Glynneath (alternatively
Glyn-Neath,
WelshWelsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of Celtic spoken natively in Wales, in England by some along the Welsh border and in the Welsh immigrant colony in the Chubut Valley in Argentine Patagonia....
:
Cwmnedd or Glyn-nedd), is a small
townA town is a type of settlement ranging from a few hundred to several thousand inhabitants, although it may be applied loosely even to huge metropolitan areas; the precise meaning varies between countries and is not always a matter of legal definition...
situated on the
River NeathRiver 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....
in the
county boroughCounty 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. The Local Government Act 1972 abolished them in England and Wales, but they are still used in the Republic of Ireland and Northern...
of
Neath Port TalbotNeath 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....
,
WalesWales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom, bordered by England to its east, and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It is also an elective region of the European Union...
(and formerly in the historic county of
GlamorganGlamorgan 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 names and boundaries until taken over by the Normans as a lordship. Glamorgan is latterly represented by the three preserved...
), lying on the
River NeathRiver 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....
.
Glynneath is also the name of a
communityA community is the lowest level of local government structure in Wales, corresponding to a civil parish in England.Until 1974, Wales was divided into civil parishes. These were abolished by section 20 of the Local Government Act 1972, and replaced by communities by section 27 of the same Act. The...
and an electoral ward. The town community is slightly larger than the
Glynneath wardGlynneath 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...
, with some 840 members of the community resident in the neighbouring ward of
BlaengwrachBlaengwrach 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.
Glynneath (alternatively
Glyn-Neath,
WelshWelsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of Celtic spoken natively in Wales, in England by some along the Welsh border and in the Welsh immigrant colony in the Chubut Valley in Argentine Patagonia....
:
Cwmnedd or Glyn-nedd), is a small
townA town is a type of settlement ranging from a few hundred to several thousand inhabitants, although it may be applied loosely even to huge metropolitan areas; the precise meaning varies between countries and is not always a matter of legal definition...
situated on the
River NeathRiver 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....
in the
county boroughCounty 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. The Local Government Act 1972 abolished them in England and Wales, but they are still used in the Republic of Ireland and Northern...
of
Neath Port TalbotNeath 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....
,
WalesWales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom, bordered by England to its east, and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It is also an elective region of the European Union...
(and formerly in the historic county of
GlamorganGlamorgan 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 names and boundaries until taken over by the Normans as a lordship. Glamorgan is latterly represented by the three preserved...
), lying on the
River NeathRiver 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....
.
Glynneath is also the name of a
communityA community is the lowest level of local government structure in Wales, corresponding to a civil parish in England.Until 1974, Wales was divided into civil parishes. These were abolished by section 20 of the Local Government Act 1972, and replaced by communities by section 27 of the same Act. The...
and an electoral ward. The town community is slightly larger than the
Glynneath wardGlynneath 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...
, with some 840 members of the community resident in the neighbouring ward of
BlaengwrachBlaengwrach 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.
Glynneath is an area of picturesque tourist ruins, with waterfalls to the north east at Pontneddfechan near the
Brecon BeaconsThe Brecon Beacons is a mountain range in South Wales. It forms the central section of the Brecon Beacons National Park , one of Wales's three National Parks.-Range:...
. Large parts of the rural area have been heavily forested.
Notable buildings
Glynneath is home to the ruins of Aberpergwm House, 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
a ddioddefws a 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 GB"Network Q RAC Rally" redirects here. For the 1999 racing game, see Network Q RAC Rally Championship. For the 1996 racing game for DOS, see Network Q RAC Rally Championship ...
). 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 bikingMountain biking is an ever evolving sport that has recently seen a huge flux of popularity but has firm roots in experimentation with non "mountain" style bicycles. The sport consists of riding bicycles off-road, often over rough terrain, with specially equipped mountain bikes or hybrid / cross...
with the Welsh National Championships being held at Rheola. A huge following is now emerging within Glynneath.
Glynneath is home to
Glynneath RFCGlynneath RFC are a Welsh Rugby Union club playing in Division Three South West of the WRU National Leagues. The Club has a very proud history boasting a number of honours over the years, including the locally famous Invincibles of the 1960-61 season captained by Bas Thomas.Playing out of Abernant...
a
rugby unionRugby union is a full contact team sport, a form of football which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. It is played with an oval-shaped ball, outdoors on a level field, usually with a grass surface, 100 m...
club founded in 1889.
Notable residents
- Siwan Morris
Siwan Morris is a Welsh actress.After an education in South Wales, she graduated from Manchester Metropolitan University...
, actress, (Belonging, Caerdydd, SkinsSkins is a teen drama that follows a group of teenagers in Bristol, South West England as they grow up. The controversial plotline explores issues including homosexuality, narcissism, dysfunctional families, absent parents, personality disorders, post traumatic stress, substance abuse, anorexia,...
).
- Max Boyce
Maxwell Boyce, MBE, is a Welsh comedian, singer and former coal miner. He rose to fame in the United Kingdom 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.
- Leslie Hardman
Reverend 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 ArmyThe British Army is the land armed forces branch of the British Armed Forces. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdoms of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England and Scotland and...
ChaplainA military chaplain is a chaplain who ministers to soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, and other members of the military.-Nomination:Chaplains are nominated in different ways in different countries. A military chaplain can be an army-trained soldier with additional theological training or a priest...
and RabbiRabbi is the term in Judaism for a religious teacher. The word rabbi derives from the Hebrew root word , rav, which in biblical Hebrew means ‘great’ in many senses, including "revered." The word comes from the Semitic root R-B-B, and is cognate to Arabic ربّ rabb, meaning "lord" Rabbi ' onMouseout='HidePop("39827")' href="http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Bergen-Belsen">Bergen-Belsen
Bergen-Belsen may refer to:* Stalag XI-C Bergen-Belsen , prisoner-of-war camp* Bergen-Belsen concentration camp , on the site of the POW camp...
concentration camp born in the town.
- Julie Gardner
Julie Gardner is a Welsh television producer. Her most prominent work has been serving as executive producer on the 2005 revival of Doctor Who, on which she worked from 2003 to 2009....
, Welsh television producer.
External links