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Discussion on SN9108
The lower part of the Mellte gorge running northeast away from the village of Pontneddfechan through this square was the home until 1930 of the Glyn-neath Gunpowder Works, the remains of which are scattered along the valley floor. It was deliberately set fire to after its abandonment so as to ensure that no traces of ‘black powder’ remained on site. The central part of the former works is owned by the National Park Authority (BBNPA) who, during 2016, have been initiating a project to conserve what remains and interpret it for visitors. The former tramway through the site gives easy access for walkers beside the river. A tramway bridge overlooking the derelict weirs was restored a long time ago by the army and provides a crossing onto the south bank. A second footbridge was put in place in 2008 a few hundred yards further downstream on the line of a former aqueduct – though its presence has not yet made it onto OS mapping.
This part of the Mellte and of the nearby Sychryd are well frequented by gorge-walking groups - the jump into the pool below the wirs is known to them as Looney's Leap. The great majority of companies who run adventures in the gorges are members of the South Wales Outdoor Activity Providers Group (or SWOAPG) and adhere to a concordat drawn up with NRW and the BBNPA to safeguard the biodiversity interest inherent to the gorges and minimise disturbance to residents.
Half of Craig y Ddinas, or Dinas Rock as it’s often called, lies within the square. It derives its name from an Iron Age promontory fort which occupied its flat summit. Defended by natural limestone cliffs to north and south, a large stone wall was built by the Silures tribe across the narrow neck to the east – this is now degraded to a substantial bank which the bridleway crests at SN 917081.
A tramway was established through the former fort during the C19th, leading from the upper entrances to the Dinas Silica Mine at around SN 918080. Silica rock from the mine was later taken through the gorge to the south of the rock (and indeed via an overhead cableway in the square to the south).
The WSW-ENE aligned section of the Afon Sychryd and the gully/linear depression which continues in the direction of Penderyn run on the line of the Dinas Fault, a key part of the Neath Disturbance which is a long-lived weakness which is thought to penetrate deep into the crust in this vicinity and originate during the Caledonian Orogeny, a mountain building period in the Silurian and Devonian periods. The Disturbance was later reactivated during the Variscan Orogeny which took place during the Carboniferous period.
All of the land between the Mellte and Sychryd rivers is owned and managed by Natural Resources Wales (NRW), successor body to Forestry Commission Wales which merged with the Countryside Council for Wales in 2013. A company by the name of Natural Amenities Ltd owns the mineral rights beneath this land and hence the abandoned silica mine; their aim is to ensure it remains available for mine enthusiasts. I feel obliged to add the usual caveat; mines are potentially hazardous places etc etc
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