Cwmavon, Neath Port Talbot

Not to be confused with Cwmavon, Torfaen.
Cwmavon
Welsh: Cwmafan

View across the Afan Valley
Cwmavon
 Cwmavon shown within Neath Port Talbot
Population 6,538 (2011)[1]
OS grid referenceSS774922
CommunityCwmavon
Principal areaNeath Port Talbot
Ceremonial countyWest Glamorgan
CountryWales
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post town PORT TALBOT
Postcode district SA12
Dialling code 01639
Police South Wales
Fire Mid and West Wales
Ambulance Welsh
EU Parliament Wales
UK ParliamentAberavon
Welsh AssemblyAberavon
List of places
UK
Wales
Neath Port Talbot

Coordinates: 51°36′56″N 3°46′18″W / 51.615511°N 3.771745°W / 51.615511; -3.771745

Cwmavon (Welsh: Cwmafan) is a large village and community in the Afan valley in Wales, lying within Neath Port Talbot County Borough. It has a population of 5,603,[2] increasing slightly to 5,615 at the 2011 Census. In many ways it is a suburb of the nearby town of Port Talbot which is less than 2 miles (3.2 km) to the south, but it is separated from the town by the local geography. The literal translation of Cwmafan from Welsh to English is 'Valley of the River Afan', Cwm meaning valley and Afan being the name of the river.

Geography

The village is surrounded by hills, the biggest being Foel Fynyddau which stands 370 m (1200 ft) high and lies on the northern edge of the village. West of Foel Fynyddau is Mynydd-y-Gaer, the summit of which is where the community boundaries of Cwmavon, Baglan and Briton Ferry all meet. The River Afan runs through the village from North East to South West. The area of Ynysygwas lies to the east of the village, Brynbryddan to the West and Pwllyglaw to the North.

History

The village has an industrial history with metalworking being particularly significant. There were large copper, iron and tin works as well as many coal mines close by. The metal ores, from as far away as Chile, were off-loaded in Port Talbot or Swansea docks and brought by rail to Cwmavon.

One notable event in the history of the town was in 1985 when the Ynys-y-Gwas bridge suddenly collapsed, cutting off water supply to the residents.[3] A resident of Maesteg, Paul Barry, was fortunate enough to escape unharmed from the incident, despite being on the bridge when it collapsed.[4]

Culture

Sports teams

The village is also home to several sporting grounds, the most prominent of these being the Welfare Ground, home to Cwmavon RFC who are currently playing in the Welsh Rugby Union leagues. A second rugby union pitch along with a football pitch, tennis courts and bowling green are located at " Parc Siencyn Powell" (Formerly named Parc-y-Llyn), which is administered by Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council.

Residents of note

See also

References

External links

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This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Sunday, January 24, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.