Neath History - Neath Antiquarian Society

Neath History - Neath Antiquarian Society The page for the Neath Antiquarian Society, covering the history of Neath and District since 1923. For all queries, contact [email protected].

President: Mr David Michael
Chairman: Mr Keith Tucker
Secretary: Mrs Mary Walker
Treasurer: Dr Paul Richards

The Neath Antiquarian Society (NAS) was founded in 1923 as a natural successor to the Neath Philosophical and Antiquarian Society which had its origins in 1834. The badge of the former Society, depicting the great seal of Neath Abbey, was adopted by the new NAS as its emblem. The NAS was

formed to maintain and restore ancient monuments of Neath and District; to study history, manners, customs, art and literature; to visit places of archaeological and architectural interest; to arrange lectures and meetings; to collate all available information that shall be of interest and value to the Society and to publish transactions; to set-up and maintain and, when possible, add to the Society's library, manuscripts, records, books and objects of interest; to maintain a Museum and Repository of records; and to pursue such other activities as are incidental to, or conducive of the attainments of these objects. Soon after its foundation the Society was involved in the major excavation of Neath Abbey ruins. This took many years and involved the removal of over 7,000 tons of industrial waste. Later excavations took place at St. Margaret's Chapel and at Neath Castle. The Society has had a number of different homes in the town but in 2001 it moved to its present accommodation at the Neath Mechanics' Institute in Church Place. In a joint venture with the West Glamorgan Archive Service the extensive archives of the Society were properly catalogued and made accessible to a wider readership. The Society shares the building with the West Glamorgan Archive Service. The Mechanics' Institute is only five minutes' walk from the railway station or the bus station and is alongside St. Thomas' Church in the middle of the town.

ON THIS DAY: On 22nd June 2013, musician Gary Pickford-Hopkins passed away.Born in Neath in 1948, Pickford-Hopkins was j...
22/06/2026

ON THIS DAY: On 22nd June 2013, musician Gary Pickford-Hopkins passed away.

Born in Neath in 1948, Pickford-Hopkins was just 16 when he began his career, joining local Neath group The Smokestacks in 1964. He would join a number of other bands, including Eyes of Blue, Wild Turkey, and Big Sleep.

He is best-known for his work on two of Rick Wakeman's most successful solo albums: Journey to the Centre of the Earth and The Myths and Legends of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. The former reached Number One on the UK albums chart and the latter Number Two.

Later in life he lived with his second wife, Sian, in Garnant, Carmarthenshire.
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💻To view more local history and see what the Neath Antiquarian Society is all about, click here: https://bit.ly/47H4lie

We are open at Neath Mechanics' Institute every Monday and Thursday, 09:30 to 12:30 and 13:30 to 16:45.

ON THIS DAY: ON 22nd June 1939, the foundation stone was laid at Gnoll Junior School by the Mayor of Neath Corporation.T...
22/06/2026

ON THIS DAY: ON 22nd June 1939, the foundation stone was laid at Gnoll Junior School by the Mayor of Neath Corporation.

The building was to be known as the Crythan Park School, named after what was intended to be the name of a housing development off Lewis Road. The name did not catch on. However, after the outbreak of war the school was converted to the Neath Hospital Annexe, well-known to older residents. In fact, the Annexe received wounded soldiers from the Normandy invasion in 1944.

After the war, the building continued in use as a hospital annexe until it was no longer required for health service purposes. It then became, as it was always intended to be, a school.

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💻To view more local history and see what the Neath Antiquarian Society is all about, click here: https://bit.ly/47H4lie

We are open at Neath Mechanics' Institute every Monday and Thursday, 09:30 to 12:30 and 13:30 to 16:45.

ON THIS DAY: As part of the celebrations for Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee, the Corporation of Neath was gifted Neath...
22/06/2026

ON THIS DAY: As part of the celebrations for Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee, the Corporation of Neath was gifted Neath Castle and grounds, as well as the Mechanics' Institute, on 22nd June 1897.

Alderman J H Rowland, who was Mayor of Neath on five occasions between 1865 and 1886, had acquired the castle and in 1860 and ‘it gave him much pleasure to hand over the Castle and its grounds, which were freehold property’ to the Mayor Cllr A Russell Thomas.

At the Mechanics’ Institute, Alderman Rowland read out a letter from Charles Dillwyn-Venables-Llewelyn donating the Mechanics’ Institute to the Corporation of Neath to establish a free library. After opening the door with a ceremonial gold key, the Mayor was presented with the conveyancing deeds for the building.

