Located in the Neath Port Talbot County Borough of Wales (historically in West Glamorgan), and around eight miles east of Swansea, is the town of Port Talbot.
The name 'Port Talbot' was first adopted in 1837 as the name of the docks built at the mouth of the River Afan by the Talbot family. The town is essentially a merger of multiple villages, including Baglan, Margam, and Aberafan.
In 1147 Margam Abbey was founded. It is believed that small scale coal mining took place in the vicinity from as early as the 13th century by the monks of the abbey, although it would not be until the 18th century that significant mining activity began. The monks were expelled in the 1530s during the Dissolution of the Monasteries.
In 1803 Christopher Rice Mansel Talbot was born. After a top tier education at Harrow, then Oxford, he undertook a "grand tour" of Europe before returning to his native Wales. In 1834 he introduced a bill to Parliament to improve the old Aberavon port. For centuries the mouth of the River Afan had been used as a harbour, but with the metalworking industry in the area growing, it was felt that improvements were needed. Two years later, a further bill was passed allowing for the expansion of the docks, and the facility was renamed Port Talbot - which would soon become the name of the town itself.
In addition to the building of the docks, Talbot was also instrumental in the arrival of the railway in his namesake town. He became chairman of the South Wales Railway Company, which was later acquired by the Great Western Railway. In 1850 Port Talbot Station, as it was initially known, was opened. It was renamed Port Talbot Parkway in 1984 by British Rail, although unlike other parkway stations, it is situated in the centre of town. Trains to Cardiff take just over 30 minutes, while in the other direction, trains to Swansea take around 20-30 minutes depending on stops.
From 1901 to 1905 the original Port Talbot steel mill was built. Since then, the industry has been pivotal to the local economy up to, and including, the present day. Port Talbot Steelworks is a major source of local employment, providing around 4,000 jobs at the time of writing. Previously run by British Steel, its current owners are Tata Steel. It is one of Europe's largest steel plants.
Famous people from Port Talbot include Hollywood legends Richard Burton and Anthony Hopkins. Although technically Burton was from the neighbouring village of Pontrhydyfen around three miles away.
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Filmed: 15th August 2022
Link to the walk on Google Maps: goo.gl/maps/hg33frwuDcnaFEyr7
Filmed on a Sony FDR-AX700 with a Zhiyun Crane 2 and a Sony ECM-XYST1M Stereo Microphone.
TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 Commercial Road
4:51 Ffrwd Wyllt
5:07 Port Talbot Steelworks (background)
5:20 Talbot Road
5:32 Talbot Memorial Park
5:39 Talbot Road
6:08 St Theodore's Church
6:18 Talbot Road
13:18 Station Road
19:40 River Afan
20:14 Aberafan Shopping Centre
20:41 Civic Centre
20:52 Ebenezer Chapel
21:03 Civic Centre