Pontardawe (Welsh for "bridge on the River Tawe") is a town in the Swansea valley (Welsh: Cwmtawe) in the county borough of Neath Port Talbot, traditional county of Glamorgan, south Wales. Pontardawe first came into being as a crossroads of two drovers' tracks, one from Swansea to Brecon, and the other from Neath to Llandeilo.

The town is dominated by St Peter's church which has a steeple rising high above Pontardawe.

During the latter part of the nineteenth century and up to the middle of the twentieth century the main industry in Pontardawe was steel and tinplate, with a number of steelworks and tinplate works exporting all over the world. None of the heavy industry remains; on the site of the Alloy works there is now a small industrial estate of a number of small engineering firms, motor maintenance, building supplies and a health centre for the area.

Attractions in the town include a canal and an arts centre. The annual folk festival is held during late August. The Cwmtawe rugby sevens competition attracts entries from far and wide. On a hill overlooking Pontardawe is the local golf course which has magnificent views of the Brecon Beacons and Bristol Channel from the 16th hole. The old stone bridge was built by William Edwards of Pontypridd, a famous bridge builder: he also built the bridge at Pontypridd which was the longest single span bridge in the world when it was constructed, and the bridge at Cenarth in west Wales he was also responsible for the design of Morriston in the Swansea valley for Morris, a local industrialist.

Pontardawe has a Cricket team a Rugby club and a Soccer club, all three play on the recreation ground which was formerly owned by the steelworks and is now owned and maintained by the local authority.

Notable people from Pontardawe include folk-singer Mary Hopkin, rugby player Gareth Edwards (voted by other international players as the greatest rugby player of all time) and actress Rachel Thomas.

Pontardawe is twinned with Locminé in France.

Prior to local government reorganisation in 1974, Pontardawe and district was served by Pontardawe Rural District Council, but this merged in 1974 to become part of Lliw Valley DC; which was subsequently reorganised again when the Pontardawe area became a part of the present Neath Port Talbot county borough.

37.4% of the population of Pontardawe speak Welsh according to Neath Port Talbot council figures. The local paper (Welsh-language newsletter) is Llais.

The town is also the location of the Constituency office of Gwenda Thomas AM

For more information see: http://www.pontardawe.org.uk/
 

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This Week

May 2

Clive Jenkins (trade union leader) born
1926 in Port Talbot

May 3

Mary Hopkin (Singer) born 1950 in Pontardawe

May 5

World heritage status for Beaumaris, Caernarfon, Conwy Castles - 1986