Neath (; cy, Castell-nedd) is a

market town A market town is a settlement most common in Europe that obtained by custom or royal charter, in the Middle Ages, a market right, which allowed it to host a regular market; this distinguished it from a village or city. In Britain, small rural ...

and

community A community is a social unit (a group of living things) with commonality such as place, norms, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given geographical area (e.g. a country, village, tow ...

situated in the Neath Port Talbot County Borough,

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

. The town had a population of 50,658 in 2011. The community of the parish of Neath had a population of 19,258 in 2011.

Historically History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as well ...

Glamorgan , HQ = Cardiff , Government = Glamorgan County Council (1889–1974) , Origin= , Code = GLA , CodeName = Chapman code , Replace = * West Glamorgan * Mid Glamorgan * South Glamorgan , Motto ...

, the town is located on the

River Neath River Neath ( cy, Afon Nedd) is a river in south Wales running south west from the point at which its headwaters arising in the Brecon Beacons National Park converge to its mouth at Baglan Bay below Briton Ferry on the east side of Swansea Bay. ...

, east-northeast of

Swansea Swansea (; cy, Abertawe ) is a coastal city and the second-largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Swansea ( cy, links=no, Dinas a Sir Abertawe). The city is the twenty-fifth largest in ...

Etymology

The town's English name ultimately derives from "" the original Welsh name for the River Neath and is known to be

Celtic Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to: Language and ethnicity *pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia **Celts (modern) *Celtic languages **Proto-Celtic language * Celtic music *Celtic nations Sports Fo ...

or Pre-Celtic. A meaning of 'shining' or 'brilliant' has been suggested, as has a link to the older

Indo-European root The roots of the reconstructed Proto-Indo-European language (PIE) are basic parts of words that carry a lexical meaning, so-called morphemes. PIE roots usually have verbal meaning like "to eat" or "to run". Roots never occurred alone in the lang ...

' (simply meaning 'river'). As such, the town may share its etymology with the town of

Stratton, Cornwall Stratton ( kw, Strasnedh) is a market town in Cornwall, England situated near the coastal town of Bude and the market town of Holsworthy. It was also the name of one of ten ancient administrative hundreds of Cornwall. The Battle of Stratton dur ...

and the

River Nidd The River Nidd is a tributary of the River Ouse in the English county of North Yorkshire. In its first few miles it is dammed three times to create Angram Reservoir, Scar House Reservoir and Gouthwaite Reservoir, which attract a total of aroun ...

in Northern England.

History

Roman fort

The town is located at a ford of the

and its strategic situation is evident by a number of

hill forts, surrounding the town. The Romans also recognised the area's strategic importance and built an Auxiliary Fort on the river's Western bank around 74 AD. Much of the site is on the grounds of Dwr-y-Felin Comprehensive School but archaeological digs have also found gate-towers that extended out beyond the fort's walls (a feature unique in Roman Britain) and a large Roman marching camp that would have accommodated thousands of troops. These finds indicate some of the unusual measures the Romans took during the resistance of the native Silures. The fort at Neath was abandoned around 125 AD for fifteen years and again around 170 AD for a century before the final Roman withdrawal around 320 AD. The

Antonine Itinerary The Antonine Itinerary ( la, Itinerarium Antonini Augusti, "The Itinerary of the Emperor Antoninus") is a famous ''itinerarium'', a register of the stations and distances along various roads. Seemingly based on official documents, possibly ...

() names ' (or ) as one of nine places in Roman Wales.

Medieval period

St Illtyd St Illtyd is a hamlet near Aberbeeg, in southeast Wales, within the historic boundaries of Monmouthshire. It is situated on the mountain road between Pontypool and Abertillery in Blaenau Gwent. It rests at about 1200 feet above sea level. The ...

visited the Neath area and established a settlement in what is now known as Llantwit on the northern edge of the town. The church of St Illtyd was built at this settlement and was enlarged in

Norman Norman or Normans may refer to: Ethnic and cultural identity * The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 10th and 11th centuries ** People or things connected with the Norm ...

times. The

and pre-Norman church structure remains intact and active to day within the

Church in Wales The Church in Wales ( cy, Yr Eglwys yng Nghymru) is an Anglicanism, Anglican church in Wales, composed of six dioceses. The Archbishop of Wales does not have a fixed archiepiscopal see, but serves concurrently as one of the six diocesan bishop ...

. The

Welsh language Welsh ( or ) is a Celtic language family, Celtic language of the Brittonic languages, Brittonic subgroup that is native to the Welsh people. Welsh is spoken natively in Wales, by some in England, and in Y Wladfa (the Welsh colony in Chubut P ...

name for Neath is , referring to the Norman Neath Castle, the English kings Henry II, John, and

Edward I Edward I (17/18 June 1239 – 7 July 1307), also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 1272 to 1307. Concurrently, he ruled the duchies of Aquitaine and Gascony as a vassal o ...

visited.

