Bont Photos: From Fountain to River
Stand on this spot. This is Bolgoed Road, old as the hills, high, wet and green, and from this small stone, made not by druids but by the council, you can see the town below you.
Listen! You, and only you, can hear the beer-sick back-rows moaning in bed.
Look! Fflwsh, creeping out of the brickworks, tightening the string round his trousers, hoping Mrs Beynon's bin has something for breakfast.
Far away, a cock crows. Bells ring out silently. An old collier barks in his sleep, and counts the pubs just to make sure. He sighs deeply:
"Dear God! I know there are towns lovelier than ours, with leafier trees and loftier choirs, and sweeter bards than I to sing. We are a stand-off to a giant, a tiny dingle is Second Woods, our river Dulais a baby on a coaly bed, the merest pimple our Roman Hill, the church a ruin on the marsh but oh! let me choose to sing all day and never, never leave the Bont."
The Fountain, Dylan's first port of call, arriving from Swansea on the number 8 United Welsh double-decker. It was the start of the traditional pub crawl down through the town, ending up in the Black Horse on the other side of the Llwchwr river in Carmarthenshire.
Y Babell chapel, standing sentry as he passed.
Morriston Crescent viewed from the church lane towards the Fountain Inn. Dylan would have walked this route many times on his way to the Police Station.
The old Police Station, today a care home.
The Sergeant, Albert Evan Johnson, knew Dylan’s Ferryside relatives. His daughter, Beryl Hughes, has written a book about Dylan, including memories of him playing a tune on the milk churns that were stored outside the Police Station, and quipping: “This is what you call churning out the music.”
St Teilo's church on the lane opposite the Police Station and alongside Whit Cottage, Granny Williams' home.
The King Hotel came next after St Teilo’s and would have provided Dylan with a taste of Evan Bevan's Vale of Neath ales.
The Pontardulais Carnival passing The King Hotel, 1960s.
It was not just the colliers' pub but also the headquarters of the Town Band, as well as the rugby team, who used to change and shower in a building in the pub's car park.
The King more recently, prior to its demolition in 2021, to make way for the return of the Co-op to the town.
The English Presbytarian chapel halfway between the King and the Farmers.
Trinity Chapel located between Presby and the Farmers. This was the original location of Dan Matthews' drama company.
Opposite the chapel was one of the Bont's dens of iniquity, Tass Harries' billiard rooms.
Next stop the Farmers Arms, (above) for a pint of Worthington's and memories of Morfydd Lewis and the Rebecca rioters. (photo c1926)
The thatched building was renovated in the early 1950s. The Farmers marked the start of the Bont's main shopping area. The Hope Street/ St Teilo Street shops were, of course, supplemented by shops in many of the residential streets; for example, in Glanyrafon Road there was Tudor the Butcher, Owen's general store and James the Bees ice cream shop at the top.
On Oakfield Street, there was Ceridwen Beynon's vegetable shop and Glynllwchwr Road was the location of Johnny and Mrs Thomas' vegetable shop, as well as Dan Llangadog's glazier's shop. Almost all of these shops were "parlour shops", run from the front room of people's own homes. Johnny Thomas (fondly known as Johnny Cabbage) and Messer sold their fruit and veg around the houses from the backs of horse drawn carts.
The Co-operative drapery shop, Bowen Rees the Chemist, Mrs Sims' ladies fashion shop, the Farmers Arms and the electicity showroom to the right.
To the left, White's the ironmongers and DR's fish and chip shop. [photo c 1920, premises names c1945.]
Turn around, and you have the rest of Hope Street (St Teilo Street) in front of you, and Dulais Road slipping off to your right, with the Post Office, Labour Exchange and Wilson's chip shop.
Hermon chapel 1904, with Dulais Road to the right, and Hope Street/St Teilo Street to the left
Hope Street/ St Teilo Street showing its two well-connected newsagents. The one on the right is Spot, run by Gethin Morgan who married Vera Bassett's sister, Edna.
Lower down by the telegraph pole is Caxton House, run by Wynford Vaughan Thomas' uncle Jenkin Thomas and his son Hywel Parri Thomas.
Opposite Spot was May the Oil's gift shop and Eluned Parri Thomas' wool shop. A few doors further down came Aubrey's shoe shop and Domachi's cafe, with its wonderful steam pies, Stokes the greengrocer and then John Leah's grocery store, all leading to the fire station.
