Icon	Description
	There are options to zoom in and out at the top right of the map (alternatively you can use the mouse scroll wheel or touchscreen gestures)
	At the top right of the map there is a layers button which allows you to choose different map styles

Pontardawe, part of the county borough of Neath Port Talbot. Open daily. Free entry.

❰ View on Map Updated: 1 year ago

244 pictures

Details

Accessibility:

There is various parking in and around Pontardawe. Pavements laid with tarmac and concrete.

Amenities:

Amenities in the local area include Pontardawe Art Centre, Swimming pool, leisure centre, shopping facilities. Restaurants, takeaways, pubs, recreation centre and much more.

Brief Description:

Pontardawe is a Town in the Swansea Valley. Its best known landmark to date is the spire of St Peter's Church which dominates the centre of town.

"Pontardawe (Welsh pronunciation: [pɔntarˈdawɛ]) is a town and a community in the Swansea Valley (Welsh: Cwmtawe) in Wales. With a population of 6,832 in 2011,[1] it comprises the electoral wards of Pontardawe and Trebanos. A town council is elected. Pontardawe forms part of the county borough of Neath Port Talbot. On the opposite bank of the River Tawe, the village of Alltwen, part of the community of Cilybebyll, is administered separately from Pontardawe. Pontardawe is at the crossroads of the A474 road and the A4067 road. Pontardawe came into existence as a small settlement on the northwestern bank of the Tawe where the drovers' road from Neath and Llandeilo crossed the river to go up the valley to Brecon.

The National Cycle Route 43 from Swansea to Builth Wells passes through the town and the recreation ground. First Cymru provides a bus service linking Pontardawe to Swansea, Neath, and Ystradgynlais.

The name, which translates to "bridge on the Tawe", first appears on a map in 1729, as "Pont-ar-Dawye" in Emanuel Bowen's New and Accurate Map of South Wales. By 1796, the Swansea Canal had connected Pontardawe with Swansea Docks. Accessibility by canal enabled the industrial development of the area, which started with the Ynysderw ironworks in 1835. Close to the ironworks, tinplate and steelworks became the basis of the town's development during the latter part of the 19th century, exporting products to all parts of the world. The industrialist William Parsons of Neath (1795-1864) developed the town's early industry, but from 1861 onwards, for the next 90 years, the Gilbertson family were the most important proprietors in the town, manufacturing iron, steel and tinplate.[2] As well as metalwork, there was also significant coal mining in the area and a pottery at Ynysmeudwy. These industries declined during the 20th century.[citation needed] Small engineering firms, motor maintenance, building supplies, and a health centre, are on the Alloy Industrial Estate.

The Church of St Peter, which has French-style architecture, was financed by William Parsons and completed in 1862.[3] The town includes two sections of the Swansea Canal with a total length of 2.5 miles (4.0 km). The old stone bridge of Pontardawe was built by William Edwards of Eglwsilan, a famous bridge builder. He also built the Old Bridge at Pontypridd, which was the longest single-span bridge in the world when it was constructed, as well as the bridge at Cenarth. Edwards was also responsible for the design of Morriston, a new town developed by the Swansea Valley industrialist Sir John Morris

Further Information:

Address:

Pontardawe, Swansea, SA8 4HU.

Email:

http://www.pontardawetowncouncil.gov.wales/Contact_Us_34358.aspx

Phone:

http://www.pontardawetowncouncil.gov.wales/Contact_Us_34358.aspx

Website:

http://www.pontardawetowncouncil.org/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pontardawe

https://www.southwalesguardian.co.uk/li/townguides/1038183.pontardawe/

http://www.ystalyfera-history.co.uk/pontardawe.html