Glynneath
Encyclopedia
Glynneath also spelt Glyn Neath, is a small town
, community
and electoral ward lying on the River Neath
in the county borough
of Neath Port Talbot
, Wales
. It was formerly in the historic county of Glamorgan
. Glynneath ward
covers only part of the community, with some 840 electors included in the neighbouring ward of Blaengwrach
.
Industrialisation reached Glynneath when coal mining started in 1793, and rapidly expanded when the Neath Canal came to the village in 1775. Many features of the old canal still survive to the present time.
There are waterfalls to the north east at Pontneddfechan near the Brecon Beacons
and large parts of the rural area are heavily forested.
, once owned by Rhys ap Siancyn; the site now houses St Cadoc
's Church (1809). Aberpergwm House became the home of the Williams family, Welsh gentry with a strong tradition of using the Welsh language over English. Their descendants include the last of the Welsh household bards Dafydd Nicolas and folksong collector Maria Jane Williams
. The Williams' family motto y ddioddefws y orfu (He who suffers, triumphs) was adopted by Glamorgan County Council. The mansion itself was remodelled in 1876 but is now derelict and little of note remains of the building.
). The British round of the Championship is probably the most important and toughest round of the series due to the ever changing weather conditions, a test of man and machine. Some of the biggest names in motor sport have taken part and failed to complete the British championship.
Glynneath also has an association with downhill mountain biking
with the Welsh National Championships being held at Rheola. A huge following is now emerging within Glynneath.
Glynneath is home to Glynneath RFC
, a rugby union
club founded in 1889.
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
, community
Community (Wales)
A community is a division of land in Wales that forms the lowest-tier of local government in Wales. Welsh communities are analogous to civil parishes in England....
and electoral ward lying on the River Neath
River Neath
River Neath is a river in south Wales running south west from its source in the Brecon Beacons National Park to its mouth at Baglan Bay below Briton Ferry on the east side of Swansea Bay.Several minor rivers rise on the southern slopes of Fforest Fawr...
in the 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...
of 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....
, 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...
. It was formerly in the historic county of Glamorgan
Glamorgan
Glamorgan or Glamorganshire is one of the thirteen historic counties and a former administrative county of Wales. It was originally an early medieval kingdom of varying boundaries known as Glywysing until taken over by the Normans as a lordship. Glamorgan is latterly represented by the three...
. Glynneath ward
Glynneath (electoral ward)
Glynneath is the name of an electoral ward and a parish in Neath Port Talbot county borough, Wales.The electoral ward of Glynneath consists of some or all of the following settlements: Glynneath, Morfa Glas, Rheola, Crugau, Pont-walby, Bryn-awel, Pentreclwydau and Aber-pergwym in the parliamentary...
covers only part of the community, with some 840 electors included in the neighbouring ward of Blaengwrach
Blaengwrach
Blaengwrach is a village near Glynneath and Resolven in the county borough of Neath Port Talbot, Wales. It is also the name of a community and an electoral ward of Neath Port Talbot county borough. There are, however, some differences between the boundaries of the community and the ward...
.
Industrialisation reached Glynneath when coal mining started in 1793, and rapidly expanded when the Neath Canal came to the village in 1775. Many features of the old canal still survive to the present time.
There are waterfalls to the north east at Pontneddfechan near 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...
and large parts of the rural area are heavily forested.
Notable buildings
Glynneath is home to the ruins of Aberpergwm HouseAberpergwm House
Aberpergwm House is an abandoned and ruinous country house located in Glynneath, Wales. Within the grounds of the house sits the church of St. Cadoc, which is possibly of late medieval origin.-Origins:...
, once owned by Rhys ap Siancyn; the site now houses St Cadoc
Cadoc
Saint Cadoc , Abbot of Llancarfan, was one of the 6th century British Christian saints. His vita twice mentions King Arthur. The Abbey of Llancarfan, near Cowbridge in Glamorganshire, which he founded circa 518, became famous as a centre of learning...
's Church (1809). Aberpergwm House became the home of the Williams family, Welsh gentry with a strong tradition of using the Welsh language over English. Their descendants include the last of the Welsh household bards Dafydd Nicolas and folksong collector Maria Jane Williams
Maria Jane Williams
Maria Jane Williams was an 18th century Welsh musician and folklorist born at Aberpergwm House, Glynneath in Glamorgan, south Wales.-Life:Maria Jane Williams was born in 1794, or 1795, at Aberpergwm House, Glynneath...
