Aberdulais
Encyclopedia
Aberdulais is a village in Neath Port Talbot
, Wales
, lying on the River Neath.
, the site of successive industries and now a hydro-electric station. Other local attractions include a canal
and the Cefn Coed Colliery Museum
. Peter Hain
MP is a resident of the village.
More famously, Aberdulais is the birthplace of Welsh champion triathlete, Aled Thomas
. Aled has now retired and currently supports local events.
Aberdulais has been the heart of many businesses for a number of years. the National Trust
, who now run the site as a tourist and historical venue. The water wheel at Aberdulais falls produces £20,000 worth of electricity that powers the site, and the surplus is sold back to the national grid.
The first business there was a copper
smelting
industry; that failed because it received only sporadic copper delivered via boat from Cornwall
. The site was then chosen again by an ironworks
forge
. This, too, failed, but not much is known, so nobody knows why. It was chosen twice to be the site for an ironworks. Between the works, Aberdulais was used as a corn watermill
; that failed because it was too small scale, and the high price of corn at the time of the Corn Laws. It was then used as a tinplate site; that failed because tinplate was made redundant after the Bessemer Process
.
of Blaenhonddan
. The electoral ward of Aberdulais includes some or all of the settlements of Aberdulais and Cilfrew in the parliamentary constituency of Neath
. Most of the ward consists of woodland and farmland with a small residential area to the far south. Aberdulais is bounded by the wards of Crynant
to the north; Resolven
to the east; Tonna to the south; and Cadoxton
and Bryncoch North
to the west.
In the 2008 local council elections
, the electorate turnout was 48.8%. The results were:
Neath Port Talbot
Neath Port Talbot is a county borough and one of the unitary authority areas of Wales. Neath Port Talbot is the 8th most populous county in Wales and the third most populous county borough....
, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
, lying on the River Neath.
History, amenities & attractions
The village grew around the Aberdulais FallsAberdulais Falls
The Aberdulais Falls are found on the River Dulais at Aberdulais, near Neath in the county borough of Neath Port Talbot, South Wales. The falls are formed as the river plunges over beds of hard Lower Pennant Sandstone just before meeting the River Neath flowing down the Vale of Neath...
, the site of successive industries and now a hydro-electric station. Other local attractions include a canal
Neath and Tennant Canal
The Neath and Tennant Canals are two independent but linked canals in South Wales that are usually regarded as a single canal. The Neath Canal was opened from Glynneath to Melincryddan, to the south of Neath, in 1795 and extended to Giants Grave in 1799, in order to provide better shipping...
and the Cefn Coed Colliery Museum
Cefn Coed Colliery Museum
Cefn Coed Colliery Museum is a former coal mine, now operating as a museum. It is located at Crynant near Neath in the South Wales Valleys.-Background:Coal mining in the Neath area began with the development of the port of Neath in the 16th century...
. Peter Hain
Peter Hain
Peter Gerald Hain is a British Labour Party politician, who has been the Member of Parliament for the Welsh constituency of Neath since 1991, and has served in the Cabinets of both Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, firstly as Leader of the House of Commons under Blair and both Secretary of State for...
MP is a resident of the village.
More famously, Aberdulais is the birthplace of Welsh champion triathlete, Aled Thomas
Aled Thomas
Aled Thomas is a Welsh rugby union player. A fly half, he was selected for the Wales national rugby union team squad in 2007. He joined London Welsh from Welsh regional side Newport Gwent Dragons in 2008....
. Aled has now retired and currently supports local events.
Aberdulais has been the heart of many businesses for a number of years. the National Trust
National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty
The National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, usually known as the National Trust, is a conservation organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland...
, who now run the site as a tourist and historical venue. The water wheel at Aberdulais falls produces £20,000 worth of electricity that powers the site, and the surplus is sold back to the national grid.
The first business there was a copper
Copper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...
smelting
Smelting
Smelting is a form of extractive metallurgy; its main use is to produce a metal from its ore. This includes iron extraction from iron ore, and copper extraction and other base metals from their ores...
industry; that failed because it received only sporadic copper delivered via boat from Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
. The site was then chosen again by an ironworks
Ironworks
An ironworks or iron works is a building or site where iron is smelted and where heavy iron and/or steel products are made. The term is both singular and plural, i.e...
forge
Forge
A forge is a hearth used for forging. The term "forge" can also refer to the workplace of a smith or a blacksmith, although the term smithy is then more commonly used.The basic smithy contains a forge, also known as a hearth, for heating metals...
. This, too, failed, but not much is known, so nobody knows why. It was chosen twice to be the site for an ironworks. Between the works, Aberdulais was used as a corn watermill
Watermill
A watermill is a structure that uses a water wheel or turbine to drive a mechanical process such as flour, lumber or textile production, or metal shaping .- History :...
; that failed because it was too small scale, and the high price of corn at the time of the Corn Laws. It was then used as a tinplate site; that failed because tinplate was made redundant after the Bessemer Process
Bessemer process
The Bessemer process was the first inexpensive industrial process for the mass-production of steel from molten pig iron. The process is named after its inventor, Henry Bessemer, who took out a patent on the process in 1855. The process was independently discovered in 1851 by William Kelly...
.
Government and politics
Aberdulais is also the name of an electoral ward covering the village. It is a constituent of the parishCommunity (Wales)
A community is a division of land in Wales that forms the lowest-tier of local government in Wales. Welsh communities are analogous to civil parishes in England....
of Blaenhonddan
Blaenhonddan
Blaenhonddan is a community of the Neath Port Talbot county borough, south Wales.The community has its own community council and comprises some or all of the following areas: Aberdulais, Bryncoch and Cadoxton. The community covers the electoral wards of Bryncoch North, Bryncoch South and Cadoxton...
. The electoral ward of Aberdulais includes some or all of the settlements of Aberdulais and Cilfrew in the parliamentary constituency of Neath
Neath (UK Parliament constituency)
Neath is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election and one Assembly Member by the first past the post system of election.- The Constituency of Neath :The constituency...
. Most of the ward consists of woodland and farmland with a small residential area to the far south. Aberdulais is bounded by the wards of Crynant
Crynant
Crynant is a village in the Dulais Valley, lying between the mountains of Mynydd Marchywel to the west, Hirfynydd to the east and Mynydd y Drum to the north. It lies 7¾ miles north-east from the town of Neath in Neath Port Talbot, Wales....
to the north; Resolven
Resolven
Resolven is a small village in Neath Port Talbot county borough, Wales. It is located in the heart of the Vale of Neath.- Location :The village is situated in the Vale of Neath, next to the A465 Heads of Valleys Road, and is the main settlement in the community of Resolven...
to the east; Tonna to the south; and Cadoxton
Cadoxton (electoral ward)
Cadoxton is an electoral ward of Neath Port Talbot county borough, Wales. It forms part of the parish of Blaenhonddan.Cadoxton consists of some or all of the settlements of Cadoxton-juxta-Neath and Cilfrew in the parliamentary constituency of Neath...
and Bryncoch North
Bryncoch North
Bryncoch North is an electoral ward of Neath Port Talbot county borough, Wales forming part of the parish of Blaenhonddan.Bryncoch North covers some or all of the following Areas: Bryncoch and Gilfach in the parliamentary constituency of Neath...
to the west.
In the 2008 local council elections
United Kingdom local elections, 2008
The 2008 United Kingdom local elections were held on 1 May 2008. These elections took place in 137 English Local Authorities and all Welsh Councils....
, the electorate turnout was 48.8%. The results were:
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Doreen Jones | Labour | 457 | Labour hold |
| Linda Ware | Plaid | 408 |