Bryncoch
Encyclopedia
Bryncoch is a suburb
of the town
of Neath
in Neath Port Talbot
County Borough, Wales
. The name derives from the Welsh
'red hill' (bryn coch), originally the name of a nearby farm.
Bryncoch is divided into two wards: Bryncoch North
and Bryncoch South
. The area is one of the most affluent parts of the county borough, with 29% and 35% of households in the Bryncoch North and Bryncoch South respectively earning more than £40,000 per year.
Historically the village of Bryncoch was centred on Main Road and a few adjacent streets, but the village expanded considerably in the 1960s with the building of the Furzeland Drive and Elias Drive developments. This area makes up the council ward of Bryncoch North
, which has only one small street of social housing at Heol Pant Glas, named after a nearby farm located at the furthest northern corner of the ward. The council ward of Bryncoch South
includes the distinct areas of the Rhyddings, Gilfach, Penywern, Leiros Parc, and the large social housing area of Caewern, which is considerably less affluent than the rest of the Bryncoch area.
There are two village primary schools: Blaenhonddan and the Bryncoch Church in Wales school. There is also a special school, Ysgol Hendre. The offspring of Caewern inhabitants attend the primary school of Waunceirch, located in the social housing area. The nearest secondary school is Dwr Y Felin Comprehensive. Some village children also attend the Welsh-language Ysgol Gyfun at Ystalyfera.
employer in the area up until 1928. The philanthropist Howel Gwyn MP lived at the now demolished Dyffryn mansion on the outskirts of the village and built the parish church of St Matthew on his estate in 1871. The renowned scientist Alfred Russel Wallace
lived at Bryncoch Farm while working as a surveyor for the Great Western Railway company. He developed the theory of evolution alongside Charles Darwin.
Suburb
The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...
of the town
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...
of 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...
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, 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...
. The name derives from the Welsh
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...
'red hill' (bryn coch), originally the name of a nearby farm.
Bryncoch is divided into two wards: Bryncoch North
Bryncoch North
Bryncoch North is an electoral ward of Neath Port Talbot county borough, Wales forming part of the parish of Blaenhonddan.Bryncoch North covers some or all of the following Areas: Bryncoch and Gilfach in the parliamentary constituency of Neath...
and Bryncoch South
Bryncoch South
Bryncoch South is an electoral ward of Neath Port Talbot county borough, Wales forming part of the parish of Blaenhonddan.Bryncoch South covers some or all of the following areas: Bryncoch, Caewern and Rhydding in the parliamentary constituency of Neath. Bryncoch South is an almost completely...
. The area is one of the most affluent parts of the county borough, with 29% and 35% of households in the Bryncoch North and Bryncoch South respectively earning more than £40,000 per year.
Historically the village of Bryncoch was centred on Main Road and a few adjacent streets, but the village expanded considerably in the 1960s with the building of the Furzeland Drive and Elias Drive developments. This area makes up the council ward of Bryncoch North
Bryncoch North
Bryncoch North is an electoral ward of Neath Port Talbot county borough, Wales forming part of the parish of Blaenhonddan.Bryncoch North covers some or all of the following Areas: Bryncoch and Gilfach in the parliamentary constituency of Neath...
, which has only one small street of social housing at Heol Pant Glas, named after a nearby farm located at the furthest northern corner of the ward. The council ward of Bryncoch South
Bryncoch South
Bryncoch South is an electoral ward of Neath Port Talbot county borough, Wales forming part of the parish of Blaenhonddan.Bryncoch South covers some or all of the following areas: Bryncoch, Caewern and Rhydding in the parliamentary constituency of Neath. Bryncoch South is an almost completely...
includes the distinct areas of the Rhyddings, Gilfach, Penywern, Leiros Parc, and the large social housing area of Caewern, which is considerably less affluent than the rest of the Bryncoch area.
There are two village primary schools: Blaenhonddan and the Bryncoch Church in Wales school. There is also a special school, Ysgol Hendre. The offspring of Caewern inhabitants attend the primary school of Waunceirch, located in the social housing area. The nearest secondary school is Dwr Y Felin Comprehensive. Some village children also attend the Welsh-language Ysgol Gyfun at Ystalyfera.
History
Bryncoch was once the principal site of the Main Colliery Company, an important coal miningCoal mining
The goal of coal mining is to obtain coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content, and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from iron ore and for cement production. In the United States,...
employer in the area up until 1928. The philanthropist Howel Gwyn MP lived at the now demolished Dyffryn mansion on the outskirts of the village and built the parish church of St Matthew on his estate in 1871. The renowned scientist Alfred Russel Wallace
Alfred Russel Wallace
Alfred Russel Wallace, OM, FRS was a British naturalist, explorer, geographer, anthropologist and biologist...
lived at Bryncoch Farm while working as a surveyor for the Great Western Railway company. He developed the theory of evolution alongside Charles Darwin.