| Neath Town Hall - view
from churchyard
The foundation stone was laid on 22nd June 1820 for this building which was to replace the old Guildhall which was in Old Market Street. The builder was W. Bowen of Swansea and the new hall cost £2,250 . The upper part of the building consisted of a spacious Council Chamber with a jury room. The lower part was used as a market for the sale of corn and other produce. When the new Neath Market was built in 1837 it was used only for the sale of corn. |
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| Neath Town Hall-view from
New Street.
At the end of the nineteenth century the Lower part was converted from a corn market to a weighbridge and ,later, was used as a fire station. Today the upper sections are used for functions and also for functions such as stamp fairs. The lower sections are now used as shops and a hairdressing salon |
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| Neath Mechanic`s Institute
Mechanic`s Institutes were established to give elementary and technical instruction to mechanics and other workers. One was started in Neath in 1843, first being held in the Town Hall. As classes grew a new building was mooted and plans submitted by Alfred Wallace were accepted. The building was built by J. Townsend of Swansea and completed in 1847. The plaque on the wall reads : Neath Borough Council Alfred Russell Wallace, 1823-1913, designed this building. He lived in Neath from 1841-1848 during which period he worked as a surveyor and studied natural history. In his lifetime he collaborated with Charles Darwin in the study of Natural Selection and, with him, presented the first paper on this subject in 1858. |
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