Shane

I am attempting to learn more about the people and culture of the UK and have picked this area first due to it being alphabetically first in Parliament. Please tell me anything you know about this corner of Wales.

JimSteel

Port Talbot is a steel town, with three very large smelters and a port. Its what Wales was once famous for,heavy industy and steel. Unfortunatly, because of this its not the most pleasent of places to visit.
try this link www.genuki.org.uk/big/wal/GLA/Margam/PortTalbot/

flanneruk

One reason this might have sat unnoticed for a while is that:
a) The constituency is Aberavon, not Avernon (which sounds vaguely like a town you'd drive past in the middle of France. 'Visitez Avernon. Sa Piscine. Ses urinoirs 19e siecle')
b) Constituency names have no significance in the UK. There's no occasion when rolls of constituencies are called, and few ever last more than a decade or two. Boundaries are continuously reviewed (outside Northern Ireland, almost always without gerrymandering), and, in order to achieve a consistent national constituency size, artificial community groupings are created and frequently assigned a damnfool name.

Why this constituency's called Aberavon (the name of a moderately well-known rugby club), doubtless someone will explain. Port Talbot is odd for one very unusual characteristic: its steel works isn't currently under threat of closure. Oh, and the Welsh for Port Talbot is...Port Talbot

Shane

Thanks for the replies.

Mucky

Hi Shane,
I live in Cardiff which is just 30 or so miles away from Port Talbot.
Not sure about AVERNON but Port Talbot lies in the Borough of Neath.
It is as Jim says a steel town and has recently been awarded a contract to produce coke for the steelworks. The coal mines of yesteryear are gone now with the exception of Tower colliery, but the coal from the valleys of South Wales were perfect for steelmaking .
As you drive through PT you cannot fail to be disgusted by the effects of the heavy industry on the landscape and in particular the quality of the air. I am sure it has improved but a passenger could tell when the vehicle entered Port Talbot with their eyes closed.
Port Talbot offers excellent inland transport links, with easy access to the M4, and direct access to the UK railway network.

Port Talbot Tidal Harbour has the deepest berthing facilities within the Severn Estuary and is able to accommodate vessels of up to 180,000 dwt. While the harbour is utilised primarily by Corus for importing large quantities of iron ore and other raw materials, additional capacity exists for the future expansion of the harbour?s cargo-handling capabilities.

Have a look at this site, it may give you some ideas about the area and its people.
www.neath-porttalbot.gov.uk
Good Luck

Muck

GeoffHamer

I was brought up in south Wales and remember Aberavon as the seaside part of Port Talbot. As I remember it from forty years ago, Aberavon had a big sandy beach, but was not very pleasant because of the adjacent steel works.

sheila

In the interests of furthering your education, dear flanner, Aberavon is at the mouth of the River Afon. "Aber" is Welsh for "mouth of"

I did a wee bit of searching and with apologies to Best Western, found this as a list of attractions:-

Aquadome, the largest indoor water park in Wales with leisure pool, spa, slides, bounce pool, wave machine, British Steel, Margam Park, an 850 acre park with a range of attractions including castle, maze and deer herd, 7 miles from Swansea City and Maritime Quarter, Maritime and Industrial museum, bustling marina, shops, pubs and restaurant, 15 miles from Dan Yr Ogof Show Caves, spectacular floodlit rock formations underground, 15 miles from the Gower Coast, an area of outstanding natural beauty, castles, pubs and quaint villages, 30 miles from the Welsh Folk Museum, authentic buildings from all parts of Wales, re-erected in a large wooded parkland, 30 miles from National Botanic Garden, opening Spring 2000, a garden of international significance set in 18th century parkland, 35 miles from Cardiff Castle, set in the heart of Cardiff. Victorian interiors decorated by William Burgess, 35 miles from the Brecon Beacons, an area of breathtaking beauty within the Brecon Beacons National Park, 45 miles from Big Pit, real colliery showing coal mines in 1880 .

Mmmmm..........wouldn't be in my top 10 list.