The original public house called the Vale of Neath Arms, now known as the Vale of Neath, has been extended into the adjoining premises and is reputed to have a ghost, probably the apparition of one William Brazel.

Between two and three o’clock in the morning of 23 May 1861, two young men, William Harry and William Brazel, fought with each other on Bigyn Hill, near the Wern. The men had been drinking in the Vale of Neath Arms when a dispute arose between them. Harry, Brazel and four others went to Bigyn Hill to continue the fight. After fighting for some considerable time William Brazel collapsed and was left lying on the ground in a state of unconsciousness. Police Sergeant Lewis was informed and he called a ‘medical gentleman’ to the scene to examine the body.

Unfortunately, Brazel was dead, William Harry was taken into custody, and the case was investigated. A newspaper report of the time said that a ‘cast of gloom hung over the whole town and neighbourhood’.