Around Pontardawe: The Second Selection

This second photographic compilation on Pontardawe and district, comprising over 220 different images, will appeal to all those interested in the development of this part of the Swansea Valley. Over 400 photographs were seriously considered for the volume—testimony to the rich source of visual material that survives for this area.

The authors have again included sections on sport, leisure, education, religion, social activities and personalities, while new emphasis has been placed on the historical development of the various communities and in particular the industries upon which the area depended. The images are accompanied by comprehensive captions which build into a solid and all-embracing narrative.

While some people may still tend to think of “history” as something that relates only to a distant past, urban development and social change, as well as being the hallmarks of much contemporary history, are on-going dynamics explaining why this volume includes some images from times as recent as the 1980s. Huge changes have occurred in relatively recent times: the heavy industries have gone as have the jobs they created. They have been replaced by industrial estates and supermarkets, employment today being concentrated in modern factories set among green surroundings, vastly different to the slag heaps and spoil tips of yesteryear.

As we enter a new century and a new millennium it is fitting that this book should be dedicated to those who helped create and shape our community. Their perseverance and toil have given the present generation an interesting and socially rewarding place to live and work in - Pontardawe and district.