Resolven ( cy, Resolfen) is a small village 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 ...

in Neath Port Talbot

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, similar to the unitary authorities created since the 1990s. An equivalent ter ...

, Wales. It is located in the Vale of Neath.

Location

The village is situated in the Vale of Neath, north east of the town of

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 ...

, next to 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 ...

''Heads of Valleys'' Road, and is the main settlement in the

of Resolven. Together with the community of

Clyne and Melincourt Clyne may refer to: People * Clyne (surname) (includes listing for Clynes) Places United Kingdom * Clyne, Neath Port Talbot, Wales * Clyne, Highland, in Highland council area * Clyne Castle, Swansea, Wales * Clyne Common, lowland area of commo ...

, the village makes up the Resolven electoral ward. The community includes the settlements of Rheola,

Abergarwed Abergarwed is a village in the Welsh county borough of Neath Port Talbot, south Wales. It is located in the Vale of Neath, in the electoral ward of Resolven Resolven ( cy, Resolfen) is a small village and community in Neath Port Talbot county ...

, and Ynysarwed.

History and amenities

In the immediate surrounding areas there are a number of industrial sites, which have become somewhat run down during the 1980s and 1990s. The popular Rheola indoor market was located near the village on the site of an old industrial factory, but has since moved from Rheola and now resides in the old TRW Steering Systems building. The vacated site has plans to restore

Rheola House Rheola House is a Grade II* listed country house between Glynneath and Resolven, in the Neath valley, South Wales. Designed by John Nash, it was built between 1812 and 1814 for Nash's cousin, John Edwards. It passed through inheritance to membe ...

and its estate buildings, and establish leisure and tourism facilities. The larger surrounding area has much attractive countryside and a substantial

wind farm A wind farm or wind park, also called a wind power station or wind power plant, is a group of wind turbines in the same location used Wind power, to produce electricity. Wind farms vary in size from a small number of turbines to several hundre ...

above the village at Ffynnon Oer. Resolven has played host to one of the best known stages of the Wales Rally GB for many years. Resolven is host to

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 ...

affiliated team

Resolven RFC Resolven Rugby Football Club are a Welsh rugby union club based in Resolven in Wales and are a feeder club for the Ospreys. History Rugby was supposedly introduced to Resolven by two visiting engineers; Charlie Thomas and Alf Morgan, in 1885 ...

. Resolven is also host to Football Association Wales affiliated team Resolven AFC. The

Neath and Tennant Canal The Neath and Tennant Canals are two independent but linked canals in South Wales that are usually regarded as a single canal. The Neath Canal was opened from Glynneath to Melincryddan, to the south of Neath, in 1795 and extended to Giant's Gra ...

has been restored and now has over four miles of walkable towpath between Resolven and Glynneath. The Vale of Neath Railway is still used for freight transport between Neath and

Cwmgwrach Blaengwrach ( ; ) is a community near Glynneath and Resolven in the county borough of Neath Port Talbot, Wales. It is also the name of an electoral ward of Neath Port Talbot county borough, which is a larger area than the Community. The principal ...

Notable residents

*Debbie Llewellyn, originally from Resolven, was the

Mayor of Gloucester In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well as ...

for 2014–15 *

Mel James Melvyn James (21 February 1948 – 11 December 2022) was a Welsh rugby union and professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. He played club level rugby union (RU) for Resolven RFC and Swansea RFC, and at repre ...

professional player *

Daniel Jervis Daniel Owen Jervis (born 9 June 1996) is a British swimmer, from Resolven in South Wales. He competed in the men's 1500 metre freestyle event at the 2017 World Aquatics Championships The 17th FINA World Championships ( hu, 2017-es úszó- ...

, swimmer * Sir Clifford Darby (1909–1992), geographer, was born in ResolvenWilliams, Michael
"Henry Clifford Darby, 1909–1992"
'' Proceedings of the British Academy'', vol. 87 (1995), pp. 289–306. * Peter Hain, Anti-Apartheid campaigner, former cabinet minister, and member of the Privy Council

References

External links

Cymdeithas Hanes Resolfen History Society

Monumental Inscriptions for Resolven

Resolven Rugby Club Official Site

www.geograph.co.uk : photos of Resolven and surrounding area
Villages in Neath Port Talbot Vale of Neath Rally GB {{NeathPortTalbot-geo-stub