Brynhyfryd or 'Pleasant Hill' can be approached from by the Manselton end by Penfilia Road, from Pentre Estyll by using Eaton Road or Llangyfelach Road. Up to the 1920's trucks of coal were a familiar sight as they came down the incline from Mynydd Newydd to the busy Pentre Colliery close to Brynhyfryd Square. Around the square there were many coal tips. Donkeys and horses pulled carts loaded with coal from the Pentre Colliery to be sold to the public at the current charge of 9d per hundredweight.

The name 'Pleasant Hill' has not lost its meaning for Manselton Park and at a higher level Llewelyn's Park overlooking Brynhyfryd and Plasmarl are to hand. Roads such as the wide and pleasant Eaton Road, appear to be always clean and tidy. The streets in the district are:- Pleasant Row, Fredrick Street, Peglar Street, (Peglar's Mission), Freeman Street, Cross Street, Bryn Terrace and Saddler Street. Views of Swansea bay can be be seen from Hopkin Street and Bryn Street, while additional views of the then Hafod tip and Kilvey Hill may be seen from Pentre-Treharne Hill.

Among some of the notable personalities who came from Brynhyfryd are Mrs. Elsie Davies (nee Thomas), better known as Telynores Tawe who lived in Penfilia Road-a brilliant harpist; and Miss Mary Thomas, one of a number of talented singers in a district famous for its choirs. The performances of the Manselton Male Voice Choir, renamed the Swansea Male Choir in 1968, are, of course, very well-known throughout the Principality under the current leadership of its con­ductor, Mr. Emrys Jones.

Map 1875 showing tramway through Brynhyfryd

1890 Welsh Rugby Team

John Maredith of Brynhyfryd – The Wales XV which defeated England for the first time on 15th February 1890. John is the player standing on the right, he played as a forward for Swansea Rugby Club (All Whtes) in the years from 1885 to 1890. He was capped four times for Wales – 1888 against Scotland – 1890 against England. John Meredith is the first cousin of Sarah Lloyd (nee Meredith)

1900 – Commercial Inn

A wagon and horses prepare to convey its passengers from the Commercial Inn, at the junction of Eaton Road and Llangyfelach Road, to Swansea 1900

1904 – Revival - The area witnessed many religious meetings in the revival of 1904, when such eminent men as the Rev. D. Bowen Richards stirred many hearts.

Brynhyfryd boy’s junior school 1905, on the left facing the square

1908 – School’s out at Brynhyfryd

Boy’s junior school 1908

About 1910 – Y Piler cottage

Y Piler cottage near Brynhyfryd Square with the Pentre Pit in the background

1910 - Brynhyfryd Square 23rd July 1910

Brynhyfryd Square with New Siloh Chapel and Brynhyfryd Chapel in the background

1915 – Brynhyfryd Incline from Mynydd Newydd Colliery 1843 to 1932
Mynydd Newydd Colliery – Self acting incline – 1843 to 1932 Penlan Fawr to Penfilia Terrace, Brynhyfryd, Swansea, the length was 750 yards at a gradient of one in eight, two loaded drams pulling up one empty truck. As the colliery was in a rather isolated site a railway was built to carry coal from the pithead to the old Swansea canal.  The incline of the old tram road, which ran from the pit to Brynhyfryd Square, can still be traced today and it is still possible to follow a track for a few yards on a patch of rough ground behind Heol Frank, Penlan.  The site the colliery occupied in Mynydd Newydd Road is now playing fields.

