Neath
| |
|---|---|
  Neath Location withinNeath Port Talbot | |
| Population | 50,658 |
| OS grid reference | SS745975 |
| Community |
|
| Principal area | |
| Preserved county | |
| Country | Wales |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | NEATH |
| Postcode district | SA10-11 |
| Dialling code | 01639 |
| Police | South Wales |
| Fire | Mid and West Wales |
| Ambulance | Welsh |
| UK Parliament | |
| Senedd Cymru – Welsh Parliament | |
51°40′N3°49′W / 51.66°N 3.81°W /51.66; -3.81  Map of the community | |
Neath (/niːθ/;Welsh:Castell-nedd) is amarket town andcommunity situated in theNeath Port Talbot County Borough,Wales. The town had a population of 50,658 in 2011.[2] The community of the parish of Neath had a population of 19,258 in 2011.[3]Historically inGlamorgan, the town is located on theRiver Neath, seven miles (eleven kilometres) east-northeast ofSwansea.[4]
The town's English name ultimately derives from "Nedd" the original Welsh name for the River Neath and is known to beCeltic orPre-Celtic. A meaning of 'shining' or 'brilliant' has been suggested, as has a link to the olderIndo-European root*-nedi (simply meaning 'river').[5][6]
As such, the town may share its etymology with the town ofStratton, Cornwall and theRiver Nidd in Northern England.[7][8]
The town is located at aford of theRiver Neath and its strategic situation is evident by a number ofCeltichill forts, surrounding the town. TheRomans also recognised the area's strategic importance and built anAuxiliary Fort on the river's Western bank around 74 AD.
Much of the site is on the grounds ofDwr-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.[9][10] These finds indicate some of the unusual measures the Romans took during theresistance 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.[11]
TheAntonine Itinerary (c. 2nd century) namesNido (orNidum) as one of nine places inRoman Wales.[12]
St Illtyd 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[13] was built at this settlement and was enlarged inNorman times. TheNorman and pre-Norman church structure remains intact and active to day within theChurch in Wales.[14] TheWelsh language name for Neath isCastell-nedd, referring to the Norman Neath Castle,[15] the English kingsHenry II,John, andEdward I visited.
Neath was amarket town that expanded with the arrival of theIndustrial Revolution in the 18th century with new manufacturing industries ofiron,steel andtinplate. TheMackworth family, who owned the Gnoll Estate[16] were prominent in the town's industrial development.Coal was mined extensively in the surrounding valleys and the construction ofcanals andrailways made Neath a major transportation centre and the Evans and Bevan families were major players in the local coal mining community as well as owning the Vale of Neath Brewery.[17]Silica was mined in theCraig-y-Dinas area ofPontneddfechan, afterQuaker entrepreneurWilliam Weston Young invented theblast furnace silicafirebrick, later moving brick production from the works atPontwalby 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 byBP of a newpetroleum refinery atLlandarcy.
Admiral Lord Nelson stayed at the Castle Hotel en route toMilford Haven when the fleet was at anchor there.[citation needed] Lt. Lewis Roatley,[18] the son of the landlord of the Castle Hotel, served as aRoyal Marines officer with Nelson aboardHMS Victory in theBattle of Trafalgar.
TheRiver Neath is a navigableestuary 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 theCistercianNeath Abbey, the Gnoll Park, andNeath Indoor Market.[19]
Neath hosted theNational Eisteddfod of Wales in 1918, 1934 and 1994.[20]
TheWelsh Rugby Union was formed at a meeting held at the Castle Hotel in 1881.[23]Neath Rugby Football Club, the famous and successful "Welsh All Blacks", play atThe Gnoll.
Motorcycle speedway was staged at the Abbey Stadium in Neath in 1962. The Welsh Dragons, led by New ZealanderTrevor Redmond, raced with some success in theProvincial League but, because of local problems, a number of the "home" fixtures were raced atSt Austell. The Dragons introduced the Australian rider Charlie Monk to British speedway. After a season atLong Eaton Archers, Monk went on to have considerable success atGlasgow. 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. was the town's largest football team, playing atNeath RFC's ground, The Gnoll, and played in the top flight ofWelsh football, theWelsh Premier League, until the club was wound up in 2012. In the 2006–07 season, Neath Athletic A.F.C. were promoted from theWelsh 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.
