The villages of Cwmgwrach and Blaengwrach are on the upper reaches of the Neath Valley, and occupy the strip of lowland south of the River Neath, and up the lower slopes of the hillside around the Nant Gwrach stream. The ward had a population of 1,985 in the 2001 census, but 837 were residents of the neighbouring community of Glynneath, so the population of the Blaengwrach community was 1,148. The ward population changed very little at the census of 2011. The settlement of Blaengwrach is sometimes confused with the village of Cwmgwrach, the name that is used for both the village as a whole, and the western settlement. Traditionally, the stream is the dividing line. The Community Council describe Cwmgwrach, as being a village that 'is actually a combination of Blaengwrach and Cwmgwrach'. A history of the village was written by Ian Currie, published in 2000. The village itself was once an active commercial centre, servicing the coalmines, but now contains one shop, a single pub and a rugby union club, Cwmgwrach RFC. Other community facilities include Blaengwrach Primary School, St Mary's Church in Wales, the 13th Afannedd Scout group, and the Welfare Hall. For wider services the village is largely dependent upon Glynneath.
Transport
The Neath and Tennant Canal once reached to Glyn-neath, and has been restored to provide over four miles of walkable towpath between Resolven and Glynneath. The Vale of Neath Railway was built by Isambard Kingdom Brunel to carry coal to Swansea docks, and is still used for freight trains transporting coal from the Unity open cast mine at the north-east edge of the village. In 1996 the single-carriageway road along the length of the Neath valley was replaced with a major duel-carriageway, carrying the A465 trunk road from Llandarcy to Hirwaun in Rhondda Cynon Taf, which transformed the access along the Neath valley.
Government and politics
The electoral ward of Blaengwrach includes part or all of the villages of Blaengwrach and Cwmgwrach in the parliamentary constituency of Neath. The Blaengwrach ward is bounded by the wards of Glynneath to the north; Rhigos of Rhondda Cynon Taff to the east; Glyncorrwg to the south; and Resolven to the southwest. The ward consists of a built up settlement to the northwest. The central area is dominated by open castcoal mining, while the rest of the ward is ringed by woodlands and forests. In the 2017 local council elections, the results were:
In 2014, a film called 'Valley of the Witch', was released, set in Cwmgwrach, and with substantial on location filming. A low-budget indie horror/witchcraft film, it was written and directed by Andrew Jones, and released to DVD in 2015 under the title 'Conjuring the Dead'.
