Coordinates: 51°38′N 3°50′W / 51.64°N 3.83°W / 51.64; -3.83

Briton Ferry
Welsh: Llansawel
Briton Ferry  Briton Ferry shown within Neath Port Talbot
Population	7,186
OS grid reference	SS735945
Principal area	Neath Port Talbot
Ceremonial county	West Glamorgan
Country	Wales
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	NEATH
Postcode district	SA11
Dialling code	01639
Police	South Wales
Fire	Mid and West Wales
Ambulance	Welsh
EU Parliament	Wales
UK Parliament	Aberavon
List of places: UK • Wales • Neath Port Talbot

Briton Ferry (Welsh: Llansawel) is a town and community in the county borough of Neath Port Talbot, Wales. The town encompasses the electoral wards of Briton Ferry East and Briton Ferry West.

Briton Ferry is on the mouth of the River Neath where it enters Swansea Bay and was the first river crossing along the Roman road that followed the coastline along that part of South Wales. The river crossing was by ferry boat some 2 miles (3.2 km) from the bridge across the River Neath at Neath. At certain low tides it was possible to walk across the river via a ford close to the ferry route using stepping stones.

The town is served by Briton Ferry railway station.

There are remains of ancient stone age settlements on the hills above Briton Ferry. The town was part of the Briton Ferry Estate.^[1]

Industrial development[link]

The Industrial Revolution brought factories such as the Albion Steel Works, the English Crown Spelter Works and the Baglan Bay Tinplate Works were built on land close to the River Neath and the new South Wales Railway,^[2] built by Isambard Kingdom Brunel. In 1840 an area of about 750 acres (3.0 km²) of land in Cwmafan was leased for 99 years to John Vigurs and subsequently passed to Wright, Butler & Co. Ltd, then to Baldwins Ltd. The terraces of houses built on this land were sublet for the remainder of the term of this lease in 1897 and 1898 - but many were declared unfit for habitation in the 1930s and resultantly demolished.^[1]

The industrial development and industrialisation attracted other railways, including the Neath and Brecon Railway, the Rhondda and Swansea Bay Railway, and the South Wales Mineral Railway^[3] with its cable powered incline.

Briton Ferry floating dock[link]

In the 1850s the Briton Ferry Floating Dock Company was incorporated, and bought land from the Earl of Jersey to build the Briton Ferry Docks.^[1] When it opened in 1861, the dock consisted of an outer basin which was tidal, and an inner floating dock, where the water level was maintained by a single gate, which included a buoyancy chamber. It covered an area of 181 acres (73 ha).^[4] The gate was 56 feet (17 m) wide, and the unique structure with its floating caisson was designed by Brunel's father, Sir Marc Brunel.^[5] Following Brunel's death in 1859, Robert Brereton took over as engineer, and also acted as engineer for improvements made in 1872 and 1873.^[6] The company later went bankrupt and the Great Western Railway took over the docks as a going concern.^[1] After World War II many warships were scrapped there, until the dock was closed in 1959.^[4] As part of a regeneration programme, a tower, which formed part of the complex, has been refurbished. It was an accumulator tower for the hydraulic system which operated the dock gate and cranes. The system was designed by William Armstrong, and in 2010, the Institute of Civil Engineers unveiled a plaque at the site to commemorate the 200th anniversary of his birth.^[7]

"Giants Grave" is a folk song written by Huw Pudner and Chris Hastings about the shipbreaking industry at the Briton Ferry Docks. The chorus says

"And me and my old pals

With our hammers and spanners

We'd take out the fittings

We'd work until late

From Lisbon to Lagos

From Belfast to Boston

We'd salvage the cable

Steel rivets and plate"

The shipbreaking of WW2 ships, for example HMS Bermuda, took place at Giants Grave upstream of the floating dock, and north of the M4 and A48.

The Mouchel phenomena[link]

In 1875 the French-born engineer Louis Gustave Mouchel established himself in Briton Ferry and quickly became involved in a number of successful enterprises. His consultancy company was directly responsible for introducing ferro-concrete (also called 'reinforced concrete') to Britain, with the claimed first entirely ferro-concrete building in the UK constructed for the Weaver and Co mills in neighbouring Swansea.

So important was Briton Ferry for trade with France that Mouchel was, from 1879 to his death, French Consular Agent to 'Briton Ferry,Talbot,Porthcawl and Neath Abbey'.

Deindustrialisation[link]

This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (November 2008)

The industrial revolution brought much expansion to Briton Ferry that included iron works, steel works, tinplate production and engineering. Production generally lasted until the 1970s. In 1951 as industry began to dwindle, portions of the estate were sold to the Principality Property Co., Estateways Builders, John Oliver Watkins, the City & Provincial Housing Association and Gwalia Land & Property Developments Ltd.