Industrial and modern Neath

Neath was a

that expanded with the arrival of the

Industrial Revolution The Industrial Revolution was the transition to new manufacturing processes in Great Britain, continental Europe, and the United States, that occurred during the period from around 1760 to about 1820–1840. This transition included going f ...

in the 18th century with new manufacturing industries of

iron Iron () is a chemical element with symbol Fe (from la, ferrum) and atomic number 26. It is a metal that belongs to the first transition series and group 8 of the periodic table. It is, by mass, the most common element on Earth, right in f ...

steel Steel is an alloy made up of iron with added carbon to improve its strength and fracture resistance compared to other forms of iron. Many other elements may be present or added. Stainless steels that are corrosion- and oxidation-resistant ty ...

and tinplate. The Mackworth family, who owned the Gnoll Estate were prominent in the town's industrial development.

Coal Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen. Coal is formed when dea ...

was mined extensively in the surrounding valleys and the construction of

canal Canals or artificial waterways are waterways or engineered channels built for drainage management (e.g. flood control and irrigation) or for conveyancing water transport vehicles (e.g. water taxi). They carry free, calm surface flow un ...

s and

railway Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...

s made Neath a major transportation centre and the Evans & Bevan families were major players in the local coal mining community as well as owning the Vale of Neath Brewery.

Silica Silicon dioxide, also known as silica, is an oxide of silicon with the chemical formula , most commonly found in nature as quartz and in various living organisms. In many parts of the world, silica is the major constituent of sand. Silica is one ...

was mined in the area of

Pontneddfechan Pontneddfechan, also known as Pontneathvaughan (pronounced ) ("bridge over the Little Neath" in Welsh) is the southernmost village in the county of Brecknockshire, Wales, within the Vale of Neath, in the community of Ystradfellte and in the prin ...

, after

Quaker Quakers are people who belong to a historically Protestant Christian set of Christian denomination, denominations known formally as the Religious Society of Friends. Members of these movements ("theFriends") are generally united by a belie ...

entrepreneur

William Weston Young William Weston Young (1776–1847) was a British Quaker entrepreneur, artist, botanist, wreck-raiser, surveyor, potter, and inventor of the firebrick. Biography William Weston Young was born on 20 April 1776 at Lewin's Mead, Bristol, England ...

invented the

blast furnace A blast furnace is a type of metallurgical furnace used for smelting to produce industrial metals, generally pig iron, but also others such as lead or copper. ''Blast'' refers to the combustion air being "forced" or supplied above atmospheric ...

silica

firebrick A fire brick, firebrick, or refractory is a block of ceramic material used in lining furnaces, kilns, fireboxes, and fireplaces. A refractory brick is built primarily to withstand high temperature, but will also usually have a low thermal cond ...

, later moving brick production from the works at to the Green in Neath. The town continued as a market trading centre with a municipal cattle market run by W.B.Trick. Industrial development continued throughout the 20th century with the construction by BP of a new

petroleum Petroleum, also known as crude oil, or simply oil, is a naturally occurring yellowish-black liquid mixture of mainly hydrocarbons, and is found in geological formations. The name ''petroleum'' covers both naturally occurring unprocessed crud ...

refinery at .

Admiral Lord Nelson Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, 1st Duke of Bronte (29 September 1758 – 21 October 1805) was a British flag officer in the Royal Navy. His inspirational leadership, grasp of strategy, and unconventional tactics brought abo ...

stayed at the Castle Hotel en route to

Milford Haven Milford Haven ( cy, Aberdaugleddau, meaning "mouth of the two Rivers Cleddau") is both a town and a community in Pembrokeshire, Wales. It is situated on the north side of the Milford Haven Waterway, an estuary forming a natural harbour that has ...

when the fleet was at anchor there. Lt. Lewis Roatley, the son of the landlord of the Castle Hotel, served as a

Royal Marines The Corps of Royal Marines (RM), also known as the Royal Marines Commandos, are the UK's special operations capable commando force, amphibious light infantry and also one of the five fighting arms of the Royal Navy. The Corps of Royal Marine ...

officer with Nelson aboard in the

Battle of Trafalgar The Battle of Trafalgar (21 October 1805) was a naval engagement between the British Royal Navy and the combined fleets of the French and Spanish Navies during the War of the Third Coalition (August–December 1805) of the Napoleonic Wars (180 ...