Mary Morris of Cambridge Gardens, Beaufort, Ebbw Vale, after seeing the article, about a near-disaster at Mynydd Newydd Colliery in Swansea, wrote: My mother was the Bessie Thomas who narrowly escaped death or injury in 1915 when the trucks ran down the incline and crashed into Brynhyfryd Post Office. She was 20 years old at the time.
I heard the story many times over the years as my mother lived here with me, in the last years of life, dying in her 90th year. The present Post Office is not on the site of the old one, which was at the bottom of Penfilia Road, the first shop on the square.
Three trucks, full of coal, hit the house but two and a half trucks were actually inside, and half a truck protruded outside the wall. You might find it interesting to learn that a colliery official measured the coal outside the wall. My mother said that the half truck of coal was carefully removed, every lump and was returned to the colliery. The remaining two-and-a-half truckloads became the property of the householder. I wonder if that would be the law today? If a plane carrying gold bullion hit my house and most of the cargo landed inside my home, could I keep that gold? I am assuming that I, too, would be lucky enough to be out of the house at the time.

Pentre Pit, Brynhyfryd just before it closed in the mid-twenties, following the flooding arising from the withdrawal of pumping operations at Calland’s Pit on its closure in 1918

Those were the days before planning regulations and alongside fields and hedgerows were some of Swansea's earliest industrial undertakings. Around the corner were two old pits, deepened from primitive 18th Century workings. Pentre - originally Penfilia - Pit stood between Cwm Level Road and Llangyfelach Road. Cwm Pit was at the end of Trewyddfa Road, directly below Morris Castle. Today, St Peter's Roman Catholic Church occupies the site.  

The tramway over Cwmlevel Road from Pentre Pit to the Swansea Canal and the River Tawe

Both pits sent their coal to the wharves of Swansea by a horse-drawn tram road which followed the natural incline of Cwm Road, Neath Road and the Upper Strand to the banks of the river Tawe.
John Morris, the Morriston industrialist, connected his Cwm Pit to the line. By 1830, when there was a big demand for coal from the new smelters near Landore, John Morris Il built a new line to connect with the Swansea Canal- and in 1843 a line was built to Mynydd Newydd at Penlan.

Eaton Road, Brynhyfryd, is unusually wide because it was the site of the marshalling yard. Over the years, three lines converged at the Brynhyfryd yard. The first originated in 1806. It was built to connect Penfilia with the 18th Century railway that ran down Cwm Burlais to the shipping wharves at Swansea.

1916 - Brynhyfryd Junior school

1920 – Brynhyfryd Infants School

Brynhyfryd Infants Group 2 – Probably about 1920

1929 – Brynhyfryd Infant’s School

Brynhyfryd Infant’s School 1929

1930 Brynhyfryd Hall

Geoff and the Mandeliers – Bryn Hall 1930

1930 – Tulk’s coaches, Penfilia Road

Tulk’s all weather coach was just fine as transport for this outing of Swansea folk in 1930. The coach operators were based in Penfilia Road, Brynhyfryd.  

1930’s – Char-a-banc 

Friends and neighbours off on a coach trip from Brynhyfryd early 1930

1930 – Edward Jenkins’ steam lorry

This steam wagon was operated by Edward Jenkins & Sons, Landore in the early 1930s.

1932 - Bethel Chapel

The cast of Bethel Chapel 1932

1930’s – Swansea Ladies Football Team

This picture of Swansea Ladies Football Team brought back fond memories for Byron Mountfield, his aunt Edith Mountfield is in the photo, she lived at 90 Penfilia Road, Brynhyfryd, with her four sisters and six brothers. One sister Dilys lived most of her life in the same house and my father Will Mountfield lived all his live in the house opposite. Edith’s two sons Bernard and Glyn lived in Newbury and Farnborough. Edith’s daughter Marianne died in December 1996 in Camberley.