Aubrey's with its 1920s shop front
'Domachi's Snack Bar' in the 1960s
The Pontardulais Co-operative grocery store in 1908.
A Co-op advert from the Llwchwr Express 1952.
Entering the bottom end of Hope Street/St Teilo Street, c1945. On the right, Gwyn Jones the chemist and Noakes the baker, with part of the front of Hope chapel visible. On the left, the fire station and Joe Foligno's cafe and ice cream shop. Then after the entrance to New Road, a row of shops that included Thomas the Oil, Seingry the jewellers, Alf and Bal Williams' paint shop, and Ben Morgan's the ironmongers, ending up with the Wheatsheaf.
Hope chapel.
If Dylan had listened carefully on one of his post-war strolls, he may have heard the dulcet tones of the infant Dennis O'Neill, the world renowned tenor, whose father (affectionately known as Doc O'Neill) had set up home in Adelaide House next door to the chapel.
The Mechanics Institute built 1905.
Dances were held regularly at the Institute.
The Wheatsheaf public house and a pint of Felinfoel with Evan and Mair Delbridge.
The Tivoli cinema during the floods of 1947. Just visible, is the roof of St Michael's church. The people on the left are standing outside the Wheatsheaf public house.
The shops in the block on the left included Tree and Gubb the stone masons, Sid the Barber perched in a tin shed over the river Dulais, Rhidwyn Davies, Manchester House, outfitters, two houses (one of which was conductor T. Haydn Thomas' home), Barclays Bank, an Italian cafe, Midland Bank, Idwal Williams the ironmongers and, around the corner, Ossie Walters' garage.
The Cenotaph and St Michael's church.
Tinplate workers at nearby Teilo works.
Dulais Square looking towards the railway station, the Fforest and Carmarthenshire. The dilapidated house adjacent to the lamp post and the pedestrian is the location of the Pontardulais Gate House. Dulais Square was the terminus for United Welsh's number 8 and number 3 buses.
The Dulias Glen full of smoke, sweat, tinplate workers and Felinfoel beer.
The Pontardulais Gate would have closed the road to traffic at the spot where the man and child are walking. The toll house was alongside the gate, (behind the lamp post) on the left hand side of the road as we look at it.
The Dulais Glen Hotel boarded prior to demolition. There are a million and one stories about Dylan Thomas, including the one about him having a pint in the Dulais Glen when waiting to catch the bus to Carmarthen. He began disparaging the Bont and its people. It's said he was promptly given a good hiding and thrown outside.
Pontardulais Station was at the junction of the Llanelli and Swansea railway lines. This is where William Proper Williams worked as a platform foreman. He was a cousin of Dylan's mother, Florence.
The signal box, level crossing and footbridge of the old Swansea Victoria to Pontardulais railway line located between the Dulais Glen and the Gwyn Hotel.
The Gwyn Hotel, the last public house on the Glamorganshire side of the bridge.
The two bridges across the river Llwchwr at Pontardulais c1940. The new bridge was built in 1937; the old bridge was dismantled in 1945. It was this old bridge that the rioters crossed in 1843 to attack the Pontardulais Gate.
The Red Lion Hotel, the first public house on the Carmarthenshire side of the bridge and one-time home of Rebecca leader, Griffith Vaughan.
Morgan D. Hayes was landlord at the Red Lion from 1911 to 1938; his widow, Mrs Elizabeth Hayes, continued until 1952.
No doubt one or the other would have served Dylan with a pint of Felinfoel.
Pontardulais Village c1841. The Commercial Hotel & Boarding House was also known as the Pontardulais Hotel and The Red Lion. Griffith Vaughan was landlord here after John Williams. Stories are told locally about Vaughan and the Rebeccca rioters holding clandestine meetings in the cellars of this old public house. The station sign points to the early Llanelli railway line stopping place. The line was opened in 1839.
The Black Horse public house at the bottom of Clayton Rd and the Fforest hill. Here, Dylan would have been back on the Buckleys.
In September 1843, Sarah Williams, the Hendy Tollgate keeper was brought to the (old) Black Horse (behind the photographed building) after being shot by the Rebecca rioters.
The estuary of the river Llwchwr at the confluence of the Gwili river, about 400 yards from the Hendy tollgate. The old whitewashed church of St Teilo is centre left. The railway viaduct in the background was opened in 1914 and is known locally as the Eleven Arches.