. The

is a navigable

estuary An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries form a transition zone between river environments and maritime environment ...

and Neath was a river port until recent times. The heavy industries are no more; the town is now a commercial and tourism centre. Attractions for visitors are the ruins of the

Cistercian The Cistercians, () officially the Order of Cistercians ( la, (Sacer) Ordo Cisterciensis, abbreviated as OCist or SOCist), are a Catholic religious order of monks and nuns that branched off from the Benedictines and follow the Rule of Saint ...

Neath Abbey Neath Abbey ( cy, Abaty Nedd) was a Cistercian monastery, located near the present-day town of Neath in South Wales, UK. It was once the largest abbey in Wales. Substantial ruins can still be seen, and are in the care of Cadw. Tudor historian ...

, the Gnoll Park, and Neath Indoor Market. Neath hosted the

National Eisteddfod of Wales The National Eisteddfod of Wales (Welsh language, Welsh: ') is the largest of several eisteddfodau that are held annually, mostly in Wales. Its eight days of competitions and performances are considered the largest music and poetry festival in Eur ...

in 1918, 1934 and 1994.

Notable people

:''See :People from Neath'' *

Samuel Johnson Samuel Johnson (18 September 1709 – 13 December 1784), often called Dr Johnson, was an English writer who made lasting contributions as a poet, playwright, essayist, moralist, critic, biographer, editor and lexicographer. The ''Oxford ...

(2002- ), first Imperial College alumni, aka Neath Nightmare; *

Roger Blake Roger Donald Blake (born 21 December 1957 in Neath, Glamorgan) is a Welsh people, Welsh actor, impressionist and entertainer. He is best known for his portrayal of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Philip in ''Spitting Image'' and ''The Bi ...

(1957– ), actor, entertainer and impressionist; * Mark Bowen (1963–, b. Briton Ferry), Former manager of Reading FC, and played for Spurs and Norwich City; *

Hugh Dalton Edward Hugh John Neale Dalton, Baron Dalton, (16 August 1887 – 13 February 1962) was a British Labour Party economist and politician who served as Chancellor of the Exchequer from 1945 to 1947. He shaped Labour Party foreign policy in the 1 ...

(1887–1962, b. Gnoll),

Labour Labour or labor may refer to: * Childbirth, the delivery of a baby * Labour (human activity), or work ** Manual labour, physical work ** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer ** Organized labour and the labour ...

politician,

Chancellor of the Exchequer The chancellor of the Exchequer, often abbreviated to chancellor, is a senior minister of the Crown within the Government of the United Kingdom, and head of His Majesty's Treasury. As one of the four Great Offices of State, the Chancellor is ...

, 1945–1947; * Ben Davies (1993– ), Tottenham Hotspur, and Wales footballer; *

Connor Roberts (footballer, born 1995) Connor Richard John Roberts (born 23 September 1995) is a Welsh professional footballer who plays as a right-back for club Burnley and the Wales national team. He helped his nation qualify for the FIFA World Cup in 2022 for the first time since ...

Welsh international footballer; * Craig Mitchell (1986– ), Welsh international rugby union forward; * David Davies, (1877–1944), Welsh international rugby union forward; *

Ivor Emmanuel Ivor Lewis Emmanuel (7 November 1927 – 20 July 2007) was a Welsh musical theatre and television singer and actor. He is probably best remembered, however, for his appearance as "Private Owen" in the 1964 film '' Zulu'', in which his chara ...

(1927–2007), singer and actor; *

Hugh Evan-Thomas Admiral (Royal Navy), Admiral Sir Hugh Evan-Thomas, (27 October 1862 – 30 August 1928) was a British Royal Navy officer. During World War I he commanded the 5th Battle Squadron (United Kingdom), 5th Battle Squadron of the Grand Fleet, fly ...

, vice-admiral; * Craig Evans (born 1971), cricketer; * Rebecca Evans (1963–, b. Pontrhydyfen), soprano; * Sir Samuel Thomas Evans (1859–1918, b. Skewen), politician and judge; *

George Grant Francis George Grant Francis (January 1814–21 April 1882) was a Welsh antiquary and civic leader born in Swansea Early life George Grant Francis can be seen as a product of the cross-pollination that took place on various levels between Devon/Cornwal ...

(1814–1882, b. Swansea) historian who wrote ''Original Charters and Materials for a History of Neath'' (1845); * Julie Gardner (1969– ), television producer previously responsible for ''

Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series depicts the adventures of a Time Lord called the Doctor, an extraterrestrial being who appears to be human. The Doctor explores the u ...

