Tonna, Neath

Infobox Neath Port Talbot electoral ward
Electoral Ward = Tonna (electoral ward)
Ward

GridReference = SS774990
Largest Settlement=
Total Population = 2,464 (2001 census)
Land Area =
NoofCouncillors = 1
PostCodes = SA11
DiallingCode = +44-1639
AssemblyConstituency = Neath
Constituency = Neath

Tonna ( _cy. Tonnau) is the name of a village and a coterminous electoral ward and community in Neath Port Talbot, 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". 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 now 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 Welsh born 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 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.

Government and politics

The electoral ward of Tonna falls within the parliamentary constituency of Neath. The ward consits of a small built-up area of Tonna village to the northwest with rest of the ward consiting of woodland and pasture. Tonna is bounded by the wards of Aberdulais to the north; Resolven to the northeast; Pelenna to the southeast; Cimla and Neath North to the southwest; and Cadoxton to the west.In the 2008 local council elections, the electorate turnout was 42.05%. The results were:

External links

* [http://www.geograph.org.uk/search.php?i=2831920 www.geograph.co.uk : photos of Tonna and surrounding area]