The village of Penybanc lies on the western outskirts of Amanford, separated from the town by the river Loughor. The first edition of the 25inch maps, published in 1878, shows a fairly small settlement with several 'old coal pits,' as well as the working Park Colliery and Park Flour Mill. To the south there were two other working collieries - Hendre and Rhos. The settlement also had two public houses - the Golden Lion to the north and the Bridg-end to the south. The second edition of the 25inch OS maps, published in 1906, shows that the village had expanded in a south westerly direction - Penybanc now had a Sunday School and a row of houses called Dynevor Terrace, at the end of which was Dynevor Villa. Hendre Colliery had become disused. The settlement continued to grow in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, although the coal pits are no longer in operation. A new housing estate called Parc-Wern was built to the north of the village centre, including a residential home for the elderly. Although Penybanc's Sunday School and vestry were built in 1893, the church itself - Pisgah Welsh Baptist Church (NPRN 6377) wasn't built until 1911, but it remains open today. Penybanc also has a newly refurbished village hall, a garage, two convenience shops and a rugby club.
Sources: modern and historic OS maps; www.carmarthenshirehalls.org.uk and www.penybancrfc.com
M. Ryder, RCAHMW, 4th December 2018.