The South Wales Daily Post carried a full account of the Jubilee celebrations:
https://newspapers.library.wales/view/3356435/3356439/51/
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💻To view more local history and see what the Neath Antiquarian Society is all about, click here: https://bit.ly/47H4lie

We are open at Neath Mechanics' Institute every Monday and Thursday, 09:30 to 12:30 and 13:30 to 16:45.

THANK YOU: This weekend, the Neath Antiquarian Society page reached 4,000 followers!We hope that you’ve been en...
21/06/2026

THANK YOU: This weekend, the Neath Antiquarian Society page reached 4,000 followers!

We hope that you’ve been enjoying our posts which showcase the history of our local area. If there’s anything you’d like to see from the page that we’re not already doing, please let us know in the comments!

ON THIS DAY: On 21st June 1887, Ellen Gwyn laid the foundation stone at the Gwyn Hall. As the stone states, the Gwyn Hal...
21/06/2026

ON THIS DAY: On 21st June 1887, Ellen Gwyn laid the foundation stone at the Gwyn Hall.

As the stone states, the Gwyn Hall was built on land which was given to the town of Neath by Howel Gwyn, and would later have a statue of Howel Gwyn placed outside the front of the building.

Howel Gwyn passed away not long after this event, on 25th January 1888.

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💻To view more local history and see what the Neath Antiquarian Society is all about, click here: https://bit.ly/47H4lie

We are open at Neath Mechanics' Institute every Monday and Thursday, 09:30 to 12:30 and 13:30 to 16:45.

ON THIS DAY: The inaugural meeting for establishing Neath Young Men's Christian Association was held at the Working Men'...
18/06/2026

ON THIS DAY: The inaugural meeting for establishing Neath Young Men's Christian Association was held at the Working Men's Institute and Club on Friday, June 18th, 1875.

The Cardiff Times of Friday 26th June 1875 read: "The inaugural meeting for the opening of a Neath branch of the Young Men’s Christian Association, which was attended by about 60 people, was held at the Working Men's Institute and Club on Friday, June 18, 1875.

"Mr Arnee Frank Dymond presided over the meeting which was reported as a great success. About 30 men enrolled on that evening; the Rev. Joshua Pritchard Hughes, a curate in Neath, and later Lord Bishop of Llandaff, was the seventh name to be enrolled. Mr John Coke Fowler, a stipendiary magistrate, was elected President."

In 1883 Neath YMCA purchased its first property, in Queen's Street, as a permeant home for its activities. From here the Association moved to Orchard Place and then to the old Neath Union Workhouse known as Lletty Nedd, Pen-y-Dre. The ancient workhouse buildings were used until 1966 when Phase One of a re-building project was completed.

Martin Evans-Bevan, in the unavoidable absence of his father Sir David Martin Evans-Bevan. Bart., J.P., laid the foundation stone of the new building. The second phase of the new building was officially opened by the Lord Lieutenant of Glamorgan, Sir Cennydd Traherne on Wednesday 2nd December 1970.
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💻To view more local history and see what the Neath Antiquarian Society is all about, click here: https://bit.ly/47H4lie

We are open at Neath Mechanics' Institute every Monday and Thursday, 09:30 to 12:30 and 13:30 to 16:45.

MEMBER'S ARTICLE: Did you know that near where Aldi now stands at Cwrt Herbert, there used to be a prisoner of war camp?...
17/06/2026

MEMBER'S ARTICLE: Did you know that near where Aldi now stands at Cwrt Herbert, there used to be a prisoner of war camp?

The Neath Antiquarian Society's Phil John has done some research into this lesser-known bit of the town's history, which you can read here:

https://www.neathantiquariansociety.co.uk/news.asp?intent=viewstory&newsid=115556

If you have any information about the German or Italian prisoners of war who stayed at Neath during the Second World War, please let us know!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: On 8th June 1951, Gaynor Sullivan (née Hopkins) was born in Skewen.Far better known internationally as B...
08/06/2026

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: On 8th June 1951, Gaynor Sullivan (née Hopkins) was born in Skewen.

Far better known internationally as Bonnie Tyler, today she remains among the most famous Welsh singers of all time. Her father Glyndŵr Hopkins was a coalminer and Second World War serviceman, while her mother Elsie Hopkins (née Lewis) was a former homemaker. She attended Rhydhir Comprehensive School, leaving at 16 with no qualifications.

