About Pontardawe & District
A History of Pontardawe
The town of Pontardawe emerged in
1845 and takes its name from the bridge that spanned the River Tawe
'Pont-ar-Dawe', near the present day Pontardawe Inn. Pontardawe
developed around three waterways, the River Tawe, the Swansea Canal
and the Upper Clydach River.
Pontardawe has developed from a small hamlet at the end of the
eighteenth century into a medium sized town at the end of the
twentieth century, with a growth of housing, service industries and
light engineering. The town is situated at the junction of two
highways, the road from Swansea to Brecon and the road from
Llandeillo to Neath. New trunk roads by-pass the town taking heavy
vehicular traffic out of the centre. Pontardawe was twinned with
the town of Locmine in Brittany in 1986.
The area
changed form an agricultural district in the early eighteenth
century into an industrial one from 1830 onwards as a result of the
development of coal mining, iron, tinplate and steel working which
flourished within the district. Before the coming of heavy
industry, farming formed the bedrock of the area's economy and
society and remains important today. This industrial development
directly led to the growth of Pontardawe and the shape of the town
as we know it today. The district is no longer dominated by heavy
industry, which gave rise to the modern district. At the present
time, light engineering and manufacturing with the many established
firms based on the town's two industrial estates have taken over as
the major employers in the town.
Geography
Geographically, the area is drained by the River Tawe and its
several tributaries. The majority of the area lies over 500 feet
reaching heights of 1,000 feet or over on broad summits, with
mountains in the area.
Nature has survived and regenerated and much of the area has
been landscaped. This combination has created a beautiful, even
breath-taking location.
The near hills within the valley are thickly clothed in green
with beautifully sloping grounds which command views of nearly the
whole of the valley, as well as of the opposite side.
Pretty gabled houses look down on to the valley bottom and the
River Tawe tumbles over boulders on its way down to Swansea, the
Gower peninsula and the open sea. The view back to Pontardawe and
St. Peter's Church reveals a backdrop of distant mountains and a
hint of the glorious Brecon Beacons.
St. Peter's Church, which was constructed in the British Gothic
style is situated in low prominence and dominates the town and the
surrounding area. The church's embattled western tower stands 200
feet in height.
Culture,
Sport and Recreation
Our part of the Swansea valley has always scored highly in terms
of cultural endeavour, notably in the fields of poetry, prose and
music. Amongst Pontardawe's most well known personalities are Mary
Hopkin, singer, the late Rachel Thomas, actress, Dafydd Rowlands,
poet and prose writer and the late David James Jones (Gwenallt),
poet, to name but a few. There has always been a vibrant Welsh folk
scene over many years represented in more recent times by the
Pontardawe International Music Festival. Pontardawe has a vivid
past, rich in history and incident.
In addition, the area has a rich sporting and recreational
tradition with local rugby and cricket clubs. Gareth Edwards,
Robert Jones and Arwel Thomas, who all originated from the district
of Pontardawe are well known for their rugby playing skills.
In the leisure and environment fields Pontardawe has a large
range of activities on offer to local residents and visitors
alike.
It boasts a modern leisure
complex facility with an indoor bowling green, playing fields,
local parks with outdoor bowling green and a golf course. The
Arts Centre gives and added facility to
the leisure and entertainment sector for all sections of the
community, offering a wide variety of concerts and other
events.
A variety of other clubs and societies have been set up and
flourished over the years. Facilities for reading, art, adult and
community education, roller skating, concerts, theatre and cinema
going are also available.
The natural environment of ancient woodlands, riverside and
canal walks, several waterfall
features, mountain drives and superb scenery are an attraction that
complement the historic and built environment of religious
buildings, residential buildings and commercial buildings, and the
canal that flows through the heart of the town. The canal has now
been restored as an amenity facility and a passenger carrying trip
boat commenced operating at Pontardawe once again in 1994. It
operates throughout the summer months along a restored section of
canal between Pontardawe and Ynysmeudwy. Wildlife is also well represented in the
valley.
Local Events
Pontardawe has other special events that give the town a special
flavour. It hosts three major cultural shows annually; the Swansea
Valley Show which focuses on the valley's agricultural roots is a
well attended farming and livestock event. This is followed by the
Cwmtawe Sevens Invitation Rugby Tournament, which shows the very
deep sporting tradition of the area and attracts rugby teams from
all over the U.K. The last event of the year and the most
spectacular is the Pontardawe International Music Festival, which
is held in August of each year. The festival, which began in 1977,
is now a much respected international venue on the British music
scene.
What Our
Areas Have to Offer?
Buildings and structures of historical or architectural interest
may be observed by anyone walking around Pontardawe at the present
time. The main commercial artery of Pontardawe has always been
Herbert Street.
The latest road developments mean that the surrounding villages
of Alltwen, Rhos, Trebanos,
Rhydyfro, Ynysmeudwy, Godrergraig, Ystalyfera, Cwmtwrch,
Rhiwfawr, Cwmllynfell, Lower
Brynamman, Tairgwaith and Gwaun Cae Gurwen are easily accessible from
Pontardawe. The environmental and
recreational facilities available and the cultural events which
take place in Pontardawe each year have led to Pontardawe and
district being described as an interesting and socially rewarding
place to live and work in.
Our homes are situated within estates, village communities and
streets across the town of Pontardawe and the surrounding areas,
which make up the Pontardawe district. The areas have good public
transport links, being within an easily accessible distance to the
M4 and are either situated on or close to the main bus routes.
There is a wide variety of different amenities and facilities on
offer in our areas.
Pontardawe
has a modern comprehensive school and most of our areas have a
local primary school, others have playgroups and day nurseries,
etc. A number of our areas have a G.P. surgery and post office in
the locality and a few have day and/or community centres/welfare
halls. Others have local shops and a supermarket.
The following are a few examples of what's on offer within the
district.
Brynamman has its own volunteer run cinema, rugby field and
swimming pool. Brynamman is also the setting of the beautiful Black
Mountains and is on the border of the Brecon Beacons National Park,
as is Cwmllynfell, which has its own Black Mountains art gallery
and a newly opened community welfare hall with sporting
facilities.
Tairgwaith is
situated in a picturesque rural setting with open aspect views and
has a harness racing track and adult multi-media learning centre.
Trebanos has a horse riding centre and access on to the canal bank
for picturesque walks, whilst Cwmgors has its own pony club.
Ynysmeudwy and Rhydyfro are situated near to the town of
Pontardawe, whilst Rhos is situated near to the towns of Pontardawe
and Neath. Godrergraig is positioned on the banks of the River Tawe
and has beautiful riverside walks and a soccer pitch. Gwaun Cae
Gurwen has a number of local shops and is situated near the town of
Ammanford. The River Tawe flows through the village of Ystalyfera,
which has a rugby pitch, a number of shops, supermarket and is
situated near the town of Ystradgynlais. Rhiwfawr and Cwmtwrch are
both rural environments with their many farms, which help to create
a picturesque setting with open aspect views.
To see the homes on offer in our areas, just view our Homes By Choice Gallery by clicking on your
choice of area or by clicking on our website
map.
The above text has been extracted
from the following three publications (held at the Reference
Section of the Pontardawe Public
Library):
Page Details
Last Updated: 05.08.2008 at 16:27