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Glanmor Foundry

1850 John Powell opened a blacksmith’s shop in Copperworks Road.

1873 John Powell acquired GWR land and erected a small foundry and machine shop equipped with hand cranes and steam-operated machines. His main business was iron founder, chain, and chain cable manufacturer and general ships’ smith.

1889 In October a meeting convened by John Jennings and David Williams Rees, solicitors of Stepney Street, Llanelli, was held at the Town Hall to discuss forming a company which would purchase the Glanmor Foundry started by John Powell.

Directors in the new Glanmor Foundry Company were:

Cuthbert F Thompson, who was married to Ada Mary Rees, the sister of William John Rees of Gelli House;

D Samuel Vauxhall, Llanelli. Shop Owner;

R C Jenkins, Stepney Street, Llanelli, Proprietor of a prosperous hotel in Llanelli and shareholder in Old Castle Tinplate Company;

David Williams Rees, Stepney Street, Llanelli. Solicitor;

George Watkey, Goring Road, Llanelli, Borough Surveyor who designed the Market Pavilion in 1895;

William John Rees, Gelli House, Bryn, Llanelli, Secretary and son of William Rees the Younger.

David Williams Rees, Solicitor.

John Powell died at his home, Brynrhodin House, Myrtle Hill, in July 1889 aged 65 leaving a widow and a brother but no children from the marriage.

On 26 September 1889 Powell’s property was sold by public auction at the Athenaeum Hall. The Sale attracted a large audience and was described as the very extensive and well known Iron Foundry and Mechanical Engineering Works known as the Glanmor Foundry.

For a comprehensive history of the Glanmorfa Foundry and Engineering Co. Ltd. (Incorporating the Glanmor and Morfa Foundries) see Byron Roberts’ book ISBN 0906821 41X published in 1999 by Carmarthenshire County Council Cultural Services Division.