In 1969, Tyler came second in a local talent contest. Inspired, she pursued singing, first serving as a back-up singer to Bobby Wayne & the Dixies before forming her own band, Imagination. She changed her name to Sherene Davis, to avoid being confused with Welsh folk singer Mary Hopkin, but became Bonnie Tyler in 1975 after RCA Records offered her a recording contract.

Her first hit, Lost in France, reached number 9 in the charts and resulted in her first appearance on Top of the Pops. While her first album, The World Starts Tonight, did not chart in the UK, it reached number 2 in Sweden. In 1977, It's a Heartache became her biggest 70s success, reaching number 4 in the UK and number 3 on the Billboard Top 100.

Her success skyrocketed in the 1980s with a move to CBS/Columbia. Moving into rock music at this time, the two hits she would become most famous for even today would soon follow. First was Total Eclipse of the Heart, which has sold over 6 million units and is one of the best-selling singles of all time. The following year, Holding Out For a Hero, from the soundtrack to the hit movie Footloose, didn't quite achieve the same commercial success but has also stood the test of time.
She was named freeman of Neath Port Talbot in 2011 and represented the UK in the Eurovision Song Contest in 2013.

Tyler was awarded an MBE in the 2022 Birthday Honours for her services to music.

She has been suffered ill health this year - we wish her a speedy recovery.
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💻To view more local history and see what the Neath Antiquarian Society is all about, click here: https://bit.ly/47H4lie

We are open at Neath Mechanics' Institute every Monday and Thursday, 09:30 to 12:30 and 13:30 to 16:45.

ON THIS DAY: On 5th June 1897, the Cardiff Times announced that Neath’s Jubilee Committee had approved plans for the lay...
05/06/2026

ON THIS DAY: On 5th June 1897, the Cardiff Times announced that Neath’s Jubilee Committee had approved plans for the laying out of the Corporation Field as ‘pleasure gardens’ to be known as Victoria Gardens to celebrate Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee.

The plans included planting, laying out of walks, constructions of four fountains, a band stand and a greenhouse.

https://newspapers.library.wales/view/3431310/3431315/138/
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💻To view more local history and see what the Neath Antiquarian Society is all about, click here: https://bit.ly/47H4lie

We are open at Neath Mechanics' Institute every Monday and Thursday, 09:30 to 12:30 and 13:30 to 16:45.

ON THIS DAY: On 4th June 1974, the author Bert Lewis Coombes died.Born in Wolverhampton in 1893, Coombes' family moved t...
04/06/2026

ON THIS DAY: On 4th June 1974, the author Bert Lewis Coombes died.

Born in Wolverhampton in 1893, Coombes' family moved to Treharris when he was young, his father taking employment in the colliery there. He moved back to England again for his schooling; after time working on a farm and as groom to a local vicar, he longed for something new.

His choice to move to the Vale of Neath came quite literally as a result of drawing places out of a hat. He set up home in Resolven, where he quickly married Mary Rogers and had two children ten years apart.

It was not until his forties that he started to write. Against the background of miners' strikes and his father's hard-working history, he submitted pieces on colliery life to publishers. He was first successful with his piece The Flame, before an astounding positive reaction to his 1939 work These Poor Hands saw that book become an international bestseller.

He continued writing and working in the colliery despite this success, and kept to the same close-to-his-heart subject, with Miner's Day proving an excellent snapshot as to the life of a Neath Valley miner of his time. In later life he submitted voluntary articles to the Neath Guardian.

He would remain in the area for the rest of his life, moving to Nant-y-Fedwen, between Coelbren and Banwen. He passed away at Adelina Patti Hospital three years after Mary's death. They are both buried in a shared grave at St David's New Cemetery, Resolven. They were married at the nearby church over sixty years earlier. The gravestone, marked 'author', is shaped like a book.
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💻To view more local history and see what the Neath Antiquarian Society is all about, click here: https://bit.ly/47H4lie

We are open at Neath Mechanics' Institute every Monday and Thursday, 09:30 to 12:30 and 13:30 to 16:45.

Address

Neath Mechanics' Institute, 4 Church Place
Neath
SA113LL

Opening Hours

Monday 9:30am - 12:30pm
1:30pm - 4:45pm
Thursday 9:30am - 12:30pm
1:30pm - 4:45pm

Telephone

+441639620139

Website

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