Sandfields, Port Talbot

Last updated

Sandfields (Welsh: Traethmelyn) is a mainly residential district of Port Talbot, Wales. The area is located in South Wales on a narrow coastal plain between Mynydd Dinas and the sea. The M4 motorway, A48 trunk road and South Wales Main Line run nearby. The area includes a council estate, industrial areas and a seaside resort at Aberavon Beach.

Contents

Background

The Sandfields estate, consisting mainly of semi-detached houses, was built between 1947 and 1955 to initially house workers for Port Talbot steelworks. [1] In 2017, 1,800 of the 3,000 homes were owned by a social housing provider. [1]

Government

The area encompasses the electoral wards of Sandfields West and Sandfields East, part of the Neath Port Talbot unitary authority.

Prior to 1974 Sandfields was a ward to Glamorgan County Council, represented by a Labour Party councillor. [2]

Social conditions

The two electoral wards covering Sandfields were ranked in top 50 most deprived wards in Wales in the 2000 Welsh Index of Multiple Deprivation. [3] In the 2005 index, Sandfields West was one of the 10% most deprived wards in Wales. [4] It is the most densely populated ward in Neath Port Talbot. [1]

Afan Lido

The Afan Lido leisure centre was opened by the Queen in 1965. [5] The facility formerly included a 50m competition swimming pool, which was later converted into a 25m leisure pool called the "Aquadome" with water slides when the complex was re-fitted during the mid-1990s. The Lido also has a spa, gym, and concert hall where famous bands have played, including in recent years McFly, All Saints, Stereophonics, Manic Street Preachers and Lostprophets.

The Lido was the site of a major fire on 16 December 2009 which broke out in the Aquadome part of the complex. [6] Residents in surrounding streets were evacuated due to fears of the safety of chemicals in the fire that broke through the centre's roof. [6] The centre has since been closed and demolished.

Education

Sandfields Comprehensive School was the first purpose-built comprehensive school in Wales when it opened in 1958. In 2000, it was recognised by the Welsh Secondary Schools Association (WSSA) as the most improved school in Wales. [7] The school has produced a number of sportsmen and women who have represented Wales at international level, including rugby players Allan Martin [8] and Les Keen (ex-Aberavon RFC); footballers Brian Flynn [8] and Laura May Walkely of Arsenal Ladies Football Team. The school closed in 2016 due to it being replaced by Ysgol Bae Baglan and was demolished in 2017. [9] [10]

Ysgol Bae Baglan an all-through school in Neath Port Talbot and opened in 2016 following the closure of Sandfields Comprehensive school, Glan Afan Comprehensive School and Cwrt Sart Comprehensive School in 2016. [9] [10]

Several primary schools are located within the Sandfields Estate including Tywyn and Awel Y Mor.

Community Archives Wales

The Port Talbot Historical Society and Community Archives Wales meet at Sandfields' Library.

Nearest Places

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aberavon (UK Parliament constituency)</span> Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 1918 onwards

Aberavon is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom since 2015 by Stephen Kinnock of the Welsh Labour Party. It includes the town of Aberavon, although the largest town in the constituency is Port Talbot.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Port Talbot</span> Town and community in Wales

Port Talbot is a town and community in the county borough of Neath Port Talbot, Wales, situated on the east side of Swansea Bay, approximately eight miles from Swansea. The Port Talbot Steelworks covers a large area of land which dominates the south east of the town. It is one of the biggest steelworks in the world, but has been under threat of closure since the 1980s. The population was 31,550 in 2021, comprising about a fifth of the 141,931 population of Neath Port Talbot.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Neath</span> Human settlement in Wales

Neath is a market town and community situated in the Neath Port Talbot County Borough, Wales. The town had a population of 50,658 in 2011. The community of the parish of Neath had a population of 19,258 in 2011. Historically in Glamorgan, the town is located on the River Neath, seven miles east-northeast of Swansea.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Afan Lido F.C.</span> Association football club in Wales

Afan Lido Football Club is a football team based in Port Talbot, Wales, playing in the Cymru South.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Neath Port Talbot</span> County borough in Wales

Neath Port Talbot is a county borough in the south-west of Wales. Its principal towns are Neath, Port Talbot, Briton Ferry and Pontardawe. The county borough borders Bridgend County Borough and Rhondda Cynon Taf to the east, Powys and Carmarthenshire to the north; and Swansea to the west.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Swansea Bay</span> Bay on the southern coast of Wales

Swansea Bay is a bay on the southern coast of Wales. The River Neath, River Tawe, River Afan, River Kenfig and Clyne River flow into the bay. Swansea Bay and the upper reaches of the Bristol Channel experience a large tidal range. The shipping ports in Swansea Bay are Swansea Docks, Port Talbot Docks and Briton Ferry wharfs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Briton Ferry</span> Human settlement in Wales

Briton Ferry is a town and community in the county borough of Neath Port Talbot, Wales. The Welsh name may indicate that the church, llan, is protected from the wind, awel. Alternatively, Sawel may be a derivative of Saul, St Paul's earlier name. He once landed at Briton Ferry. An alternative Welsh name unused today is Rhyd y Brython, a direct translation of Briton Ferry. The Normans referred to the River crossing as La Brittonne and Leland in 1540 as Britanne Fery.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aberavon</span> Human settlement in Wales