'' and its spin-off '' Torchwood'', former executive producer of Scripted Projects at

BBC Worldwide BBC Worldwide Ltd. was the wholly owned commercial subsidiary of the BBC, formed out of a restructuring of its predecessor BBC Enterprises in January 1995. The company monetises BBC brands, selling BBC and other British programming for broadcas ...

and co-founder of Bad Wolf Productions; * Richard Grant (born 1984), cricketer; *

Cecil Griffiths Cecil Redvers Griffiths (18 February 1900 – 11 April 1945) was a Welsh athlete who won a gold medal at the 1920 Summer Olympics. He was subsequently barred from competing at the 1924 Summer Olympics due to a ruling that he had competed as ...

(1900–1945), winner of an

Olympic gold medal Olympic or Olympics may refer to Sports Competitions * Olympic Games, international multi-sport event held since 1896 ** Summer Olympic Games ** Winter Olympic Games * Ancient Olympic Games, ancient multi-sport event held in Olympia, Greece b ...

in the

4x400m relay Four-wheel drive, also called 4×4 ("four by four") or 4WD, refers to a two-axled vehicle drivetrain capable of providing torque to all of its wheels simultaneously. It may be full-time or on-demand, and is typically linked via a transfer case ...

at the

1920 Antwerp Olympics The 1920 Summer Olympics (french: Jeux olympiques d'été de 1920; nl, Olympische Zomerspelen van 1920; german: Olympische Sommerspiele 1920), officially known as the Games of the VII Olympiad (french: Jeux de la VIIe olympiade; nl, Spelen van ...

; *

Howel Gwyn Howel Gwyn (24 June 1806 – 25 January 1888) of Dyffryn, Neath, was a British Conservative politician, who represented Penryn and Falmouth (1847–57) and Brecon (1866–68). Early life Gwyn was the son of William Gwyn and Mary Anne Roberts ...

(1806-1888), Conservative politician; *

Thomas Haffield Thomas Paul Haffield (born 28 January 1988) is a former Welsh competitive swimmer who was best known for his participating in individual medley Medley is a combination of four different swimming styles—backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly, a ...

(1988– ), Great Britain Olympic swimmer; *

Carl Harris Carl Stephen Harris (born 3 November 1956 in Neath) is a Welsh former international footballer. As a winger, Harris was noted for his express pace. Former Ipswich Town and England captain Mick Mills is on record as saying Harris was the most di ...

(1956– ), the former Leeds United and Wales international; *

Richard Hibbard Richard Hibbard (born 13 December 1983) is a Wales international rugby player currently playing for the Dragons. Hibbard was born in Neath, Wales. He’s married with 3 children. A hooker, he started playing rugby at age grade levels at clubs ...

(1983– ), Rugby player for the Dragons of the Pro14; * T. G. H. James (1923–2009), Egyptologist and former Keeper of Egyptian Antiquities at the

British Museum The British Museum is a public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence. It docum ...

; * Sir William Jenkins (1871–1944), former Neath MP; *

Katherine Jenkins Katherine Maria Jenkins (born 29 June 1980) is a Welsh singer. She is a mezzo-soprano and performs operatic arias, popular songs, musical theatre, and hymns.Margaret Townsend Jenkins Margaret Townsend Jenkins (4 August 1843 – 4 June 1923) was a Welsh-born social reformer and educator in Chile and Canada. Early life Margaret Townsend was born in Neath, Wales, the daughter of Joseph Townsend, a church deacon.Melanie Buddle"Marg ...

(1843–1923), Canadian clubwoman * Della Jones (1946, b. Tonna), mezzo-soprano; *

Kristian Lavercombe Kristian Lavercombe is a Welsh-born actor and singer best known for playing Riff Raff in over 2000 performances of ''The Rocky Horror Show''. Described by the show's writer Richard O'Brien as "a fantastically talented Riff Raff", Lavercombe's int ...

(1976–), actor and singer *

Geraint F. Lewis Geraint Francis Lewis (born 14 March 1969) is a Welsh astrophysicist, who is best known for his work on dark energy, gravitational lensing and galactic cannibalism. Lewis is a Professor of Astrophysics (Teaching and Research) at the Sydney I ...

(1969– ), leading astrophysicist; *

Andy Legg Andrew Legg (born 28 July 1966) is a Welsh football manager and former Wales international player. Born in Neath, he began his professional career with Swansea City after joining the club from local non-league football at the age of 22. He made ...

(1966– ), former professional footballer and Wales international; *

Tony Lewis Anthony Robert Lewis CBE (born 6 July 1938) is a Welsh former cricketer, who captained England, became a journalist, went on to become the face of BBC Television cricket coverage between 1986 and 1998, and became president of the Marylebone Cr ...

