19) Old Aberavon Fire Station

Just around the corner from where the Craddock Arms stood is the former Aberavon Fire Station. According to the band engraved around the middle of the façade, the building was opened in 1912. It’s no longer a Fire Station, and hasn’t been for decades. The town has a much newer fire station between Taibach and Margam, and I have a clear memory of the building being derelict when I first moved to Wales in 1986. Now, as shown in the sketch, the building has been given a new lease of life having recently been renovated for use as a community based Employability Centre. This is an imaginative solution from the council, and does show that they have a commitment to saving the town's architectural heritage.