Onllwyn

This article is about a village. For the hill of this name northwest of Merthyr Tydfil, see Penmoelallt.

Onllwyn is a small village in Neath Port Talbot, Wales, near Seven Sisters.

History

EWS Class 66 shunts empty coal wagons towards the coal washery

First developed by the Romans, local village Banwen is confined to the Roman Road of Sarn Helen. There are two Roman forts and the remains of a Roman Road within the community.

Legend has it that St Patrick was born here and taken to Ireland^{[citation needed]} after the area was raided by Irish raiders. A celebration and a march is held on March 17 to mark the event.

With over 200 years of coal mining behind it, the parish was once home to five pits that employed hundreds of men. Now all that remains is a coal processing and coal washery. On the route of the former Vale of Neath Railway, a freight only routes exists to the coal washery from the South Wales mainline at Neath.

Present

Commanding views of the Brecon Beacons, the now semi-rural location is a popular area for retired people to live. With a Community College "Dove Workshops" and village shop, Post office, Pub and Rugby union team, it offers a sense of community.

The area's residents often refer to the environs under the generic of Banwen, as it is easier to pronounce for non-Welsh language speakers.

Government and politics

Onllwyn

Ordnance Survey
OS grid reference:	Maps for SN842102
Geography
Total population	1,214 (2001 census)
Administration
Local council:	Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council
Number of councillors]:	1
Nation:	Wales
Post office and telephone
Postcode(s):	SA10
Dialling code:	+44-1639
Politics
Welsh Assembly:	Neath
UK Parliament:	Neath
European Parliament:	Wales

The electoral ward of Onllwyn consists of some or all of the following settlements: Banwen, Dyffryn Cellwen and Onllwyn in the parliamentary constituency of Neath.

Onllwyn is bounded by the wards of Aber-craf and Tawe Uchaf (both in Powys) to the north; Glynneath to the southeast; and Seven Sisters to the south west. The Onllwyn ward consists of open moorland and a band of woodland to the south. Mine workings are prominent in the north of the ward. There are only two A roads crossing the ward: the A4109 and the A4221. All of the settled areas in the ward lie around the A4109.

In the 2008 local council elections, the electorate turnout was 52.1%. The results were:

Candidate	Party	Votes	Status
Alun Thomas	Labour	341	Labour hold
Marion Morgan	Plaid Cymru	166

Residents of note

• Dai Francis, NUM trade unionist and father of MP David Hywel Francis, was born in Onllwyn, and took as his bardic name "Dai o'r Onllwyn"

External links

• Cwmdulais Historical Society
• www.geograph.co.uk : photos of Onllwyn and surrounding area
• Onllwyn Minicipal Cemetery transcripts and images