(1938–, b. Swansea), first Welshman to Captain an England cricket tour abroad, (India, Pakistan, 1972–73). Led Glamorgan to 2nd County Championship, 1969. Writer and broadcaster. *

Andrew Matthews-Owen Andrew Matthews-Owen is a Welsh pianist and accompanist. He was born at Neath, Wales, and now lives in London, England. He enjoys a busy career partnering some of the UK's leading singers, on the concert platform, on record and as a performance ...

, pianist; *

Ray Milland Ray Milland (born Alfred Reginald Jones; 3 January 1907 – 10 March 1986) was a Welsh-American actor and film director. His screen career ran from 1929 to 1985. He is remembered for his Academy Award and Cannes Film Festival Award-winning ...

(1907–1986), Oscar-winning Hollywood actor; *

David Watts Morgan David Watts Morgan, (18 December 1867 – 23 February 1933), who later in life hyphenated his name to Watts-Morgan, was a Welsh trade unionist, a Labour politician, and a Member of Parliament (MP) from 1918 to 1933. Described as " traddlingthe ...

(1867–1933), miners' leader and politician; * Sir William Nott (1782–1845), British General in India; *

Harry Parr-Davies Harry may refer to: TV shows * ''Harry'' (American TV series), a 1987 American comedy series starring Alan Arkin * ''Harry'' (British TV series), a 1993 BBC drama that ran for two seasons * ''Harry'' (talk show), a 2016 American daytime talk show ...

(1914–1955), composer; *

Jessie Penn-Lewis Jessie Penn-Lewis (28 February 1861 – 15 August 1927, née Jones) was a Welsh evangelical speaker, who wrote several Christian evangelical works. Her religious work took her to Russia, Scandinavia, Canada, the United States and India. Early l ...

(1861–1927), missioner and revivalist; * Gary Pickford-Hopkins (1948–2013) singer, composer and guitarist; *

Sir Arthur Pugh Sir Arthur Pugh (19 January 1870 – 2 August 1955) was a British trade unionist. Born in Ross-on-Wye, Pugh was apprenticed to a farmer who also worked as a butcher, but soon moved to Neath to work in the steel industry, where he became active in ...

(1870–1955, b.

Ross-on-Wye Ross-on-Wye (Welsh: ''Rhosan ar Wy'') is a market town in England, near the border with Wales. It had a population of 10,582 according to the 2011 census, estimated at 11,309 in 2019. It lies in south-eastern Herefordshire, on the River Wye and ...

Herefordshire Herefordshire () is a county in the West Midlands of England, governed by Herefordshire Council. It is bordered by Shropshire to the north, Worcestershire to the east, Gloucestershire to the south-east, and the Welsh counties of Monmouthshire ...

), trade unionist, moved to his father's birthplace, Neath, 1894; * Henry Habberley Price (1899–1984), philosopher; * Walter Enoch Rees (1863–1949), rugby administrator; *

Andrew Rhodes Andrew Rhodes (born 10 October 1977) is the Chief Executive of the Gambling Commission - the UK's regulator for the gambling industry, and was formerly a senior British civil servant, occupying the largest operational director general role in the U ...

(1977– ), civil servant, Registrar and Chief Operating Officer of Swansea University * Paul Rhys (1963– ), actor; * Craig Richards (1959– ), former professional footballer *

Will Roberts Will Roberts (21 December 1907 – 11 March 2000) was a Welsh expressionist painter. Biography Roberts was born in Ruabon, Denbighshire, the son of a railwayman of the Great Western Railway. The family moved to Neath in Glamorgan in 1918. ...

(1907–2000, b.

Ruabon Ruabon ( cy, Rhiwabon ) is a village and community in Wrexham County Borough, Wales. The name comes from ''Rhiw Fabon'', ''rhiw'' being the Welsh word for "slope" or "hillside" and ''Fabon'' being a mutation from St Mabon, the original church ...

Denbighshire Denbighshire ( ; cy, Sir Ddinbych; ) is a county in the north-east of Wales. Its borders differ from the historic county of the same name. This part of Wales contains the country's oldest known evidence of habitation – Pontnewydd (Bontnewy ...

), artist, moved to Neath 1918; *

Peter Shreeves Peter Shreeves (born 30 November 1940) is a Welsh former football player, manager and coach. Career Shreeves was born in Neath in South Wales where his mother had been evacuated to during the early stages of World War II, but was brought up i ...

(1940– ), former Spurs and

Sheffield Wednesday Sheffield Wednesday Football Club is a professional association football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The team competes in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. Formed in 1867 as an offshoot of ...

manager; *

Samuel Charles Silkin Samuel Charles Silkin, Baron Silkin of Dulwich, PC, QC (6 March 1918 – 17 August 1988) was a British Labour Party politician and cricketer. Early life He was the second son of Lewis Silkin (afterwards Baron Silkin), a Labour Member of Parl ...

