Neath Parish

Parish of Neath - St.Thomas`

View from an old Postcard. The trees are now much larger and obscure much of the Church.The Church probably stands on the site of the garrison chapel which was attached to the castle. Parts of the current building are said to date from 1298. Building alterations have included :The Tower was raised to its present height in 1691 using the white Sutton stone from the Neath Abbey and shortly afterwards the first clock was installed;a North facing porch was removed in about 1730; the Tower was restored in 1873.
The graveyard was full by 1850 and headstones were laid flat in about 1875. Most of the readable stones are from the period 1800 to 1850. The Tomb of Edward Wagstaff, who died in 1849 of Cholera stands close to the East wall of the church. It can be seen in this picture partly obscuring the side door to the Church. Cholera claimed a lot of lives in that year.
This view is taken from Church Place. There are no clock faces on the North and East faces of the Tower shown in this picture. When the early (1696) clock was replaced about 1805 it was designed with two faces. The feasibility of a third face on the North aspect was broached at a late point inthe design process. It was considered to be too expensive because alterations to the roof of the Tower would have to be made. It is said that another reason for the lack of a North facing dial was that the inhabitants of that part of the Town refused to donate to the cost of the clock.

The 1811 Estate Map

In 1811 the Gnoll Estate was sold. A map was prepared showing the estate property. Each property in the Town was numbered and the Occupier and rent payable was recorded in a separate booklet. William Wagstaff is recorded at plot 37 in Green Street with a rent of £5. In 1835 his son,also William is living there when the property is demolished to make way for the new "Neath Market" which was opened in1837.

This is an image of Green Street looking North taken in 1992. The Town Market is on the left.
Now 160 years old it was renovated at the turn of the Century and is scheduled for more work in the near future.

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Parish Churches :   Neath    Llantwit   Briton Ferry     Baglan    Cadoxton     Llantwit Inscriptions     Llantwit Plan
       Histories      : Neath Abbey Ironworks       Gnoll Estate       Neath Valley & Canal       Parson`s Folly
    & Images        Valley Villages & Burial Grounds     Pontrhydyfen      Merthyr Cynog      Trevethin   Pant cemetery
                            Neath Town
       Family       :   Wagstaffe Tree          Prosser & Owens in Neath Abbey
        Links          : Neath/PortTalbot Tourism