Modern development[link]

A new bridge across the River Neath was completed in 1955 and a second one, built to carry the M4 Motorway, was completed in 1993.^[8] The main line railway still passes through but the industries have closed resulting in Briton Ferry being a dormitory suburb of the new Neath Port Talbot County Borough.^[9]

The sailing ships with destinations all over the world that used to berth in Brunel’s magnificent ports have disappeared as has the docks, which is now filled in with only a few remains to be seen. But work has now started to restore Brunel's tower, with a restoration group presently trying to restore what remains of the unique Brunel dock to working order (the only one in the world to use a floating chamber), for use by fishing boats and yachts.^[5]

Briton Ferry Woods[link]

This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (November 2008)

Briton Ferry Woods is a natural woodland that has never been felled and remains one of the oldest ancient woodland areas since the last Ice Age covered Great Britain. The majestic beech trees, which display vivid orange hues in autumn and cool shelter from the sun in summer, welcome visitors to the wood. In spring time bluebells put on their show. Ancient upland Welsh Oak woods cover much of the slopes, which give way to healthy scrubland or moorland towards the top of the hill. There is also an area of firs within the wood, a remnant of a very old plantation. The wood is full of birdsong during spring and summer, and in the evening you may see bats feeding on insects throughout the wood.

Notable people[link]

See Category:People from Briton Ferry

• Alf Shea, Welsh cricketer, born in Briton Ferry
• David Pickering Welsh rugby personality
• Mavis Nicholson (née Mainwaring) Journalist and Broadcaster
• David Elias, question-setter for several television quiz shows and Countdown champion^[10][11]

Nearest places[link]

• Crymlyn Burrows
• Llandarcy
• Neath
• Baglan
• Baglan Bay

References[link]

Wikisource has the text of the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica article Briton-Ferry.

External links[link]

• 2000 photograph of Briton ferry floating dock
• www.geograph.co.uk : photos of Briton Ferry and surrounding area
• River Bridge Briton Ferry

v t e Neath Port Talbot Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council Communities Aberavon Baglan Bay Blaengwrach Blaenhonddan Briton Ferry Bryn Cilybebyll Clyne Coedffranc Crynant Cwmavon Cwmllynfell Dyffryn Clydach Glyncorrwg Glynneath Gwaun-cae-Gurwen Margam Margam Moors Neath Onllwyn Pelenna Pontardawe Port Talbot Resolven Sandfields East Sandfields West Seven Sisters Tai Bach Tonna Ystalyfera Towns and villages Aberavon Aberdulais Abergarwed Alltwen Baglan Blaengwrach Blaenhoddan Cadoxton Cilfrew Cilybebyll Clyne Cwmgors Cwmllynfell Crynant Glynneath Godre'r Graig Goytre Groes Llangiwg Lonlas Lower Brynamman Margam Melincourt Falls Morfa Glas Neath Pontardawe Port Talbot Resolven Rhiwfawr Rhydyfro Seven Sisters Skewen Tairgwaith Tonna Ystalyfera Castles Neath Castle Rivers River Afan River Neath

David Bradshaw (born September 28, 1944) is a multi-faceted American artist based out of Cecilia, LA and E. Charleston, Vermont. He is a painter, sculptor, and printmaker.

Biography[link]

Born in New York City, David Bradshaw was raised in Washington, DC and Old Greenwich, Connecticut. His father was a modern interior designer and his mother a classical pianist. Trained in traditional artistic skills and processes Bradshaw is best known for his use of handguns, explosive devices (typically dynamite) and steel to create large-scale, free standing sculptures; reshaping the metal through the force of controlled explosions. In addition, he carves intricate patterns and designs into sheets of steel using a plasma torch. He pursued a BA at the Hartford Art School from 1962-1965. With less than one year remaining to obtain his degree he left school and traveled throughout Europe spending his time sketching the regional landscapes and its inhabitants. Upon returning, Bradshaw became extremely active in the US Civil Rights Movement.

Collaborations[link]

Over the last 40 years Bradshaw has shown and collaborated with well-known contemporary artists such as Robert Rauschenberg, Richard Serra, Keith Sonnier, Philip Taaffe, Eva Hesse, Bruce Nauman, Tina Girouard, Laurie Anderson and James Surls, among many others. During the 1960s he participated in various performance art pieces with Deborah Hay, Steve Paxton, Trisha Brown, Lamont Young, and Yvonne Rainer, Bradshaw played an integral part in building out the exhibition space, 112 Greene Street in NYC. 112 Greene Street; became a key exhibition and performance space for emerging artists and helped SoHo emerge as a center for the arts scene in New York City. He exhibited his work there early on, along with artist and close friend Gordon Matta-Clark.

In 1969, Bradshaw was one of seven artists commissioned by gallerist and art publisher Rosa Esman to participate in a project entitled 7 Objects/69, a limited edition artwork, that included multiples by seven process artists. The seven minimal and conceptual objects in 7 Objects/69 included sculpture by Eva Hesse, Richard Serra, Alan Saret, Keith Sonnier, and Steven Kaltenbach; a record album by Bruce Nauman; and Bradshaw's painting, Tears.