, Baron Silkin of Dulwich (1918–1988), barrister and politician, Attorney-General, 1974–1979; *

Jonathan Spratt Jonathan Spratt (born 28 April 1986) is a former Welsh international rugby union player. A centre, he made his debut for the Wales national rugby union team on 30 May 2009 as a second-half substitute in a match versus Canada. Spratt is a former ...

(1986– ), Welsh rugby player * William Squire (1917–1989), actor; *

David Thaxton David Thaxton (born 12 May 1982) is a Welsh singer, actor and musical theatre and opera performer. He starred in the Donmar Warehouse's '' Passion'', for which he won the 2011 Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role in a Music ...

(1982– ), West End performer * Brian Thomas (1940–2012), Wales rugby union lock who also played and managed Neath RFC; * Bonnie Tyler (1951–, b. Skewen), pop star; * Andrew Vicari (1938–2016), artist; *

Ron Waldron Ronald Gwyn Waldron (born 14 December 1933)
Scrum.com is a Welsh former

(1933– ), Welsh rugby coach; *

Alfred Russel Wallace Alfred Russel Wallace (8 January 1823 – 7 November 1913) was a British naturalist, explorer, geographer, anthropologist, biologist and illustrator. He is best known for independently conceiving the theory of evolution through natural se ...

(1823, b.

Monmouthshire Monmouthshire ( cy, Sir Fynwy) is a county in the south-east of Wales. The name derives from the historic county of the same name; the modern county covers the eastern three-fifths of the historic county. The largest town is Abergavenny, with ...

), evolutionary theorist, lived in Neath during 1841/2 and attended lectures given by the area's scientific societies; *

Cyril Walters Cyril Frederick Walters (28 August 1905 – 23 December 1992) was a Welsh first-class cricketer who had most of his success after leaving Glamorgan to do duty as captain-secretary of Worcestershire. In this role he developed his batting to such ...

(1905–1992), Glamorgan cricketer and Captain of the England cricket team; * Anna Letitia Waring (1823–1910), poet and hymn writer; * Elijah Waring (1788–1857), writer; and * Jane Williams alled Llinos(1795–1873), singer and compiler of traditional Welsh music.

Sport

The Gnoll - Neath RFC - geograph-2277123

The

Welsh Rugby Union The Welsh Rugby Union (WRU; cy, Undeb Rygbi Cymru) is the Sports governing body, governing body of rugby union in the country of Wales, recognised by the sport's international governing body, World Rugby. The WRU is responsible for the running ...

was formed at a meeting held at the Castle Hotel in 1881. Neath Rugby Football Club, the famous and successful "Welsh All Blacks", play at

The Gnoll The Gnoll ( cy, Y Gnol) in Neath, Wales is a sports ground, with a capacity of 6,000 (formerly 15,000). It is used primarily for rugby union and rugby league, although it has also been used previously for association football and cricket. The stad ...

Motorcycle speedway Motorcycle speedway, usually referred to simply as speedway, is a motorcycle sport involving four and sometimes up to six riders competing over four anti-clockwise laps of an oval circuit. The motorcycles are specialist machines that use only ...

was staged at the Abbey Stadium in Neath in 1962. The Welsh Dragons, led by New Zealander

Trevor Redmond Trevor John Redmond (16 June 1927 – 17 September 1997)Bamford, R. & Shailes, G. (2003) ''Bristol Bulldogs: 50 Greats'', Stroud: Tempus Publishing. was a New Zealand speedway rider who mainly rode for the Aldershot Shots, and the Wembley Lions ...

, raced with some success in the Provincial League but, because of local problems, a number of the "home" fixtures were raced at

St Austell St Austell (; kw, Sans Austel) is a town in Cornwall, England, south of Bodmin and west of the border with Devon. St Austell is one of the largest towns in Cornwall; at the 2011 census it had a population of 19,958. History St Austell wa ...

. The Dragons introduced the Australian rider Charlie Monk to British speedway. After a season at Long Eaton Archers, Monk went on to have considerable success at

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

. The team also featured South African Howdy Cornell. In the early 1960s there was also stock car racing held at Neath Abbey, opposite the monastery

Neath Athletic A.F.C. Neath Football Club ( cy, Clwb Pêl-droed Castell-nedd) was a Welsh professional association football club based in Neath last playing in the Welsh Premier League. The club was formed in 2005 following the merger between Neath and Skewen Athl ...

was the town's largest football team, playing at Neath RFC's ground, The Gnoll, and played in the top flight of

Welsh football Association football ( cy, pêl-droed) is one of the most popular sports in Wales, along with rugby union. Wales has produced club teams of varying fortunes since the early birth of football during the Victorian period, and in 1876 a Wales nat ...

