My Sanctuary on the Hill: Memories of Mayhill and My Nan
Mayhill 1962-1980s
In 1962, we moved from Port Tennant and Wern Fawr Road to Blaenymaes. At the same time, my grandparents moved across the river Tawe to Gors Avenue on Mayhill. Like all the Swansea houses I lived in, these were built on the slopes of a hill — and this one was quite steep, with a lot of steps down to the front door.
Nan's House
My Nan's house was a simple two up, two down with a toilet and bathroom upstairs. The rooms were small. The kitchen had a pantry, and the space under the stairs was used to store coal. There was no central heating, but each room had a fireplace. The kitchen fireplace had a built-in stove and also heated the water.
There was a long, narrow front and back garden. My grandfather built a shed in the back garden, and we were strictly forbidden from entering it. We did anyway, and would rummage around looking for treasure. All we usually found were tools and garden implements.
The Mayhill Playground
Behind the terraced houses was a strip of wasteland — the Mayhill version of the Bank on Wern Fawr Road. There were a lot of kids living on my Nan's block of terraced houses and across the road. There were railway lines just beyond this play area. I think it was the main line to Llanelli, and trains passed quite often.
I would visit my grandparents as often as I could. Whenever I managed to gather enough money for a bus ticket, I would be off. I would often walk the 3.5 miles to their house as well, safe in the knowledge that she'd give me the money for the bus fare to return.
How Mayhill Has Changed
Looking at the map, the first big difference is the number of cars that are parked. In the past there were a few, but never as many as you can see in the image. The tarmac part where they're parked was a grass strip in my day. Probably as car ownership increased, the council was forced to provide decent parking spots.
The strip of wasteland behind the houses now looks like a woods has been planted. When we played there, it was a rubbish-filled scrubland of brambles, gorse bushes, and wild rhubarb. Closer to the fence running along the railway lines, there was a clear patch where we could play football or cricket.
What You'll Find Here
Some of the stories in this section also appear in the Blaenymaes section, as they overlap in time and place.
The biggest advantage of visiting my Nan's was that I was always sure of leaving with a full stomach.
The stories in this list aren't in chronological order — they're just the memories that come flooding back when I think about those precious visits to Mayhill.