Cymmer
Encyclopedia
Cymmer is a small village
in Neath Port Talbot
in Wales
, set on a hillside in the Afan Valley
near the confluence
of the River Afan
and the River Corrwg. In 2001, Cymmer had a population
of 2,883.
Cymmer can also be spelled "Cymer" with the omission of one "m". Both spellings are considered correct, however. The spelling variance is explained by "Cymmer" being the English language version, and "Cymer" the Welsh language
one. The word "Cymmer" translates from Welsh into English as "joining place of two rivers", and it is here that the Afon Corrwg and the Afon Afan meet, to flow onward as the River Afan until entering the sea at Aberavon
/Port Talbot
.
.
s include The Refreshment Rooms (the preserved Great Western Railway
station) and a working men's club
called The Coronation Club. Local amenities include a library, a community swimming pool
, a sports hall, primary school and secondary school
s, a police station and fire station. There is also an exhibition on the history of the area held near the petrol filling station. The exhibition is owned and maintained by a local newsagent
. Cymmer has Six churches, although the usage of three is virtually nil apart from,Gilgal Community Church and English methodist church. One of the chapels Hebron has now been boarded up and padlocked to stop youths entering and vandalising the site, Bethana is owned by a local,and is never used, The catholic church has been locked up and is never hardly used, St Johns is now being converted in to a house. And the last is located behind the Refreshment Rooms on the White Bridge. Gilgal Community Church, is used every Sunday for church services, times of services are 10.30am and 3.30pm.
Cymmer English Methodist church is still open for services, at 10.45 0n sundays and operates a charity shop in the vestry every Wednesday between 10 and 12midday.
county borough. Cymmer includes some or all of the villages of Cymmer, Duffryn and Croeserw
in the parliamentary constituency of Aberavon
. Cymmer is bounded by the wards of Resolven
to the north; Glyncorrwg
to the northeast; Gwynfi
to the east; Blaengarw
, Caerau
and Maesteg West of Bridgend county borough to the south east; Bryn and Cwmavon
to the southwest; and Pelenna
to the west.
The ward is set in a densely forested upland area with steep sided river valleys cut through by the Rivers Afan and Corrwg. Patches of open moorland
exist to the north and south of the ward.
In the 2008 local council elections
, the electorate turnout was 48.23%. The results were:
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....
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...
, set on a hillside in the Afan Valley
Afan Valley
The Afan Valley is a valley that encompasses the upper reaches of the River Afan in Port Talbot, South Wales. The valley is traversed by the A4107 Afan Valley Road. Settlements in the area include Cwmafan, Pwyll-y-glaw and Cymer.- External links :**...
near the confluence
Confluence
Confluence, in geography, describes the meeting of two or more bodies of water.Confluence may also refer to:* Confluence , a property of term rewriting systems...
of the River Afan
River Afan
The River Afan is a river in southwest Wales whose river valley formed the territory of the medieval Lords of Afan. The town of Aberavon grew up on the banks of the river, and was later subsumed by the larger centre of population known as Port Talbot...
and the River Corrwg. In 2001, Cymmer had a population
Population
A population is all the organisms that both belong to the same group or species and live in the same geographical area. The area that is used to define a sexual population is such that inter-breeding is possible between any pair within the area and more probable than cross-breeding with individuals...
of 2,883.
Cymmer can also be spelled "Cymer" with the omission of one "m". Both spellings are considered correct, however. The spelling variance is explained by "Cymmer" being the English language version, and "Cymer" the Welsh language
Welsh language
Welsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of the Celtic languages spoken natively in Wales, by some along the Welsh border in England, and in Y Wladfa...
one. The word "Cymmer" translates from Welsh into English as "joining place of two rivers", and it is here that the Afon Corrwg and the Afon Afan meet, to flow onward as the River Afan until entering the sea at Aberavon
Aberavon
Aberavon is a settlement in Neath Port Talbot county borough, Wales. The town derived its name from being near the mouth of the river Afan, which also gave its name to a medieval lordship. Today it is essentially a district of Port Talbot, covering the central and south western part of the town...
/Port Talbot
Port Talbot
Port Talbot is a town in Neath Port Talbot, Wales. It had a population of 35,633 in 2001.-History:Port Talbot grew out of the original small port and market town of Aberafan , which belonged to the medieval Lords of Afan. The area of the parish of Margam lying on the west bank of the lower Afan...
.
Social conditions
The Cymmer electoral ward was one of the top 10% most deprived wards in Wales according to the 2005 Welsh Index of Multiple DeprivationMultiple deprivation index
The Index of Multiple Deprivation is a UK government statistical study of deprived areas in UK local authorities.The first study covers seven aspects of deprivation...
.