, the Welsh Premier League, until the club was wound up in 2012. In the 2006–07 season, Neath Athletic A.F.C. were promoted from the Welsh Football League First Division to the Welsh Premier League. Neath Athletic A.F.C. had an average of 300 supporters attending a domestic, Welsh Premier League game, which was typical of the Welsh Premier League.

Administration

After Neath became a

municipal borough Municipal boroughs were a type of local government district which existed in England and Wales between 1835 and 1974, in Northern Ireland from 1840 to 1973 and in the Republic of Ireland from 1840 to 2002. Broadly similar structures existed in S ...

in 1835, the borough council was based at

Neath Town Hall Neath Town Hall ( cy, Neuadd y Dref Castell-nedd) is a municipal building in Church Place, Neath, South Wales. The town hall, which was the headquarters of Neath Borough Council, is a Grade II listed building. History The first town hall in Nea ...

in Church Place before relocating to

Gwyn Hall The Gwyn Hall was previously a four-storey Victorian era, Victorian theatre in the town centre of Neath, Wales. Following a fire in 2007 it was substantially rebuilt, retaining its facade but moving the theatre to the ground floor, with flexib ...

in Orchard Street in 1888. Neath District Council, which was formed in 1974, was absorbed into the larger

unitary authority A unitary authority is a local authority responsible for all local government functions within its area or performing additional functions that elsewhere are usually performed by a higher level of sub-national government or the national governmen ...

of Neath Port Talbot on 1 April 1996. The town encompasses the

electoral ward A ward is a local authority area, typically used for electoral purposes. In some countries, wards are usually named after neighbourhoods, thoroughfares, parishes, landmarks, geographical features and in some cases historical figures connected to t ...

s of

Neath East Neath East is an electoral ward of Neath Port Talbot county borough, Wales. Neath East falls within the community of Neath. Neath East includes some or all of the neighbourhoods of Melincryddan, Pencaerau, Penrhiwtyn in the parliamentary cons ...

Neath North Neath North is an electoral ward of Neath Port Talbot county borough, Wales falling within the community of Neath. Neath North includes some or all of the neighbourhoods of Llantwit and Neath town centre in the parliamentary constituency of Neat ...

Neath South Neath South is an electoral ward of Neath Port Talbot county borough, Wales falling in the community A community is a social unit (a group of living things) with commonality such as place, norms, religion, values, customs, or identity. ...

and

Cimla Cimla is a suburb of the town of Neath in the county borough of Neath Port Talbot, Wales. It is set high up on a hill. It is pronounced Kim-la. The Welsh language spelling is Cymla, pronounced the same way. Its meaning is a place with common land, ...

. For the House of Commons at Westminster, Neath and the surrounding area are part of the

Neath Neath (; cy, Castell-nedd) is a market town and Community (Wales), community situated in the Neath Port Talbot, Neath Port Talbot County Borough, Wales. The town had a population of 50,658 in 2011. The community of the parish of Neath had a po ...

constituency. , its

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...

(MP) is

Christina Rees Christina Rees (born 21 February 1954) is a Member of Parliament who served as Shadow Secretary of State for Wales in the Shadow Cabinet of Jeremy Corbyn from 2017 to 2020. She has been MP for Neath since 2015. Rees was elected as a Welsh Lab ...

of the Labour Party. In the

Senedd The Senedd (; ), officially known as the Welsh Parliament in English and () in Welsh, is the devolved, unicameral legislature of Wales. A democratically elected body, it makes laws for Wales, agrees certain taxes and scrutinises the Welsh Gove ...

, the Neath Senedd constituency is represented by

Jeremy Miles Jeremy Miles MS is a Welsh Labour and Co-operative Party politician, serving as Minister for Education and Minister for the Welsh Language in the Welsh Government since 2021. Miles has been the Member of the Senedd (MS) for Neath since 2016. H ...

(

), and by the wider South Wales West electoral region returns four additional

Members of the Senedd A Member of the Senedd (MS; plural: ''MSs''; cy, Aelodau o'r Senedd; , plural:) (AS)., group=la is a representative elected to the Senedd (Welsh Parliament; ). There are sixty members, with forty members chosen to represent individual Senedd ...

(MSs).

Climate

As with the rest of the

British Isles The British Isles are a group of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-western coast of continental Europe, consisting of the islands of Great Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Inner and Outer Hebrides, the Northern Isles, ...

, Neath experiences a maritime climate with cool summers and mild winters, often high winds, and low sunshine levels.

Education

Dwr-y-Felin Comprehensive School is situated on the outskirts of the town, opposite a campus of

NPTC Group Grŵp Colegau NPTC Group of Colleges is a further education college which was formed following the merger of Neath Port Talbot College and Coleg Powys on 1 August 2013. The college offers a programme of full-time, part-time, and higher educatio ...

