Tonna, Neath
Tonna (Welsh: Tonnau) is the name of a village and a coterminous electoral ward and community in Neath Port Talbot, south Wales. Today it is essentially a suburb of the town of Neath. Once comprised of largely agricultural fields, the name derives from the archaic Welsh tonnau, meaning grassland and not, as is sometimes assumed, the modern Welsh for "waves". Today it is essentially a suburb of the town of Neath, although some areas of pasture remain.
One of these fields houses the Ivy Tower, a folly built by the wealthy Mackworth family in the 1740s as a ballroom to entertain their guests. Although largely ruined, the Ivy Tower is still the most visible and distinctive landmark in the Neath Valley. The nearby Moss House Cascades in the Gnoll Estate, built by the Mackworths around the same time as the Ivy Tower, have recently been restored and are popular family attractions.
Immediately between Tonna and the adjoining parish of Llanilltud ("Llantwit-juxta-Neath") is a cottage once occupied by the engineer and naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace, who had arrived at his theory of evolution independently of Charles Darwin, with whom he later corresponded. Eventually Wallace and Darwin jointly presented the first paper on Natural Selection to the Linnean Society.
Tonna is the birthplace of international soprano singer Della Jones and classical pianist/accompanist Gordon Back. Tonna was also the birthplace of Martyn Davies, a talented scrum-half and the first captain to lead Neath RFC to win the WRU Challenge Cup in their Centenary Year, 1971.
| Neath Port Talbot electoral wards |
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Aberavon • Aberdulais • Allt-Wen • Baglan • Blaengwrach • Briton Ferry East • Briton Ferry West • Bryn and Cwmavon • Bryncoch North • Bryncoch South • Cadoxton • Cimla • Coedffranc Central • Coedffranc North • Coedffranc West • Crynant • Cwmllynfell • Cymmer • Dyffryn • Glyncorrwg • Glynneath • Godre'r Graig • Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen • Gwynfi • Lower Brynamman • Margam • Neath East • Neath North • Neath South • Onllwyn • Pelenna • Pontardawe • Port Talbot • Resolven • Rhos • Sandfields East • Sandfields West • Seven Sisters • Tai-Bach • Tonna • Trebanos • Ystalyfera |
| Communities of Neath Port Talbot |
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Aberavon • Baglan • Baglan Bay • Blaengwrach • Blaenhonddan • Briton Ferry • Bryn • Cilybebyll • Clyne and Melincourt • Coedffranc • Crynant • Cwmavon • Cwmllynfell • Dyffryn Clydach • Glyncorrwg • Glynneath • Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen • Margam • Margam Moors • Neath • Onllwyn • Pelenna • Pontardawe • Port Talbot • Resolven • Rhyd-y-fro • Sandfields East • Sandfields West • Seven Sisters • Taibach • Tonna • Ystalyfera |
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