Amenities
Local public housePublic house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
s include The Refreshment Rooms (the preserved Great Western Railway
Great Western Railway
The Great Western Railway was a British railway company that linked London with the south-west and west of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament in 1835 and ran its first trains in 1838...
station) and a working men's club
Working men's club
Working men's clubs are a type of private social club founded in the 19th century in industrial areas of the United Kingdom, particularly the North of England, the Midlands and many parts of the South Wales Valleys, to provide recreation and education for working class men and their families.-...
called The Coronation Club. Local amenities include a library, a community swimming pool
Swimming pool
A swimming pool, swimming bath, wading pool, or simply a pool, is a container filled with water intended for swimming or water-based recreation. There are many standard sizes; the largest is the Olympic-size swimming pool...
, a sports hall, primary school and secondary school
Secondary school
Secondary school is a term used to describe an educational institution where the final stage of schooling, known as secondary education and usually compulsory up to a specified age, takes place...
s, a police station and fire station. There is also an exhibition on the history of the area held near the petrol filling station. The exhibition is owned and maintained by a local newsagent
Newsagent
A newsagent's shop , newsagency or newsstand is a business that sells newspapers, magazines, cigarettes, snacks and often items of local interest. In Britain and Australia, these businesses are termed newsagents...
. Cymmer has Six churches, although the usage of three is virtually nil apart from,Gilgal Community Church and English methodist church. One of the chapels Hebron has now been boarded up and padlocked to stop youths entering and vandalising the site, Bethana is owned by a local,and is never used, The catholic church has been locked up and is never hardly used, St Johns is now being converted in to a house. And the last is located behind the Refreshment Rooms on the White Bridge. Gilgal Community Church, is used every Sunday for church services, times of services are 10.30am and 3.30pm.
Cymmer English Methodist church is still open for services, at 10.45 0n sundays and operates a charity shop in the vestry every Wednesday between 10 and 12midday.
Government and politics
The Cymmer electoral ward is coterminus with the village in Neath Port TalbotNeath 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. Cymmer includes some or all of the villages of Cymmer, Duffryn and Croeserw
Croeserw
Croeserw is a village of approximately 1,380 inhabitants in Neath Port Talbot County Borough.- Location :It stands on a hillside in the Afan Valley at between 196 and 299 metres above sea level.- Origins :...
in the parliamentary constituency of Aberavon
Aberavon (UK Parliament constituency)
Aberavon is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It returns one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system.-History:...
. Cymmer is bounded by the wards of Resolven
Resolven
Resolven is a small village in Neath Port Talbot county borough, Wales. It is located in the heart of the Vale of Neath.- Location :The village is situated in the Vale of Neath, next to the A465 Heads of Valleys Road, and is the main settlement in the community of Resolven...
to the north; Glyncorrwg
Glyncorrwg
Glyncorrwg is a village in Britain. It is set in the Afan Valley, in south Wales.Glyncorrwg is also the name of an electoral ward and a community covering the village and surrounding countryside, in Neath Port Talbot county borough.- History :...
to the northeast; Gwynfi
Gwynfi
Gwynfi is an electoral ward of Neath Port Talbot county borough, Wales.Gwynfi includes the villages if Abergwynfi and Blaengwynfi. Gwynfi is part of the parish of Glyncorrwg and the parliamentary constituency of Aberavon....
to the east; Blaengarw
Blaengarw
Blaengarw is the uppermost village in the river valley of the River Garw, in the county borough of Bridgend, Wales.-External links:* *...
, Caerau
Caerau, Bridgend
Caerau is a former mining village in south Wales, located around 2 miles to the north of Maesteg in the Llynfi Valley, and is part of Bridgend County Borough. The township grew rapidly after the opening of Caerau Colliery in 1890. The colliery consisted of three shafts and employed 2,400 men at...
and Maesteg West of Bridgend county borough to the south east; Bryn and Cwmavon
Bryn and Cwmavon
Bryn and Cwmavon is an electoral ward of Neath Port Talbot county borough, south Wales. The electoral ward comprises the parishes of Bryn and Cwmafan....
to the southwest; and Pelenna
Pelenna
Pelenna is an electoral ward coterminous with a community in Neath Port Talbot county borough, south Wales. The ward consists of some or all of the following areas: Cefn-Saeson, Tonmawr, Pontrhydyfen in the parliamentary constituency of Neath....
to the west.
The ward is set in a densely forested upland area with steep sided river valleys cut through by the Rivers Afan and Corrwg. Patches of open moorland
Moorland
Moorland or moor is a type of habitat, in the temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome, found in upland areas, characterised by low-growing vegetation on acidic soils and heavy fog...
exist to the north and south of the ward.
In the 2008 local council elections
United Kingdom local elections, 2008
The 2008 United Kingdom local elections were held on 1 May 2008. These elections took place in 137 English Local Authorities and all Welsh Councils....
, the electorate turnout was 48.23%. The results were:
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scott Jones | Labour | 594 | Labour gain |
| David Williams | Ratepayers | 463 |