Editing Neath (section)

===Industrial and modern Neath===
Neath was a [[market town]] that expanded with the arrival of the [[Industrial Revolution]] in the 18th century with new manufacturing industries of [[iron]], [[steel]] and [[tinplate]]. The [[Mackworth Baronets|Mackworth family]], who owned the Gnoll Estate<ref>[http://www.archivesnetworkwales.info/cgi-bin/anw/search2?coll_id=1229&inst_id=34&term=Britton%20manor Britton Manor]</ref> were prominent in the town's industrial development. [[Coal]] was mined extensively in the surrounding valleys and the construction of [[canal]]s and [[railway]]s made Neath a major transportation centre and the Evans and Bevan families were major players in the local coal mining community as well as owning the Vale of Neath Brewery.<ref>[http://www.archivesnetworkwales.info/cgi-bin/anw/fulldesc_nofr?inst_id=1&coll_id=427&expand= Neath Brewery]</ref> [[Silica]] was mined in the {{lang|cy|Craig-y-Dinas|italic=no}} area of [[Pontneddfechan]], after [[Quaker]] entrepreneur [[William Weston Young]] invented the [[blast furnace]] silica [[firebrick]], later moving brick production from the works at {{lang|cy|Pontwalby|italic=no}} to the Green in Neath. The town continued as a market trading centre with a municipal cattle market run by W.B. Trick. Industrial development continued throughout the 20th century with the construction by [[BP]] of a new [[petroleum]] refinery at {{lang|cy|[[Llandarcy]]|italic=no}}.

[[Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson|Admiral Lord Nelson]] stayed at the Castle Hotel en route to [[Milford Haven]] when the fleet was at anchor there.{{Citation needed|date=February 2009}} Lt. Lewis Roatley,<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.cjbooks.demon.co.uk/hms.htm |title=HMS VICTORY. MAN~OF~WAR 1805 MUSTER LISTS |access-date=11 June 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060615035856/http://www.cjbooks.demon.co.uk/hms.htm |archive-date=15 June 2006 |url-status=dead }}</ref> the son of the landlord of the Castle Hotel, served as a [[Royal Marines]] officer with Nelson aboard {{HMS|Victory}} in the [[Battle of Trafalgar]].

The [[River Neath]] is a navigable [[estuary]] and Neath was a river port until recent times. The heavy industries are no more; the town is now a commercial and tourism centre. Attractions for visitors are the ruins of the [[Cistercian]] [[Neath Abbey]], the Gnoll Park, and [[Neath Indoor Market]].<ref>[http://freepages.history.rootsweb.com/~waggy/Gnoll.htm Gnoll Park]</ref>

Neath hosted the [[National Eisteddfod of Wales]] in 1918, 1934 and 1994.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.eisteddfod.org.uk/english/content.php?nID=55 |title=Eisteddfod Locations |work=The National Eisteddfod of Wales |access-date=3 October 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110523030859/http://www.eisteddfod.org.uk/english/content.php?nID=55 |archive-date=23 May 2011 }}</ref>