101) Water Street Business Centre

What? Isn't the blog entitled 100 Faces of Port Talbot - not 101?! Well it is, and I'm not going to change the title. Still, the thing is this. I've enjoyed making these sketches so much that I just don't want to stop. So whenever I do another sketch of Port Talbot, then I'll add it to the blog. Hey, it's my blog - and I make the rules. 

So this is the Water Street Business Centre. For my first two decades in Port Talbot this building was actually the local Health Centre where I and my family would see our GP. That moved some time ago to a purpose built building in Sandfields which actually houses several different practices. For a while after the Health Centre moved this held a local radio studio. Now, though, it's a business centre, although how many businesses are based there I couldn't rightly say.

I wouldn't go so far as saying that I think this is a particularly handsome building, but I do like it as an example of the way that not every building built between the 50s and the end of the 70s is absolutely pug ugly. Damning with faint praise? Well, sorry, but I'm not going to lie. 

100) Talbot Memorial Park War Memorial and Bandstand

Yes, dearly beloved, I decided that I would return to the subject of my very first sketch, the war memorial for this one hundredth. 

1) Talbot Memorial Park War Memorial

Of course, I wasn't going to show just the memorial, which is why I've included the bandstand. A grade II listed structure in its own right, the bandstand is typical of the sort of thing that almost every park in every town could boast once upon a time. It's in a bit of a state at the moment, but the calls on the public funds are many, and I understand that repairing the bandstand is not a priority. 

99) Dyffryn Chapel, Ffrwdwyllt Street, Port Talbot

I've been away for my annual trip to Spain for almost the last fortnight, and that's why I haven't posted in that time. All the sketches I made while I was away were sketches of Spain, for rather obvious reasons.

This is Dyffryn Chapel, which I believe must be one of the largest chapels in Port Talbot. It's a grade II listed building, and disused at the moment. There's been several stories about it in the last couple of decades, but I don't know how true it is that I was bought by a developer who was then refused planning permission to convert it into dwellings. 

The chapel is situated right by the river Ffrwdwyllt - unpronounceable for anyone like me who was brought up in England, I'm afraid. 

98) Taibach Rugby Club

Continuing with the line and wash sketch theme here. Taibach Rugby Club allegedly was a favourite haunt of Port Talbot's most famous son, Richard Burton (although Oscar winner Sir Anthony Hopkins runs him a close record, and Oscar nominated Michael Sheen isn't that far behind either). In this century alone two British Lions players have come through its ranks, so the club is obviously doing something right. More importantly, it was also the venue for my son's 18th Birthday party - which was longer ago than I care to discuss at this moment.