Brynamman is a village on the south side of the Black Mountain , part of the Brecon Beacons National Park . The village is split into Upper Brynamman and Lower Brynamman by the River Amman, which is also the boundary between the counties of Carmarthenshire and Neath Port Talbot . Ruins of stone dwellings , an early type of lime kiln and rectangular medieval buildings found on the mountain show that people have lived in this area for a long time. In the 18th century the Industrial Revolution, with iron and tin works and especially coal mining, transformed the area from a small, scattered farming community to a built-up, highly populated commercial centre. The Welsh language was at the fore and the successful participation in local and national eisteddfodau by numerous village people, choirs and bands put Brynamman on the map.It was once a thriving village, with three bank branches on Station Road in Upper Brynamman alone. Today there are no industries in or around the village, its inhabitants having to commute to Ammanford, Swansea or Llanelli for work. The whole area has become more attractive to live in, with countryside and the wild open areas available for walking on the Black Mountain . It is still a stronghold of the Welsh language; children are taught the language at school, and it is spoken by the great majority of the local people. Brynamman was previously known as Y Gwter Fawr ; the name was changed when the railway from Ammanford reached the village. The traveller and writer George Borrow describes aspects of Gwter Fawr in the mid-19th century in his book Wild Wales which was published in 1862. The current name is derived from Brynamman House, the home of John Jones, builder of the railway. Brynamman Golf Club first appeared in the mid 1920s. It continued into the 1930s.
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