1932 – Brynhyfryd Infants School

Photo with Arthur B. Jenkins – Fourth from left – second row from back

The photo shows the infants class 1a of Brynhyfryd Elementary School in 1932.
Mr. Arthur Jenkins was aged 7 - It conjures up vivid images of life spent as youngsters in nearby Treboeth, Swansea. On long hot balmy summer evenings, not a motor-car was in sight, only the Treboeth Co-operative horse and cart delivering groceries. We made up our own innocent fun. We played street games of cricket, football, mob, cat and dog, touch, smooth the white rabbit and many more. We tied black cotton to purses placed strategically on pavements, and observed the look of amazement on  people's faces when someone bent down to pick up the purse - we'd give the cotton a tug. We tied cotton to door knockers and pulled them from a distance to disturb irate neighbours.
Our holiday enjoyment was flying kites, home made from sycamore trees, brown paper, string and a mixture of flour and water as paste. Entertainment was simple, a Saturday morning trek In all weathers to the local flicks - the Landore Bug. Admission was one old penny and the management supplied a free bar of chocolate. We sat two in a seat, hissed, yelled, screeched and cheered the exploits of Tom Mix, Cowboys and Indians and The Lone Ranger. On winter evenings we watched magic lantern slide shows and attended the Band, of Hope concerts held in the local chapel schoolroom.
To quote Dylan Thomas: "If it could only just be like this forever and ever, Amen." 
Arthur B. Jenkins, Llangyfelach Road, Treboeth, Swansea.

1933 – Infants Class 3A

Brynhyfryd Infants – Class 3A 1933

1938 – Llew Morris’ Ladies hairdresser and gent’s barber shop

 
The gent’s barbers shop was run by his relative Bryn Jones – The barber’s shop 1938, now a chemist shop and a later photo of Llew Morris the ladies hairdresser about 1950

Late 1940’s – BRS lorry and trailer with its crew near Brynhyfryd Square

British Road Services lorry parked outside Penfilia Terrace at end of Penfilia Road

1945 – Brynhyfryd Junior School

Brynhyfryd Junior Boys’ School gymnastic team June 1945, headmaster Mr. Thomas is on the right of senior teacher Mr. Eddie Davies. Gerald McDonald is to the left of Mr. Thomas wearing glasses.

1947 – Several boys from Penfilia Road, Brynhyfryd

Swansea Sea Scouts 1947 summer camp at Saundersfoot  Backrow  -?- Len Davies -?- ?- Dudley Grove -?- .     Front Malcolm Maunders - Terry Veal - ?- ?- Byron Mountfield -?- ?- ?-?

1948 – Brynhyfryd Infant School

Brynhyfryd Infant School 23rd May 1948

Early 1950’s – Brynhyfryd Boy’s Junior School

Some of the pupils of Brynhyfryd Boys’ Junior School early 1950’s Peter Morgan is 5th from left in the front row, living in Pennard Street, Manselton. 

1953 – Brynhyfryd Girl’s Junior School

Brynhyfryd Girl’s Junior School – St. David’s Day 1st March 1953

1961 – D. G. Attwell funeral undertaker

Mr. D.G. Atwell, undertaker, with two of his assistants, early 1961.
The firm also supplied wedding vehicles, hence the white ribbons on the bonnet of the car.

1962 –

Brynhyfryd School during St. David’s Day 1962

1964 –

Brynhyfryd Infant’s School 1964

1966 –

Brynhyfryd Infant School 1966

1968 – Brynhyfryd Infants School

Brynhyfryd Infants School pupils hold their annual harvest thanksgiving service October 1968

About 1970’s –

Looking at pollution in Cwm Stream kept Brynhyfryd Junior Comprehensive School pupils busy. Here pupils Maldwyn Pope, of later music fame and Ann Roberts show off their work.

1982 –

Brynhyfryd Square – Winter 1982

1983 – Pleasant Row, connected Eaton Road to Llangyfelach Road

Pleasant Row, Brynhyfryd, 1983. It has since been demolished to make way for new houses.

2006 - Siloam Chapel, Pentre Estyll, December 2006 

Siloam Independent Chapel Pentre Estyll - Erected 1864
Sefydlwyd 1842       Adeiladwyd 1864         HelaetHwyd 1914

2008 – Brynhyfryd Chapel

Brynhyfryd Chapel 2008