Disastrous Blaze at Mumbles, 12th February 1914 - by Kate Jones
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The Dunns, Mumbles, 4am, Thursday 12 February 1914: Recent weather had been unusually mild but this morning there was a northerly wind. The man walking to work might have tightened his muffler. Most of the villagers were still asleep; the man walking to work might have envied them their warm beds. There had been a violent thunderstorm during the night; the man walking to work might have noticed water gurgling in the gutters. Few were up and about at that hour, although the man walking to work might have spotted the night-watchman guarding drainage works at the rear of the Dunns. It was too early for the first Mumbles Train into Swansea so the man walked to work as he usually did. But this Thursday morning was about to be anything but usual!
On reaching the Dunns, Mr James Windsor (for that, according to the Mumbles Press, was the man’s name) suddenly became aware that something was very wrong. The noise he could hear was not the wind rattling the bare branches of the trees at the bottom of Newton Road, the puzzling light he could see was brighter than an early-riser’s flickering bedroom candle and the strange smell was not a freshly-cooked breakfast. There was smoke coming from the large building on the corner of Newton Road – FIRE! FIRE!
It was just after 4am on Thursday 12 February 1914; by 7.30am three premises were in ruins with thousands of pounds worth of damage, several jobs lost and the lives of one Mumbles family completed destroyed.
The Herald of Wales, Saturday 14 February 1914
The building on the corner of Newton Road, called Leaholme, was an impressive one built for William Hullin Jones about ten years before (according to the Herald of Wales). It was designed by his brother-in-law, architect George Alfred Birkenhead. Constructed with high quality red bricks, Leaholme, with its decorative first-floor window arches, three dormers and several tall chimney stacks denoting many rooms, was ‘generally regarded as being one of the best buildings in Mumbles.’
”One of the best buildings in Mumbles”
W.H. Jones’s shop photographed by M.A. Clare between 1907 and 1913,
OHA Archive
William Hullen Jones, Roger Jones
In 1914 William Hullin Jones and his wife Elizabeth had been in business in the village for over 30 years. In the 1881 census William, married for three years with a new-born son, was a blacksmith occupying Brighton House in the Dunns; Elizabeth was a shopkeeper selling stationery and books. Perhaps the latter was more lucrative, for two years later William advertised himself as a bookseller as well as a boot dealer and an insurance agent for the London Provincial Insurance Company. Elizabeth sold millinery and fancy goods. Photograph of William Hullin Jones, Roger Jones
They were an enterprising and hard-working couple who, as well as raising five children (William Henry,
Elizabeth Burt Jones, Roger Jones
Elsie Elizabeth, John Clifford, Minna Rachel and George Phillips) had by 1890 extended their business in the Dunns to include a sub-post office. In the census of 1901 sub-postmaster and stationer William and his family lived at the ‘Post Office’ in the Dunns (probably on the seaward side). Two of the children, Elsie and John, were old enough to be employed as post office clerks and the family could afford a servant.
The Dunns’ shops in the 1890s, where William and Elizabeth Jones had their first shop selling boots, shoes, books, stationery fancy goods and later a sub-post office. OHA Archive
When Leaholme was built (about 1903) at the bottom of Newton Road Mr and Mrs Jones moved the post office to their new, larger premises. Unfortunately in Sptember 1906 their post-office counter had to be closed. This was because a newly-built post office opened in the Dunns, opposite the Methodist chapel. It was managed by Miss Annie Orrin whose family had run a sub-post office at 4 Commercial Place, Southend for 45 years. By 1910 William was no longer advertised as a sub-postmaster in Mumbles, although his shop at the foot of Newton Road may have been referred to as ‘the old post office’. The loss of the sub-post office must have been a financial blow to William Jones. In July 1907 the business premises - ‘stationery and boot depot - suitable for any other business’ was advertised to let or sell, with 96 years unexpired on the lease. (South Wales Daily Post, 13 July 1907)
Obviously there was no sale, for in the 1911 census William, Elizabeth and two of their sons (John aged 26 and George aged 19) were still living in their spacious corner house at the bottom of Newton Road. The other three children, William Henry, Elsie and Minna (who was married in 1910) had moved away. There were 14 rooms altogether, which probably included the shop space comprising a boot and shoe depot and a stationery department, Mrs Jones’s millinery shop and a store room. The London City & Midland Bank leased part of the building as a sub-office of its Swansea branch. Since 1906, sets of rooms in Leaholme had been advertised for letting, and in the 1911 census a Mrs Eva, a retired draper, and her daughter occupied three.
