If you stand at the eastern end of Cefn Bryn moorland known as the 'backbone of Gower' you see, to the north, Parc-le-Breos, to the south the Bristol Channel and the spectacular Three Cliffs Bay, and to the west the ancient oakwoods of Nicholston. The whole area lies within the Gower Peninsula - the first designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and much is under the protection of the National Trust.
In this magnificent setting lie the villages of Penmaen and Nicholaston. The old farms and cottages are scattered along the spring line and the the later large houses take full advantage of the beautiful views of sea and cliffs.
The post office, school and general store have closed but there are still two active churches sharing their rector, a village hall, a hotel and a nursing home called Glan-y-Mor. During the Second World War, the latter, a large group of white buildings on the shoulder of Cefn Bryn, became a temporary home for families bombed out of their homes in Swansea. It had been built as a workhouse in the 1860s. The threat of being sent 'Up Penmaen' was often used by mothers to frighten naughty children.
For many centuries farming has been the main occupation. Patterns changed but the basis of success has always been the mild climate, the southerly aspect and the fertile soil. Most of the best land grows early vegetables and soft fruit but sheep and cattle are raised and arable crops. Even the rough grassland of Cefn Bryn allows grazing for cattle, sheep and ponies.
Penmaen Burrows is a large area of sand dunes on top of the 200 ft cliffs. Ancient man has left his mark - a megalith between 4,000 and 5,000 years old. Some say that a village known as Stedworlangs lies beneath the sand. In 1861 the Rector of Penmaen found a piece of painted glass while walking on the burrows and this discovery led to the uncovering of a lost parish church. Within its walls four human skeletons were found buried beneath the floor of the chancel. These may have been plague victims, which would account for the walling up of the chancel and the subsequent abandoning of the village in the 14th century.
The present church of St John in Penmaen has 14th century foundations. Its living lay in the possessions of the Order of Knight Hospitallers of St John of Jerusalem and its register dates from 1765. Sadly little trace of the early Gothic fabric remained after heavy restoration in the 1850s at the cost of £500. The same is true of St Nicholas in Nicholaston, restored in 1895 at the sole expense of Miss Olive Talbot. However, it does have an ancient bell cast by Aven Von Won in Kampen, Holland. The inscription reads 'I am cast in the year of our Lord 1518'.
In the reign of Henry I, the lands of Gower were occupied and colonised by Norman lords. William de Breos was a great favourite of King John and Gower was added to his extensive possessions in 1203. About 1230 his descendant, John de Breos created a hunting park, Parc-le-Breos, within this estate. It still exists today although its woodlands are now largely owned by the Forestry Commission. As late as 1912, by which time the estate was owned by Admiral Walker-Heneage-Vivian, the annual bag of pheasants was 2,000.
Part of the parish lies within a National Nature Reserve and the whole area has a rich and varied flora due to the wide range of habitat. In 1992 the local WI undertook a survey of the flowering plants in the parish and 324 species were identified, including unusual plants like herb paris, caper spurge, cranesbill and stinking hellebore.
Glanymor Old People's Home, Penmaen, was formerly the Gower Workhouse. The Poor Law Amendment Act of 1834 provided a central authority to regulate the relief of the poor throughout England and Wales. Parishes, grouped into Unions, were represented by elected poor law guardians who were required to make provision for relief in workhouses. In response to this the Gower Union Workhouse was built at Penmaen on land purchased by the Guardians from C R M Talbot in 1860. The building was erected in 1862 at a cost of £3,397 to house 50 paupers.
Unfortunately no minute books from the Gower Union prior to 1896 have passed into the custody of the West Glamorgan Record Office, and therefore it is not possible to construct a detailed history of this workhouse from primary sources. However, the minutes of the guardians meeting in May 1904, commenting on the conditions in the workhouse, stated that it was 'clean and in good order'. This was in marked contrast to the conditions in the Swansea workhouse at Mount Pleasant, which were frequently criticised. Indeed, conditions in the Gower workhouse were generally considered to be an improvement on those in Swansea and Neath. For example, beer was usually given to the inmates by the Gower Board of Guardians at Christmas, whereas the Swansea and Neath Guardians were reluctant to allow alcohol at any time.
One well-known character, who spent the last years of his life at Penmaen, was the ballad singer Phil Tanner, 'the singer of Gower'.
As a result of the Local Government Act 1929, the duties of the Boards of Guardians were transferred to the county boroughs and county councils on 1 April 1930. Following the National Assistance Act 1948, the workhouses ceased to function as such, and the Gower workhouse became known as Glanymor.
NB
The village information above is taken from
The Glamorgan Village Book, written by members of the Glamorgan Federation of Women's Institutes and published by Countryside Books. Click on the link
Countryside Books to view Countryside's range of other local titles.