Cof Cymru: National Historic Assets of Wales · Wales
Aberdulais Basin at the head of the Tennant Canal
Tonna, Neath Port Talbot, Wales
The record
- Designation
- Listed building, Grade II
- Broad class
- Transport
- Date of designation
- 29 January 1980
- Locality
- Aberdulais
- Community
- Tonna
- Unitary authority
- Neath Port Talbot
- Country
- Wales
- Coordinates
- 51.67967, -3.77493
- Cadw reference
- 11839
Slide toward Today to fade the historical sheet and see the modern map underneath.
David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries
Shown on 5 historical map sheets, the earliest the 1636 "Cornubia : Devonia, Somersetus, Dorcestria, Wiltonia, Glocestria ..." (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries).
Cadw's description
Location
Approximately 0.4km N of Tonna village on the E side of the River Neath and W of the Neath Canal.
History
The Tennant Canal, engineered by William Kirkhouse, was begun in 1821 and opened in 1824 from the Neath Canal at Aberdulais to Port Tennant, Swansea. The interchange basin is at the head of the Tennant Canal and linked the Neath and Tennant Canals. A dry dock was also built on its SE side. Traffic on the Tennant Canal declined from the 1860s due to competition with railways but the canal did not close to commercial traffic until 1934.
Exterior
An irregular shaped, stone-lined basin approximately 100m x 20m, part filled with reeds and rushes at the time of inspection (October 1999). At the NE end it joins the Neath Canal (beneath Pont Gam), while the SW end, now infilled, joined the Aberdulais Aqueduct. A concrete slipway on the SE side originally connected with a dry dock (now infilled).
Reason for designation
Listed for its industrial archaeological interest as an early C19 canal structure, and for group value with other associated listed items on the Tennant Canal at Aberdulais.
Nearby in the register
- Canal Boat at Aberdulais BasinCanal Boatunder 1 mi
- Pont GamTransportunder 1 mi
- Railway bridge on NE side of Railway TavernTransportunder 1 mi
- Aberdulais Aqueduct (partly in Blaenhonddan community)Communicationsunder 1 mi
Other entries of the same register within about three miles of this one, by straight line.