Please see the books below where you can find a wealth of information of the history of the village. There has been much written about the village over the years and over the last two centuries the village has gone from a hill farming community, through the industrial revolution, and back to a quieter times that we see now. The books along with online information have been used extensively to create the articles contained in this website.
The History of the Vale of Neath ~ A romantic Valley in Wales, by D. Rhys Philips (facsimile edition). This volume, which contains a wealth of historical information about the Vale of Neath, is a reprint of the “History of the Vale of Neath” by D. Rhys Philips, originall published in 1925. The work has been printed in a limited fascimile edition to commemorate the staging of the 1994 National Eisteddfod in the Vale of Neath.
Neath And District ~ A Symposium, edited by Elis Jenkins. (First published in 1974, ISBN 0 900807 06 7 copyright Elis Jenkins.) This is the first full-scale account of Neath and District since . Rhys Philips’s massive work appeared nearly fifty years ago. Written to mark the administrative merger of the Town and the District in April 1974, it takes the form of a symposium by sixteen writers working as a team. Subject included are Geology, Archaeology, Industries, Communication, Education, wild life.
Cwmgwrach, Valley of the Witch, by Ian Currie, ISBN 0-9532038-2-4. This book was written by local historian Ian Currie, and is a well researched historical overwiew of the village and surrounding areas. The book contains chapters on the geology and typography of the area, along with specific chapters on Mining, the Railway, Farming, Education local notable people to name a few.
Aberpergwm ~ The Home of the Williams Family, by Elizabeth F. Belcham, ISBN 0 9520491 0 4. The most complete story of Aberpergwm and the William’s family. The book contains 12 chapers and cover all the William’s family members who have lived at the Manor House, and their links to the various other houses in the valley, such as Maes Gwyn, Ynys Las, St. Cadoc’s Church and many other links to the locality. The book has over 200 illustrations as well.
Aberpergwm Church ~ A history of St Cadoc’s in the Vale of Neath, by Elizabeth F.Belcham, ISBN No 0 9520491 1 2. As the title say’s the book looks at the history of St. Catwg’s church, but to a more detailed level than that that’s included in the Aberpergwm book by the same author. There are maps and plans of the church along with stories from the people attending the church, and a closer look at the plaques that abound on the church interior walls.
Reflections of a Bygone Century ~ The Upper Neath Valley, compiled by Glyn Davies and edited by Alun Price. As the name implies the book looks back on the last century of the villages of the “Upper neath Valley”. By means of photogaphs and captions the book looks at various aspects of the life of the villages including steet scences, local industies, people and communities, education, religion to name a few. Where possible the book also dates and names the people in the photographs. All in all one a must have book for the local historian.
Reflections od a Bygone Century ~ The Upper Neath Valley, the second selection. This is the second book in the series by Glyn Davies. (See above description for the detail of what’s included in the book.)
Blaengwrach Primary School, Ysgol Gynradd Blaengwrach ~ 1908 Centenary 2008. A lovely book giving the history of Education in the village and filled with pictures and stories from over the last 100 years.
Cwmgwrach ~ 1909/1910 – 2009/2010 by Alan Currie and Glydwr Davies. A centenary book about Cwmgwrach RFC looking back at the last 100 years of the club. The book is filled with the history of the club from it’s formation to the present day, along with many team photos and stories.
Venallt Ironworks ~ Iron making in the Vale of Neath, ISBN 0907599079. A 16 page booklet provided by the West Glamorgan County Council. The booklet looks closely at Iron Making in South Wales and focusses in on The Iron making process at the Venallt. There are many drawings ans schematics in the booklet explaining the process.
The Canals of the Welsh Valleys, and their Tramroads ~ 1991 by D.D & J.M Gladwin ISBN 0 85361 412 1. The book contains the story of the main canals in Wales and their connecting tramroads. There are many maps and pictures of the canals included, along with dates of construction and a host of other detailed information. The Neath and Tennant canals are both covered within th book along with Maemarchog and Cnel Bach branches of the canal.
Neath Antiquarian Society – Transactions. There are many Transaction” books written by the Neath Antiquarian Society over the years. They are very well written books on various historical events, places and people in the Neath Valley, and certainly contain much information on our village. I would highly recommend reading these books if you get a chance.
Your content goes here. Edit or remove this text inline or in the module Content settings. You can also style every aspect of this content in the module Design settings and even apply custom CSS to this text in the module Advanced settings.
Your content goes here. Edit or remove this text inline or in the module Content settings. You can also style every aspect of this content in the module Design settings and even apply custom CSS to this text in the module Advanced settings.
Your content goes here. Edit or remove this text inline or in the module Content settings. You can also style every aspect of this content in the module Design settings and even apply custom CSS to this text in the module Advanced settings.