In his mid twenties, Bradshaw was one of the first artists invited to create art at Untitled Press at Rauschenberg's residence and studio on Captiva Island. He spent a number of months there creating new work in the late 1960s which was later included in an exhibit along with work by Rauschenberg, Cy Twombly, Brice Marden, and Robert Whitman at the Wadsworth Atheneum in 1973. His early works included photography, films, drawing, printmaking and large scale minimalist paintings.

Explosion Sculpture[link]

In 1970, after a visit to his studio by gallerists Leo Castelli and Ileana Sonnabend (at the urging of his close friend and collaborator Robert Rauschenberg) he was offered a solo show by Sonnabend to open her newest gallery. When Bradshaw told Sonnabend that he had shifted his focus from painting to explosion performance and chose not to paint the 12 paintings she asked for, Sonnabend expressed her opinion that explosion art was not something that could be sold. This changed the course of Bradshaw's art career, but having grown up with a passion for guns and a natural talent for marksmanship it was only a matter of time before his art evolved from painting on canvas into explosion performance and shot steel.

During the 1970s, David Bradshaw further explored the integration of his passion for shooting with his passion for creating art. He worked extensively with large sheets of treadplate steel and dynamite to create both free standing and wall mounted sculpture. He even experimented at times with blasting rock. Shooting became a more integral part of his medium. In 1972, after pounding the keys of an upright piano until they no longer made any sound Bradshaw and choreographer Steve Paxton dragged the piano into a field at which time he shot it once and declared it dead. This would be the precursor to his "fulmination" sculpture (as described by art critic and writer Jill Johnston), Piano, which he created in July 2005 over two days with the help of 2000 rounds of ammunition and 60 friends and family members.

In 1986, Bradshaw and artist Robert Rauschenberg held an exhibition of their works on paper at the Catamount Arts Center in St. Johnsbury, Vermont. Rauschenberg exhibited prints from his Chow Bag series while Bradshaw exhibited drawings and other works on paper from his South America Pond series.

Bradshaw collaborated extensively with his friend, artist and writer, William S. Burroughs over a number of years until Burroughs’ death in 1997. Bradshaw's art had a significant influence on the direction of Burrough's own artistic creativity and development. The two created steel sculptures, paintings, and prints together which in most instances were then shot by the two marksman artists. As one of the pall bearers at Burroughs' funeral, Bradshaw placed Burroughs' favorite pistol in his hand prior to burial. Their collaboration resulted most notably in a Graphicstudio portfolio of prints titled /Propagation Hazard/, along with a series of cut-out steel silhouettes and target paintings on canvas which were then shot and signed by both artists.

Exhibition History & Collections[link]

Bradshaw’s work has been exhibited in museums and galleries throughout the United States and Europe. His work was included in Ports of Entry, a retrospective of art and written works by Burroughs at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art in 1996. Over the years he has had various exhibitions at Jonathan Ferrara Gallery in New Orleans, LA and most recently at Kolok Gallery in North Adams, MA and from December 12, 2009 through January 23, 2010 at the Andrea Rosen Gallery in New York City. His work has been critically reviewed in /Art in America/ (Dec. 2005 and 1998), /Contact Quarterly/, and /ArtForum /as well as/ /in other periodicals and newspapers throughout the United States. His artwork has been collected both privately and publicly throughout the U.S. and Europe. Notable collections include the estates of artist Robert Rauschenberg and writer/artist William S. Burroughs, the National Gallery of Art, Smithsonian Institution, Walker Art Center, Whitney Museum of American Art, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Stedelijk Museum, Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum, Polk Museum of Art, the University of S. Florida Contemporary Art Museum, Smith College Museum of Art, and the Sheldon Swope Art Museum.

Over a dozen of Bradshaws large scale plasma torch sculptures are in the private collection of the House of Blues and are on permanent exhibit at their performance venues in Las Vegas, Nevada; Anaheim, California and Orlando, Florida.

Reference Material[link]

Prints from the Untitled Press, Captiva, Florida Wadsworth Atheneum; 72 pages, 1973.

Rauschenberg by Mary Lynn Kotz; 320 pages, 1990.

Ports of Entry: William S. Burroughs and the Arts <http://www.amazon.com/Ports-Entry-William-Burroughs-Arts/dp/0500974357/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1245152428&sr=1-1> by Robert A. Sobieszek and William S. Burroughs 192 pages, (Paperback - Oct 1996).

Taken by Surprise: A Dance Improvisation Reader by Ann Cooper Albright and David Gere, 304 pages, 2003.

The Judson Dance Theater: Performative Traces by Ramsay Burt, 204 pages, 2007.

The Artists Bluebook, Edited by Lonnie Pierson Dunbier, 2005.

Links[link]

• David Bradshaw at Madbrook Farm, Art in America, December 2005
• David Bradshaw and William Burroughs Blast Off, by Charles Giuliano
• Gudjon Bjarnason at Snug Harbor Cultural Center, Art in America, January 2007
• The Execution of II Cut Hand/Hurt Eyes, by Charles J. Dukes
• USF Contemporary Art Museum, Tampa, FL
• Ballistic Self-Expression, By D. Eric Bookhardt
• Marksman creationist practices pop, pop, pop art. by Doug MacCash June, 2009