. The Williams' family motto y ddioddefws y orfu (He who suffers, triumphs) was adopted by Glamorgan County Council. The mansion itself was remodelled in 1876 but is now derelict and little of note remains of the building.
Sports and leisure
Glynneath once a year plays host to one of motor sport's most important challenges, the World Rally Championships (formerly known as the Lombard RAC rally or Rally GBRally 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...
). The British round of the Championship is probably the most important and toughest round of the series due to the ever changing weather conditions, a test of man and machine. Some of the biggest names in motor sport have taken part and failed to complete the British championship.
Glynneath also has an association with downhill mountain biking
Mountain biking
Mountain biking is a sport which consists of riding bicycles off-road, often over rough terrain, using specially adapted mountain bikes. Mountain bikes share similarities with other bikes, but incorporate features designed to enhance durability and performance in rough terrain.Mountain biking can...
with the Welsh National Championships being held at Rheola. A huge following is now emerging within Glynneath.
Glynneath is home to Glynneath RFC
Glynneath RFC
Glynneath RFC are a Welsh Rugby Union club playing in Division Three South West of the WRU National Leagues. The Club has win a number of honours over the years, including the locally famous Invincibles of the 1961-62 season captained by Bas Thomas....
, a rugby union
Rugby 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 founded in 1889.
Notable residents
- Max BoyceMax BoyceMaxwell Boyce MBE is a Welsh comedian, singer and former coal miner. He rose to fame during the mid-1970s with an act that combined musical comedy with his passion for rugby union and his origins in the mining communities of South Wales...
, comedian and singer, closely linked to Welsh rugby culture. - Julie GardnerJulie GardnerJulie Gardner is a Welsh television producer. Her most prominent work has been serving as executive producer on the 2005 revival of Doctor Who and its spin-off shows Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures...
, television producer, responsible for the successful relaunch of Doctor WhoDoctor WhoDoctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
. - Leslie HardmanLeslie HardmanReverend Leslie Henry Hardman MBE, HCF, , was an Orthodox Rabbi and the first Jewish British Army Chaplain to enter Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, an experience "that made him a public figure, both within his community and outside it".-Early life:Hardman was born in Glynneath, Wales to a Polish...
, British ArmyBritish ArmyThe British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
chaplainMilitary chaplainA military chaplain is a chaplain who ministers to soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines and other members of the military. In many countries, chaplains also minister to the family members of military personnel, to civilian noncombatants working for military organizations and to civilians within the...
and rabbiRabbiIn Judaism, a rabbi is a teacher of Torah. This title derives from the Hebrew word רבי , meaning "My Master" , which is the way a student would address a master of Torah...
, who was among the liberators of Bergen-BelsenBergen-Belsen concentration campBergen-Belsen was a Nazi concentration camp in Lower Saxony in northwestern Germany, southwest of the town of Bergen near Celle...
concentration camp, was born in the town. - Ruth MadocRuth MadocRuth Madoc is a British actress and singer. She is best known for her roles as Gladys Pugh in the 1980s BBC television comedy Hi-de-Hi!, and as Daffyd Thomas's mother in the second series of Little Britain.-Early life:...
, actress, best known for her role as Gladys Pugh in the television sitcom Hi-De-Hi!Hi-de-Hi!Hi-de-Hi! is a British sitcom that aired on the BBC from 1980-1988. It was set in a holiday camp during the 1950s and 1960s and was written by Jimmy Perry and David Croft, who had written Dad's Army and It Ain't Half Hot Mum. The title was the phrase used to greet the campers and in early episodes... - Siwan MorrisSiwan MorrisSiwan Morris is a Welsh actress.After an education in South Wales, she graduated from Manchester Metropolitan University....
, actress, who has appeared in the television series Belonging, CaerdyddCaerdyddCaerdydd is a Welsh language television programme set in Cardiff made by Fiction Factory for Welsh public service television station S4C...
, and SkinsSkins (TV series)Skins is a BAFTA award-winning British teen drama that follows a group of teenagers in Bristol, South West England, through the two years of college. The controversial plot line explores issues such as dysfunctional families, mental illness , adolescent sexuality, substance abuse and death...
.