllwyn
itself and the adjacent parish
of Dyffryn Cellwen
. Banwen is in the Upper Dulais Valley, with views over the southern slopes of the Brecon Beacons
.
who recorded that he was born in the similarly named banavem taburniae somewhere on the west coast of Britain
. It was clearly occupied in Roman times
, sitting on the Neath
-Brecon
Roman road
and next to the two Roman forts in Coelbren
.
Copper
, iron ore and tin
were mined and crafted in early times, brickworks and opencast mining provided employment in later years. Now the big industries have gone but the village is slowly evolving.
club Banwen RFC
formed in 1947.
Stages of the Wales Rally GB
are held at Walters Arena.
The Banwen Miners Hunt was founded in the village in 1962 following the demise of the West Glamorgan hunt. In the early days of the Hunt, the Duchess of Beaufort rode amongst the Banwen Miners.
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
in Neath Port Talbot
Neath Port Talbot
Neath Port Talbot is a county borough and one of the unitary authority areas of Wales. Neath Port Talbot is the 8th most populous county in Wales and the third most populous county borough....
county borough
County borough
County borough is a term introduced in 1889 in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland , to refer to a borough or a city independent of county council control. They were abolished by the Local Government Act 1972 in England and Wales, but continue in use for lieutenancy and shrievalty in...
in Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
. Banwen is part of the community of Onllwyn along with the village of Onllwyn
Onllwyn
Onllwyn is a small village in Neath Port Talbot, Wales, near Seven Sisters.-History:First developed by the Romans, local village Banwen is confined to the Roman Road of Sarn Helen. There are two Roman forts and the remains of a Roman Road within the community.Legend has it that St Patrick was born...
itself and the adjacent parish
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
of Dyffryn Cellwen
Dyffryn Cellwen
Dyffryn Cellwen is a village in the County Borough of Neath Port Talbot, South Wales. It is situated in the upper Dulais Valley near the junction of the A4109 and A4221 roads, northwest of the smaller settlement of Banwen...
. Banwen is in the Upper Dulais Valley, with views over the southern slopes of the Brecon Beacons
Brecon Beacons
The Brecon Beacons is a mountain range in South Wales. In a narrow sense, the name refers to the range of popular peaks south of Brecon, including South Wales' highest mountain, Pen y Fan, and which together form the central section of the Brecon Beacons National Park...
.
History
It has often been suggested as the birth-place of Saint PatrickSaint Patrick
Saint Patrick was a Romano-Briton and Christian missionary, who is the most generally recognized patron saint of Ireland or the Apostle of Ireland, although Brigid of Kildare and Colmcille are also formally patron saints....
who recorded that he was born in the similarly named banavem taburniae somewhere on the west coast of Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
. It was clearly occupied in Roman times
Roman Britain
Roman Britain was the part of the island of Great Britain controlled by the Roman Empire from AD 43 until ca. AD 410.The Romans referred to the imperial province as Britannia, which eventually comprised all of the island of Great Britain south of the fluid frontier with Caledonia...
, sitting on the Neath
Neath
Neath is a town and community situated in the principal area of Neath Port Talbot, Wales, UK with a population of approximately 45,898 in 2001...
-Brecon
Brecon
Brecon is a long-established market town and community in southern Powys, Mid Wales, with a population of 7,901. It was the county town of the historic county of Brecknockshire; although its role as such was eclipsed with the formation of Powys, it remains an important local centre...
Roman road
Roman road
The Roman roads were a vital part of the development of the Roman state, from about 500 BC through the expansion during the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire. Roman roads enabled the Romans to move armies and trade goods and to communicate. The Roman road system spanned more than 400,000 km...
and next to the two Roman forts in Coelbren
Coelbren
Coelbren may mean:* Coelbren, Powys, a village in the south-west of the Brecon Beacons National Park in Wales.* Coelbren , a supposed "druidic" alphabet invented by Iolo Morganwg ....
.
Copper
Copper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...
, iron ore and tin
Tin
Tin is a chemical element with the symbol Sn and atomic number 50. It is a main group metal in group 14 of the periodic table. Tin shows chemical similarity to both neighboring group 14 elements, germanium and lead and has two possible oxidation states, +2 and the slightly more stable +4...
were mined and crafted in early times, brickworks and opencast mining provided employment in later years. Now the big industries have gone but the village is slowly evolving.
Sport and leisure
Banwen is home to rugby unionRugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
club Banwen RFC
Banwen RFC
Banwen Rugby Football Club is a rugby union team from the village of Banwen, South Wales. Originally known as Banwen and District they formed in 1947...
formed in 1947.
Stages of the Wales Rally GB
Rally GB
Wales Rally GB is the largest and most high profile motor rally in the United Kingdom. It is a round of the FIA World Rally Championship and was formerly a round of the MSA British Rally Championship and is based in and around the city of Cardiff in Wales...
are held at Walters Arena.
The Banwen Miners Hunt was founded in the village in 1962 following the demise of the West Glamorgan hunt. In the early days of the Hunt, the Duchess of Beaufort rode amongst the Banwen Miners.