Cimla

Cimla
Cimla is located in Neath Port Talbot
Cimla
Cimla
Location within Neath Port Talbot
Population3,940 (2011 census)[1]
OS grid referenceSS760962
Principal area
Preserved county
CountryWales
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townNeath
Postcode districtSA11
Dialling code01639
PoliceSouth Wales
FireMid and West Wales
AmbulanceWelsh
UK Parliament
Senedd Cymru – Welsh Parliament
Councillors
  • Jeremy Hurley (Independent)
  • Tim Bowen (Independent)
  • Carl Jordan (Independent)
  • Peter Rees (Labour)
List of places
UK
Wales
Neath Port Talbot
51°39′03″N 3°47′38″W / 51.65088°N 3.79375°W / 51.65088; -3.79375

Cimla is a village and suburb of the town of Neath in the county borough of Neath Port Talbot, Wales. It is set high up on a hill. It is pronounced Kim-la. The Welsh language spelling is Cymla, pronounced the same way. Its meaning is a place with common land, which it presumably (being land on a hill above previous settlement) was until industrial expansion led to its being covered with housing.

Cimla consists of a residential area in the western central area, which is part of the built-up area of the town of Neath. The residential area is surrounded to the north, east, and south by open moorland. The whole of Cimla is set on high ground. It is home to the Cimla football club, formed in 1983, who play their games on Cefn Saeson playing fields. English is the most spoken language, with Welsh having minimal use. Cimla is Neath’s richest area, with an above average wage per person compared with the rest of the town.

Cefn Saeson (the name of the farm area and secondary school) is said to derive from the fact that this area was once the historic England and Wales border. The name Cefn Saeson translates to “English Ridge”.

There is also rumoured to be a Cimla castle near the Cefn Saeson farm. This is believed due to old Gnoll estate maps from 1812 naming the surrounding field “castle field”.

Singer Kathrine Jenkins was born in Cimla and now resides in London, England.

  1. ^ "Ward population 2011". Retrieved 12 April 2015.