Pont Nedd Fechan
Encyclopedia
Pontneddfechan is a village
in the Vale of Neath in the far south of Powys
, Wales
. Locally, the name is conventionally pronounced as /pɔntˌniðˈvɔːn/ in English, and may be seen written as "Pontneathvaughan".
The village stands at the confluence
of the Rivers Mellte
and Nedd Fechan
("Neath Vaughan") and provides a convenient access points to the superb series of waterfall
s that characterise the upper Neath
valley. Dinas Rock
, a steeply pitched anticline in the limestone rocks at Craig-y-Dinas, is a favourite spot for rock-climbers.
by the Quaker entrepreneur William Weston Young
, for the sinking of silica mines around Craig-y-Dinas from 1822 onwards. The silica was extracted for the manufacture of firebricks at the Dinas Firebrick Co. in Pont Walby. In 1843, Young's lease ran out and the then Riddles, Young & Co. firebrick manufacturers moved to a new premises on The Green, Neath
. The stone sleepers for the silica mine tramway were never removed and can still be seen set into the path of the waterfall walk.
In 1857, the Vale of Neath Powder Company built a "gunpowder manufactory", having obtained "a licence to erect their mills over a space of two miles including the Upper and Lower Cilliepste Falls". The site on the River Mellte
was chosen because of its remoteness and because of the availability of both water power and of timber for the production of charcoal, one of the ingredients of gunpowder
. An inclined tramway was built from a siding on the Vale of Neath Railway near Pen-cae-drain. This was used to bring in sulphur and saltpeter
, the other ingredients. A horse-drawn tramway linked the various buildings on the site. The horses were fitted with copper horseshoes to reduce the likelihood of sparks. In 1862, Curtis & Harvey took over the site They later merged with Nobel's Explosives Co. and finally became incorporated into Imperial Chemical Industries Ltd.
in 1926. The works closed in 1939 and the now ruined site was still known locally as the Gunpowder Works in living memory.
The site is now administered by the National Park Authority and there are a network of footpaths. An audio trail has been established and further information is available at the Waterfalls Centre in Pontneddfechan.
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
in the Vale of Neath in the far south of Powys
Powys
Powys is a local-government county and preserved county in Wales.-Geography:Powys covers the historic counties of Montgomeryshire and Radnorshire, most of Brecknockshire , and a small part of Denbighshire — an area of 5,179 km², making it the largest county in Wales by land area.It is...
, 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...
. Locally, the name is conventionally pronounced as /pɔntˌniðˈvɔːn/ in English, and may be seen written as "Pontneathvaughan".
The village stands at the confluence
Confluence
Confluence, in geography, describes the meeting of two or more bodies of water.Confluence may also refer to:* Confluence , a property of term rewriting systems...
of the Rivers Mellte
River Mellte
The River Mellte is a river in Wales. It is formed by the confluence of the Afon Llia and the Afon Dringarth. It then flows south through the village of Ystradfellte to Pontneddfechan where it joins with the Nedd Fechan to become the River Neath...
and Nedd Fechan
Nedd Fechan
The Nedd Fechan or 'Little Neath' is a river in the county of Powys, south Wales, Great Britain. It rises on the eastern slopes of Fan Gyhirych in the Fforest Fawr section of the Brecon Beacons National Park and flows south for 12km / 7 mi to join with the Afon Mellte at Pontneddfechan, their...
("Neath Vaughan") and provides a convenient access points to the superb series of waterfall
Waterfall
A waterfall is a place where flowing water rapidly drops in elevation as it flows over a steep region or a cliff.-Formation:Waterfalls are commonly formed when a river is young. At these times the channel is often narrow and deep. When the river courses over resistant bedrock, erosion happens...
s that characterise the upper Neath
River Neath
River Neath is a river in south Wales running south west from its source in the Brecon Beacons National Park to its mouth at Baglan Bay below Briton Ferry on the east side of Swansea Bay.Several minor rivers rise on the southern slopes of Fforest Fawr...
valley. Dinas Rock
Dinas rock
Dinas Rock is a high promontory of carboniferous limestone which rises between the Afon Mellte and its left-bank tributary, the Afon Sychryd on the border between the county of Powys and the county borough of Neath Port Talbot in south Wales. It can be found near the village of Pontneddfechan near...
, a steeply pitched anticline in the limestone rocks at Craig-y-Dinas, is a favourite spot for rock-climbers.
History
Industrial activities in the region started with a 21-year lease of an area of land from the Marquess of ButeJohn Crichton-Stuart, 2nd Marquess of Bute
John Crichton-Stuart, 2nd Marquess of Bute, KT, FRS was the son of John, Lord Mount Stuart and the former Lady Elizabeth McDouall-Crichton...
by the Quaker entrepreneur William Weston Young
William Weston Young
William Weston Young Quaker Entrepreneur of Bristol and Glamorganshire; artist, botanist, wreck-raiser, surveyor, potter, and inventor of the firebrick....
, for the sinking of silica mines around Craig-y-Dinas from 1822 onwards. The silica was extracted for the manufacture of firebricks at the Dinas Firebrick Co. in Pont Walby. In 1843, Young's lease ran out and the then Riddles, Young & Co. firebrick manufacturers moved to a new premises on The Green, Neath
Neath
Neath is a town and community situated in the principal area of Neath Port Talbot, Wales, UK with a population of approximately 45,898 in 2001...
. The stone sleepers for the silica mine tramway were never removed and can still be seen set into the path of the waterfall walk.
In 1857, the Vale of Neath Powder Company built a "gunpowder manufactory", having obtained "a licence to erect their mills over a space of two miles including the Upper and Lower Cilliepste Falls". The site on the River Mellte
River Mellte
The River Mellte is a river in Wales. It is formed by the confluence of the Afon Llia and the Afon Dringarth. It then flows south through the village of Ystradfellte to Pontneddfechan where it joins with the Nedd Fechan to become the River Neath...
was chosen because of its remoteness and because of the availability of both water power and of timber for the production of charcoal, one of the ingredients of gunpowder
Gunpowder
Gunpowder, also known since in the late 19th century as black powder, was the first chemical explosive and the only one known until the mid 1800s. It is a mixture of sulfur, charcoal, and potassium nitrate - with the sulfur and charcoal acting as fuels, while the saltpeter works as an oxidizer...
. An inclined tramway was built from a siding on the Vale of Neath Railway near Pen-cae-drain. This was used to bring in sulphur and saltpeter
Saltpeter
Saltpeter or saltpetre often refers to:*Potassium nitrate, or the mineral niter, the critical oxidizing component of gunpowder, and a food preservative.It may also refer to:...
, the other ingredients. A horse-drawn tramway linked the various buildings on the site. The horses were fitted with copper horseshoes to reduce the likelihood of sparks. In 1862, Curtis & Harvey took over the site They later merged with Nobel's Explosives Co. and finally became incorporated into Imperial Chemical Industries Ltd.
Imperial Chemical Industries
Imperial Chemical Industries was a British chemical company, taken over by AkzoNobel, a Dutch conglomerate, one of the largest chemical producers in the world. In its heyday, ICI was the largest manufacturing company in the British Empire, and commonly regarded as a "bellwether of the British...
in 1926. The works closed in 1939 and the now ruined site was still known locally as the Gunpowder Works in living memory.
The site is now administered by the National Park Authority and there are a network of footpaths. An audio trail has been established and further information is available at the Waterfalls Centre in Pontneddfechan.