IV.

Places of Interest

Margam Country Park, some 5 km (3 mi) south-east of Port Talbot, has a hill fort dating from the Iron Age, a Gothic-style Victorian mansion, and an orangery which is 100 m (327 ft) long. The ruins of a 12th-century monastery can also be seen in the park—Margam Abbey Church, founded in 1147 is the only Cistercian foundation in Wales that is still in use as a place of Christian worship. Margam Abbey Stones Museum houses a collection of inscribed stones and crosses from the pre-Romanesque, Roman, and Celtic periods. The spectacular Aberdulais Falls are a short distance north-east of Neath. The site, owned by the National Trust, houses a hydroelectric power station with the largest electricity-generating waterwheel in Europe. Among the museums of the area are three which focus on its long association with coal mining: the Cefn Coed Colliery Museum near Crynant, the South Wales Miners’ Museum near Cymmer, and the Seven Sisters Sawmill and Museum. The remains of the 12th-century Neath Abbey are remarkably complete.