Aberavon is a town and community in Neath Port Talbot county borough, Wales. The town derived its name from being near the mouth of the river Afan, which also gave its name to a medieval lordship. Today it is essentially a district of Port Talbot, covering the central and south western part of the town. Aberavon is also the name of the nearby Blue Flag beach and the parish covering the same area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cwmafan</span> Human settlement in Wales

Cwmafan, also known as Cwmavon, is a large village and community in the Afan valley in Wales, lying within Neath Port Talbot County Borough. It had a population of 5,603 in 2001, increasing slightly to 5,615 at the 2011 Census. Cwmafan is known for having a high percentage of Welsh speakers. In many ways it is a suburb of the nearby town of Port Talbot which is less than 2 miles (3 km) to the south. The literal translation of Cwmafan from Welsh to English is complex, Cwm means valley with Afan as the name of the river flowing through, hence the village residing within the Afan Valley. It could be a version of Afon which means river, so literally the "River Valley", this is common in Wales and the UK with many rivers being called Afon or Avon. There is also a Saint Afan, which it is possible the river was named after. There have been other suggestions but none accepted locally.

Neath Port Talbot College (NPTC) was a further education institution established as two campuses in Port Talbot and Neath in Wales, United Kingdom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aberavon Beach</span>

Aberavon Beach, also known as Aberavon Sands, is a three-mile (5 km) stretch of sandy beach on the north-eastern edge of Swansea Bay in Port Talbot, Wales. With its high breaker waves, it is popular with surfers. Aberavon Beach was awarded Blue Flag status in December 2007 and features in the Good Beach Guide published by the Marine Conservation Society.

Cymmer is a small village in the community of Cymer and Glyncorrwg, in Neath Port Talbot in Wales, set on a hillside in the Afan Valley near the confluence of the River Afan and the River Corrwg. In 2001, Cymmer had a population of 2,883.

Cimla is a village and suburb of the town of Neath in the county borough of Neath Port Talbot, Wales. It is set high up on a hill. It is pronounced Kim-la. The Welsh language spelling is Cymla, pronounced the same way. Its meaning is a place with common land, which it presumably was until industrial expansion led to its being covered with housing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sandfields West</span> Welsh electoral ward

Sandfields West is an electoral ward and a community of Neath Port Talbot county borough, Wales. It is part of the parliamentary constituency of Aberavon. The ward elects three county councillors to Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council.

Sandfields East is an electoral ward and a community of Neath Port Talbot county borough, Wales. It is part of the parliamentary constituency of Aberavon. The ward elects three county councillors to Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glan Afan Comprehensive School</span> Comprehensive school in Port Talbot, Neath Port Talbot, Wales

Glan Afan Comprehensive School was a mixed comprehensive school which served the town of Port Talbot, Wales, and its surrounding areas for 120 years. It was opened in 1896 as Port Talbot Intermediate School under the provisions of the Welsh Intermediate Education Act 1889. The school closed in July 2016 to facilitate the merger of Glan Afan itself, Cwrt Sart Comprehensive, Sandfields Comprehensive and Traethmelyn Primary School into the ultra-modern £40millon 'super-school', Ysgol Bae Baglan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A4241 road</span> Distributor road in Port Talbot

The A4241 Port Talbot Peripheral Distributor Road is a distributor road serving Port Talbot, Wales.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baglan (electoral ward)</span> Human settlement in Wales

The Baglan electoral ward includes the communities of Baglan and Baglan Bay, in Neath Port Talbot county borough, Wales. Baglan falls within the parliamentary constituency of Aberavon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aberavon (electoral ward)</span> Human settlement in Wales

The electoral ward of Aberavon electoral ward includes the communities of Baglan and Baglan Bay, in Neath Port Talbot county borough, Wales. Baglan falls within the parliamentary constituency of Aberavon.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "What it's really like to live on the Welsh council estate with its own beach". South Wales Echo. 13 July 2017. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
  2. ↑ "Big shocks for Labour in Glamorgan elections - How They Voted". South Wales Echo. 14 April 1967. p. 11.
  3. ↑ "Index of Multiple Deprivation 2000 for Communities First Wards in Neath Port Talbot" (PDF). Neath Port Talbot Borough Council.
  4. ↑ "Welsh Index of Multiple Deprivation 2005" (PDF). Welsh Assembly Government. 2005.[ permanent dead link ]
  5. ↑ "TIME LINE 20TH C". Port Talbot Historical Society.
  6. 1 2 "Fire breaks out at Afan Lido poolside in Port Talbot". BBC News. BBC. 16 December 2009. Retrieved 16 December 2009.
  7. ↑ "Sandfields Comprehensive School report, 17 – 20 January 2005" (PDF). Estyn. 21 March 2005.
  8. 1 2 "50 year celebrations for Sandfields Comprehensive School". Neath Port Talbot Borough Council.
  9. 1 2 "£40m 'super school' plan backed". BBC News. 30 May 2013. Retrieved 23 January 2018.
  10. 1 2 "£40m new 'superschool' set to open". BBC News. Retrieved 23 January 2018.

51°35′37.00″N3°48′11.00″W / 51.5936111°N 3.8030556°W / 51.5936111; -3.8030556

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.