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Tours > Wales > Neath
Neath (Castell Nedd: Kasteth Naythe)
and the Vale of Neath
Neath is easily bypassed on the way from Cardiff to Swansea and points west. An industrial town, it lies at the foot of the Vale of Neath, becoming well-known for its many tourist attractions. The town itself was much blighted by its copper works that began operations as early as 1584 and lasted for almost four centuries. Copper has now been replaced by oil as a major industry and the huge refinery dominates the Neath skyline.
The blackened remains of Neath Abbey testify to the centuries of copper smelting long carried on within its grounds. It was founded along with the castle (of which very little remains) in the early 12th century, though most of the ruins date from extensive rebuilding in the 14th and 17th centuries. For almost two hundred years after the Abbey's founding, the Cistercians achieved a high level of prosperity mainly through their vast herds of sheep, but by the time of the Dissolution, when it fell into the hands of the Cromwells, the Abbey had declined rapidly.
In the late 16th century, a mansion was built in part of the Abbey for Sir John Herbert, but copper smelting soon disfigured all the surviving buildings. The Abbey thus has a distinguished past if we consider its use as a religious center, place of residence and industrial complex.
Neath gets its name from the site of the old Roman fort of Nidium mentioned in the "Twelfth Journey of Antonius", the foundations of which were discovered in 1949. Nearby is the 18th century Gnoll House, former home of the Mackworth family, copper magnates, the extensive grounds of which are now public parklands.
The Vale of Neath itself is a narrow valley containing steep wooded hills, and narrow gorges. Waterfalls rush down precipitous rock faces at Glyn Neath and Ystrad Fellte (Ustrad Veth Teh). There is a spectacular 80-ft fall at Resolven, near Melin Court, now owned by the Glamorgan Wildlife Trust. The most visited falls are at Aberdulais (Aber Dill Ice), once painted by Turner, on a former industrial site now carefully restored and preserved, showing the remains of long-practiced industries here, including copper, corn and grist mills, ironworks and tin plate works.
Also in the Valley is the Cefn Coed (Kev'n Koyd) Colliery Museum which tells the story of the former anthracite mine, the world's deepest. A working sawmill and museum can be found at nearby Seven Sisters Museum, where woodworking machinery dating from the 18th century are on display, as well as fine examples of Swansea, Nantgarw (Nant Garroo), and Llanelli (Thlan Ethlee) pottery. Another local attraction is Penscynor (Pen Skunnor) Wildlife Park which specializes in breeding exotic birds.
Next Stop: Cardiff and the Valleys
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