The formation of W.H. Jones, Stores, Ltd, April 1913: In the spring of 1913 William Jones, attempting to revitalise his 33 year-old business, took a big step forward. A public limited company, W.H. Jones, Stores, was successfully floated to take over the existing business and lease the premises from Mr Jones, who would now be managing director. The new proprietors intended to extend the business in stationery, boots, shoes and gentlemen’s underclothing by carrying larger stocks, and to widen their appeal to customers by opening a grocery department.
Advertisements for the new public limited company, W.H. Jones, Stores, Ltd.,
Mumbles Press, 10 & 17 April 1913
‘A Modern and Progressive Policy’: Although there were other grocery, stationery and shoe shops in Mumbles, the new company considered there was room in the village for a store selling ‘high-grade groceries’ at prices to compete with the trading of shops in Swansea. In other words - why go to the trouble of shopping in Swansea when you could get similar high-class products at competitive prices on your village doorstep?
The new grocery section was in the care of Mr Albert Watkins of Chapel Street who, according to the Mumbles Press, ‘had considerable experience of the Mumbles trade’. William Jones continued to manage the footwear (with a private fitting room available), clothing and stationery departments, and his wife Elizabeth sold fancy goods and haberdashery.
‘The finest quality of everything is the basis of our policy, as we do not intend to compete with inferior goods.’ During April and May weekly advertisements appeared in the Mumbles Press trailing the new company and drawing readers’ attentions to the opening of the new grocery department. Customers were promised refunds if they were not satisfied. Mumbles Press, 1 May 1913
Curiosity alone must have led to increase in foot-fall when the newly decorated Corner House re-opened its doors in the first week of May 1913. But nine months later the ‘well established’ business was advertised for sale once more.
Western Mail, 9 February 1914
First on the Scene of the Fire: When James Windsor spotted the smoke coming from Leaholme he immediately raised the alarm. His shouts roused Mr and Mrs Jones and their son, John as well as Mr Thomas and family who lived next door. While they were brought to safety, Albert Edward Weller, employed by Messrs Parkinson & Hodgens as night watchman for the drainage works at the rear of the Dunns, ran to alert the local police.
People living nearby, woken by the shouts and cries, came to help. Ted John, youngest son of John John, the plumber in Newton Road, climbed through a broken window trying to find the source of the blaze and put it out. He could see fire smouldering in one corner, behind the telephone box, but was overcome by smoke and had to be helped out by his older brother, Douglas.
‘Terror-inspiring’ The prompt arrival of the local police, Inspector John Davies, acting-Sergeant Thomas Williams and constables Griffiths, Hamens, Harries Mallins and Roberts, may have led onlookers to hope the blaze would be swiftly dealt with. Their hopes were dashed! Though the police were in charge of fire-fighting they had no equipment apart from fire extinguishers and buckets. Inspector Davies telephoned for urgent assistance from the Swansea Fire Brigade.
By 5am the fierce fire had burned out the rooms above the shop and was through to the roof. Fanned by a strong wind the flames grew higher and higher. It was, reported the Mumbles Press: ‘terror-inspiring in the extreme’ and something ‘which many locals, unused to such awful sights will not soon forget.’
The Swansea fire service arrived at 5.30 pm, having taken three-quarters of an hour –not long considering their appliance was horse-drawn. Under the command of Inspector Bounds, five Swansea constables (Bevan, Blackmore, Davies, Evans and O’Brien) began pumping water onto the blaze. Men and machine did their best and there was plenty of water, but the fire, having gained a firm hold, burnt freely.
Photograph by M.A. Clare, OHA Archive
William, Elizabeth and John Jones, having salvaged the little they could of their personal possessions, must have despaired as the combustible stocks of clothing, footwear and stationery burned so easily. Grocery goods burst into flames; sugar, fats and flour dust were all flammable and the rest simply cooked! The fire engulfed the bank premises and spread to the house next door, from which police had rescued some furniture, including a very old spinet, piling it up on the pavement.
Falling chimney stack narrowly misses fire-fighters: The men combatting the fire worked at great risk. The intense heat cracked and ‘shivered to pieces’ windows in the White Rose across the road. (Western Mail) Without warning, the front wall and a chimney stack crashed into the road. Inspector Davies and one of the constables leapt away just in time - escaping serious injuries.
Premises gutted! By 7.30 a.m. the shop was completely burnt out and the Swansea police and their fire-fighting equipment returned to town. Mr Jones praised their efforts but was faced with the ruins of his business premises. The gutted shell was a mess - the roof and upper floors had fallen to the ground which was littered with the debris of what had been precious stock, only the cracked upper walls remained, supported by iron girders and pillars.
