Godre'r Graig County Primary School, still in use, was built in the early 1900s to the designs of W. J. Nash County Education Architect, and officially opened by the Glamorgan Education Committee on Monday 16th November 1908.

From The Cambrian: 'The school gives accommodation for 320 scholars and consists of six classrooms and large central hall with cloakrooms and headmasters room. Advantage has been taken of the slope to provide below the front part of covered playgrounds. The building is faced externally with polled stone work, with Forest of Dean stone dressings and the roofs are covered with Bangor slates. Internally, the walls have a glazed brick dado. Cloakrooms and entrances have floors of red tiles, the remaining floors being pitched pine wood blocks on cement concrete. The internal woodwork is stained green and varnished and the external painted green and white. Heating is by a low pressure hot water system, installed by Messrs J Legg and Sons Swansea but fireplaces are provided in case of emergency. There is a complete system of ventilation. The site is over an acre and allows for the future enlargement. The total cost will amount to £5,300. The contractor was Mr William Morgan Ystalyfera. The school was designed by and carried out under the superintendence of Mr W. J. Nash County Education Architect.'

Godre'r Graig's school building was shut in 2019 after a tip behind the site was identified as posing a "medium risk". The children have since been educated in temporary accommodation on the grounds of Cwmtawe Community (Comprehensive) School, Pontardawe, near to the site for a proposed new 'superschool'. In June 2021 the Council voted to close the school, along with Alltwen Primary and Llangiwg Primary, with the aim of building new primary school on land in Parc Ynysderw, Pontardawe.

Photographed during RCAHMW aerial reconnaissance on 08/04/11. O Davis RCAHMW 18/05/11.

Updated by M. Powel, RCAHMW. December 2021.

Sources:

'Godregraig New School', The Cambrian, 20 November 1908, p.6
Godre'rgraig School, Ystalyfera History and Heritage
'Plans to shut three Neath Port Talbot schools paused amid parents' anger', BBC News, 13 July 2021

Cofnod Safle

Godre'r Graig County Primary School