The Six Bells Inn

The Old Six Bells Inn.
The old Six Bells Inn (as seen circled on the featured image above) was situated close to the old Black Bridge by the side of the main railway line where Cwm-Llydrew Home is today. I don’t know the date it was originally built or established though a building at that place was on the 1840 land maps, though the inn didn’t seem to appear in reports until the 1850’s.

Mr Thomas Williams.
On the 1851 census Mr Thomas Williams, a publican beer and spirits retailer was listed as being in the Six Bells (no name of an inn, just Six Bells), his wife Rachel was a house governor. Also living at the premises were Lewis and Mary Williams, parents, Mr Williams as a retired farmer and Mrs Williams a farmer’s wife and Margaret Probert a house servant.

Mr Thomas Edmunds.
In the 1850’s Mr Thomas Edmunds was the licensee of the old inn.

Mrs Ann James.
In 1862 Mrs Ann James was the licensee of the old inn. 

Mr Edward Plummer.
In 1868-71 Mr Edward Plummer was the licensee of the old Inn. 

Mr Edward Plummer.
In 1875-76 Mr Edward Plummer was the licensee of the old Inn. 

Mr Isaac Austin.
In 1876 Mr Isaac Austin was the licensee of the old Six Bells Inn and in the same year transferred the license to the Forge Hammer Inn, Abertillery.

Mr Phillip Meredith.
In 1891 Mr Phillip Meredith was reported as being the licensee of the old Six Bells Inn. He later applied to have a new inn or hotel built at Six Bells, which became the Six Bells Hotel, as seen in the link below.

Link to – The Six Bells Hotel.

 

Points of Interest – In the image above can be seen the location and roof top of the old Six Bells Inn. The old Inn was situated by the old Black Bridge which spanned the railway lines and took the Hafod Van Colliery and the Durban Coal Level waste across to the other side of the valley to be dumped. This waste ground was later the site where part of the Arael Griffin Colliery was later situated and a section of the waste tip opposite the Coach and Horses Inn created by the Six Bells Colliery just after its completion was excavated to allow the Bethany Church to be built. 

The old Six Bells Inn and the new Six Bells Hotel can be seen in this same image.