(which was previously

Neath Port Talbot College Neath Port Talbot College (NPTC) was a further education institution established as two campuses in Port Talbot and Neath in Wales, United Kingdom. The college allowed study of many courses including GCSEs, AS Level/A levels, AGCEs, AVCEs, Adult ...

Cefn Saeson Comprehensive School Cefn Saeson (Ysgol Gyfun Cefn Saeson) is a mixed, English-medium comprehensive school in the Cimla suburb of Neath, Wales. The school serves 11 to 16-year-olds living in Cimla, Tonna, Tonmawr, Pontrhydyfen and parts of Neath. The school is l ...

is in the village of

. Two other comprehensive schools serve the town:

Llangatwg Comprehensive School Cadoxton (or in full Cadoxton-juxta-Neath) ( cy, Llangatwg), is a village situated in Neath Port Talbot county borough, Wales. Cadoxton is located just outside the town of Neath and borders the villages of Cilfrew and Bryncoch. The village has 1, ...

in Cadoxton and Ysgol Bae Baglan in Baglan.

Transport

Neath railway station , symbol_location = gb , symbol = rail , image = Neath railway station main entrance (geograph 6359557).jpg , borough = Neath, Neath Port Talbot , country = Wales , coordinates ...

is on the South Wales Main Line.

Great Western Railway The Great Western Railway (GWR) was a British railway company that linked London with the southwest, west and West Midlands of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament on 31 August 1835 and ran ...

and

Transport for Wales Transport for Wales (TfW; cy, Trafnidiaeth Cymru; cy, TrC, label=none) is a not-for-profit company owned by the Welsh Government and managed at arms length by its appointed board. TfW oversees the Transport for Wales Group (TfW Group) consi ...

serve the station with services westbound to , Carmarthen and the West Wales Line and eastbound to Port Talbot Parkway, , and

London Paddington Paddington, also known as London Paddington, is a London station group, Central London railway terminus and London Underground station complex, located on Praed Street in the Paddington area. The site has been the London terminus of services pro ...

. Trains also run via and to and

Manchester Piccadilly Manchester Piccadilly is the principal railway station in Manchester, England. Opened as Store Street in 1842, it was renamed Manchester London Road in 1847 and became Manchester Piccadilly in 1960. Located to the south-east of Manchester city ...

. Neath

bus station A bus station or a bus interchange is a structure where city or intercity buses stop to pick up and drop off passengers. While the term bus depot can also be used to refer to a bus station, it generally refers to a bus garage. A bus station is l ...

is at Victoria Gardens, a five-minute walk from the railway station. National Express services call at the railway station. From Victoria Gardens, First Cymru provides direct inter-urban services to nearby Swansea and Port Talbot in addition to South Wales Transport who provide many similar local services. The

A465 The A465 is a trunk road that runs from Bromyard in Herefordshire, England to Llandarcy near Swansea in South Wales. The western half is known officially as the Neath to Abergavenny Trunk Road, but the section from Abergavenny to the Vale of N ...

skirts the town to the north east and provides a link to the M4.

Plans

In 2008 plans were announced to regenerate around of land in and around Neath town centre. The site once occupied by the previous civic centre was to be redeveloped as a new shopping centre. The area around the Milland Road Industrial Estate and with the area around the Neath Canal were also to be redeveloped. The proposals included an "iconic" golden rugby ball-shaped museum, a library, heritage centre and other new facilities.BBC NEWS , 'Iconic' museum planned for town
/ref> In March 2008, the county's new radio station,

Afan FM XS (formerly Afan FM) was a community radio station serving the Neath Port Talbot county borough. The station was owned and operated by Neath Port Talbot Broadcasting CIC and aired a mix of dance & alternative music and local information, targe ...

, announced plans to install a new transmitter for the Neath area. This would give residents of Neath access to the radio station, which already transmitted to the neighbouring area of Port Talbot. The new transmitter for the Neath area was commissioned by Government regulator

Ofcom The Office of Communications, commonly known as Ofcom, is the government-approved regulatory and competition authority for the broadcasting, telecommunications and postal industries of the United Kingdom. Ofcom has wide-ranging powers acros ...

on Thursday 23 October 2008. St David's Church, Neath

References

External links

History of NeathNeath Port Talbot Council Adult Learning Portalwww.geograph.co.uk : photos of Neath and surrounding areaWiki style Map of the neath areaPhoto Archive Gallery of old Neath & District
{{authority control Communities in Neath Port Talbot Towns in Neath Port Talbot Vale of Neath Swansea Bay (region)