After Neath became amunicipal borough in 1835, the borough council was based atNeath Town Hall in Church Place before relocating toGwyn Hall in Orchard Street in 1888.[24] Neath District Council, which was formed in 1974, was absorbed into the largerunitary authority ofNeath Port Talbot on 1 April 1996. The town encompasses theelectoral wards ofNeath East,Neath North,Neath South andCimla.
For theHouse of Commons at Westminster, Neath and the surrounding area are part of theNeath constituency. As of 2021[update], itsMember of Parliament (MP) isChristina Rees of theLabour Party.
In theSenedd, theNeath Senedd constituency is represented byJeremy Miles (Labour), and by the widerSouth Wales West electoral region which returns four additionalMembers of the Senedd (MSs).
As with the rest of theBritish Isles, Neath experiences amaritime climate with cool summers and mild winters, often high winds, and low sunshine levels.
| Climate data for Neath 62m asl, 1961–1990 | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 7.6 (45.7) | 7.5 (45.5) | 9.5 (49.1) | 12.2 (54.0) | 15.4 (59.7) | 17 (63) | 19 (66) | 18 (64) | 16 (61) | 13 (55) | 9 (48) | 8 (46) | 13.4 (56.1) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 2.7 (36.9) | 2.4 (36.3) | 3.5 (38.3) | 5.1 (41.2) | 8.1 (46.6) | 10.9 (51.6) | 12.7 (54.9) | 12.6 (54.7) | 10.9 (51.6) | 8.7 (47.7) | 5.1 (41.2) | 3.6 (38.5) | 7.2 (45.0) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 137 (5.4) | 90 (3.5) | 100 (3.9) | 70 (2.8) | 79 (3.1) | 79 (3.1) | 78 (3.1) | 107 (4.2) | 114 (4.5) | 130 (5.1) | 140 (5.5) | 143 (5.6) | 1,267 (49.9) |
| Mean monthlysunshine hours | 49.6 | 67.8 | 108.5 | 159.0 | 186.0 | 183.0 | 186.0 | 173.6 | 132.0 | 93.0 | 69.0 | 46.5 | 1,460 |
| Source:Met Office[25] | |||||||||||||
Dwr-y-Felin Comprehensive School is situated on the outskirts of the town, opposite a campus ofNPTC Group (which was previouslyNeath Port Talbot College.Cefn Saeson Comprehensive School is in the village ofCimla. Two other comprehensive schools serve the town:Llangatwg Comprehensive School inCadoxton andYsgol Bae Baglan inBaglan.
Neath railway station is on theSouth Wales Main Line.Great Western Railway andTransport for Wales serve the station with services westbound toSwansea,Carmarthen and theWest Wales Line and eastbound toPort Talbot Parkway,Bridgend,Cardiff Central andLondon Paddington. Trains also run viaHereford andShrewsbury toCrewe andManchester Piccadilly.
Neathbus station 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.
TheA465 skirts the town to the north east and provides a link to theM4.
In 2008 plans were announced to regenerate around 1,000 acres (400 hectares) 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 theNeath Canal were also to be redeveloped. The proposals included an "iconic" golden rugby ball-shaped museum, a library, heritage centre and other new facilities.[26]
In March 2008, the county's new radio station,Afan FM, 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 ofPort Talbot. The new transmitter for the Neath area was commissioned by Government regulatorOfcom on Thursday 23 October 2008.
The Castle Hotel was the meeting place for the founders of the Welsh Rugby Union. The inaugural meeting of the Welsh Rugby Union took place in the Nelson Room at the Castle Hotel on 12th March, 1881. There is a plaque outside the hotel commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Welsh Rugby Union, and at that time the Nelson Room name was changed to the Centenary Room. Still displayed in the room are the plaques of the original eleven members of the Welsh Rugby Union.
.jpg)
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Geographic | |