‘Only the cracked, outer walls remained, supported by iron girders and pillars. Photograph by M.A. Clare, OHA Archive.
The cause of the fire? Thursday was early-closing day and the still-smouldering ruins attracted a large crowd, including local photographer, M.A. Clare, who had hurried along from his shop in Southend to record the event.
The story of the fire was reported in all the local newspapers. SERIOUS CONFLAGRATION AT CASTLETON headed a lengthy account in the South Wales Daily Post. Alliteration was obviously of greater concern than accuracy – the fire was in the Dunns; Castleton was further up Newton Road!
The Cambria Daily Leader was more circumspect with their headline: BIG BLAZE AT THE DUNNS – CAUSE UNKNOWN. Indeed, a shocked Mr Jones, when interviewed by the papers, said the cause was ‘a mystery’.
There had been a thunderstorm during the night and it was suggested that a lightning strike caused the blaze. A tongue of fire had been seen running along the telephone wire above the premises and that set fire to a telephone box.
FIRED BY LIGHTNING’ ran the headline in the South Wales Weekly Post two days later. A smart reporter had interviewed Mr Prussman, Swansea Borough Council Engineer, who agreed with this hypothesis, saying it was: ‘quite possible for a telephone wire to be struck by lightning in the way suggested, and this could set fire to the premises.’ He added that whilst he did not consider ‘wires telephonic or electric to be a potential source of danger’ he personally would never use a telephone during a thunderstorm unless he had to!
Advert for temporary bank premises, Mumbles Press, 12 February 1914
The Western Mail estimated the total loss to be in the region of £2,000, which would be covered by the Phoenix Insurance Company, Bristol. Mr Thomas, next door, was insured with the North British Mercantile Insurance Company. The bank was also insured. Mr C. Vivian, the manager, informed the South Wales Daily Post that no gold or papers had been destroyed in the fire as none had been left in the building overnight. A temporary office was speedily opened in Mr Harris’s hairdressing saloon at No. 4 Dunns.
But the cause of the fire was not lightning after all! The day after the fire a Post Office engineer made a careful examination of the telephone in the building. He then reported that the lightning protector was not fused, which it would have if it had been struck by lightning. In his opinion the cause of the fire was not lightning.
Cambria Daily Leader, 13 February 1914
On Sunday hundreds of visitors poured into Mumbles - from Swansea and the local area – to look at the smouldering ruins. It must have been quite a tourist attraction, albeit rather dangerous. People speculated about the cause, about how much worse it might have been had the wind been blowing from a different direction, More importantly, what was the Council going to do to prevent further such catastrophes? The Mumbles Press reported that there was a great deal of public sympathy for the Jones family whose loss it appeared might not be covered by insurance. Tragically, that turned out to be correct.
The shop was partially demolished and boarded-up to make it safe.
photograph by M.A. Clare, OHA Archive.
‘An Act of God’ The cause of the fire remained unclear. The insurance company apparently considered it to have been ‘an Act of God’ and did not pay up. William Hullin and Elizabeth Burt Jones had lost their home, their business and all their personal possessions. William went to work in his brother John’s rubber business and died in Eastbourne in July 1915, 17 months after the fire. His death certificate gave cause of death as bronchitis and emphysema. Perhaps hastened by what his family said was a ‘broken heart’.
His funeral in Mumbles was attended by several Mumbles traders and businessmen.
The Corner House was partially demolished and boarded-up to make it safe. Within a few years it was rebuilt as a larger branch of the Midland Bank. In the late 1920s that side of Newton Road was developed for shops and residential accommodation above.
Left; the Midland Bank, undated; Right; Greggs in 2021, photo Kate Jones, OHA Archive
Now, in 2021, the building is occupied by Greggs. When you are next passing, take a look. It still has the red bricks, patterned window arches, dormers and tall chimney stacks (although not as many) of the original Leaholme – which was once regarded as ‘one of the best buildings in Mumbles’.
Two weeks after the disastrous fire at Mumbles a special meeting of the Oystermouth Urban District Council voted to purchase fire appliances for the village. That is another story …
Acknowledgements: OHA Archive; Law and Postal Order, by Carol Powell; The Mumbles Press (City and County of Swansea Libraries Service, Local Studies); other local papers were sourced from Welsh Newspapers online and the National Newspaper Archive online; thanks to Roger Jones for family information.
Kate Jones, April 2021
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