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Bythway's Brewery

1875 William Bythway established his own brewery on Marshland near the Railway Station in the Tyisha district of town. Local historian John Edwards recalls that, as a boy he remembers Bythway was pronounced Bytheway. The story was that William was a foundling child lucky enough to be brought up by wealthy parents or guardians who gave him the name because he was found ‘by the way’, abandoned at the side of the road.

The reason William chose the location is that there was a well with plenty of Water, an essential ingredient for making beer. A plan of 1878 shows the ‘New Brewery’ and ‘Well House’

1895 The brewery was bought out by the Buckley family when they acquired William Bythway’s interests including the brewery and public houses near the railway station.

1907 William Bythway died on 7 June 1907 aged 74 years and was considered a wealthy man for his time. He left an estate of £19,497 7s. 6d. and was buried at Old Road Cemetery, after a service in All Saints Church, Goring Road.

1908 Mrs Bythway died in November 1908 after suffering a long, lingering illness.

1911 Following the death of William Bythway and his wife, a wooden carving of the Last Supper with an ornate reredos and the beautiful stained glass in the east window was given to Llanelli Parish Church in their memory.

1919 Richard Thomas & Company Limited acquired the brewery, which had previously been purchased from William Bythway by Buckleys Brewery in 1895.

1920 Around this time the employees in the Richard Thomas Mills, Burry Extension, Burry Tinplate Works and the South Wales Steelworks (Morewoods) approached their management with a request that if they paid a weekly subscription could the redundant Brewery be converted into a Workingmen’s Institute. Management agreed and an amount of 1d or 3d a week was deducted from their wages to pay for a new building.

1921 The Institute was a grand building with three floors and a basement containing a gymnasium, fully equipped with modern (at the time) equipment. The sprung floor was made of wooden blocks from imported Canada and known as Oregan Pine, and was the only one of its kind in Wales. The 2nd floor housed a billiards room with 12 tables and facilities for table tennis. The 3rd floor had a library, reading rooms and study room for the workmen. Outside there was a magnificent bowling green.

The house now known as The Cottage was built as accommodation for the caretakers, a  Mr & Mrs Hill, and was modelled on a similar house in Canada also called ‘The Cottage’. That is how it got its name.

In Caersalem Terrace two entrances can be seen, one is flanked by two stone built gate posts which was one of the original entrances to the Brewery and further along the Terrace, close to The Cottage, are two red brick gate posts indicating the back entrance to the Institute.

1930 During the 1930s the R T Institute was a popular meeting place for tinplate workers who appreciated the facilities provided inside and outside the building. According to local residents, one of the ‘main attractions’ was the immaculate bowling green that was very popular with the members.

1939 The outbreak of the Second World War and the resultant hostilities with Germany changed life in Britain dramatically. Wales did not escape the wind of change and many local buildings were earmarked for the ‘War Effort’. The fate of the magnificent R T Workingmen’s Institute was sealed when the American military became involved in the War following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour.

From about 1939-50 R.O.P occupied part of the premises as a store for imported Russian petrol. The fuel was held in two or three tanks which were much smaller than modern storage tanks. Russian petrol was popular because it was the cheapest on the market.

1945 During the war years the Institute was used as a military supply depot and about six months before D Day the Institute was taken over by the American Military and the perfect bowling green was turned into a baseball pitch by American soldiers.

Following the end of the war and the departure of the Americans the Institute and the outbuildings were home to a variety of enterprises. Old Mr Potter of Llewellyn Street had a paraffin store in one of the outbuildings and another housed his handcart and at one time his trap and pony.

One of the directors of Cottage Garage recalls that his young brother would be taken to Ferryside with three other passengers in the pony and trap by Mr Potter, which caused great excitement locally. The trap had seats for four people two sitting side by side facing two on the opposite side. Sadly when the pony died the trips to Ferryside came to an end.

Mr Potter would load his hand cart with about 25-30 gallons calling at the homes selling his paraffin for a variety of different uses from heating, lighting, cleaning to cooking.

1947 From about this time the Rees family established their car repair business from The Cottage, using premises at the back as their workshop. Marsh Road was very busy around this time because there was a major GWR parcel depot and a storage area for coal from Cynheidre Colliery. The area around Langland Road was used for stabling the horses used by GWR for their delivery service. The area where the brewery once stood was occupied by J & G Pudner Brothers Coal Merchants.

1949 There was a change of ownership when the property was purchased by trustees acting for the Roman Catholic diocese of Menevia who were looking for accommodation to alleviate overcrowding at their school in Goring Road. The Council declined their application because underground water made it unsuitable for development. It should be remembered that the area was originally Marshland and that is how Marsh Street and the Marshfield Tap came by their names.

1966 Around this time the old Institute was purchased by Bernard Cowern who operated a filling station. He built a ramp so that the first floor could be used for spraying cars and converted the basement into a boat yard. In 1966-67 he built a 12 ton trimaran with the intention of sailing to New Zealand. Mr Cowern pulled up the timber floors from the Institute and used them for his boat.

Whilst he was building the boat an aged sea captain asked if he could see the trimaran. The old salt had been a mariner all his life and had sailed in many different types of vessels. He asked the would be sailor if he intended using a certain type of nail to fix the panels of the boat together. When the boat builder replied ‘Yes’ the captain shook his head and said that they were not suitable. The boat builder was advised by the old mariner to be careful because the boat was unsafe and the planks would separate once the vessel came into contact with the sea.

1967 During sea trials the trimaran known as the St Elli, came to grief near Llanstephen when the panels separated, just as the old sea captain had predicted and the vessel was wrecked off Pendine beach.

Sources

Mr Lyn Rees, Proprietor, Cottage Garage, Marsh Street.

John Edwards, Local Historian.

Looking Around Llanelli with Harry Davies. Edited by Gareth Hughes and illustrated by Vernon Hurford