Gwyn Hall

Gwyn Hall stands in the centre of Neath, a town in south Wales. The building began as a four-storey Victorian theatre in 1887, designed by John Norton. Howel Gwyn gave the land and paid £6,000 for its construction. A statue of Howel Gwyn was unveiled outside the hall in 1888 by Sir John Dillwyn-Llewellyn. The statue later moved to Victoria Gardens in 1967 after complaints about traffic. The hall once hosted concerts, including Handel’s Messiah, and served as a council meeting place. After a fire in 2007, the building was rebuilt while keeping its original front. The new design moved the theatre to the ground floor with flexible seating. A glass atrium café now occupies the former car park space at the front. Inside, the third floor contains a cinema pod with a third screen and retractable seating. The refurbishment added a 3D cinema, a café bar, and a flexible studio space. The theatre hosts both films and live shows with modern arrangements. The reconstructed hall reopened in 2012, blending its historic look with new facilities.