The Mechanics Institution was designed by Alfred Russell Wallace and built in 1847. A four-bay building of stone construction, under a pitched slate roof, it has two storeys and a cellar. The eaves band is inscribed: 'MECHANICS INSTITUTION. ERECTED. A.D.1847.' A plaque on the front wall reads: Neath Borough Council. Alfred Russell Wallace, 1823-1913, designed this building. He lived in Neath from 1841-1848 during which period he worked as a surveyor and studied natural history. In his lifetime he collaborated with Charles Darwin in the study of Natural Selection and, with him, presented the first paper on this subject in 1858.
RCAHMW, 20 September 2011.