Gwaun Cae Gurwen takes its name from the ancient Manor of Caegurwen, which was a part of the medieval lordship of Gower. The “Waun” was an area of mountain common at the northern edge of the manor. This was a sparsely populated rural area before the industrial era, with only a few farms gathered around the edge of the common. One of the most important local farms was Neuadd Wen, which started as a medieval hunting lodge and used for meetings of the manorial court many centuries ago.
As early as the 17th century, surveys of Caegurwen mention coal mining on a small scale in the area. These were pits dug by local farmers to get coal for their own use. Industrial development could not occur before the 19th century, as there were no good roads leading out of the district. Heol Hir, which ran from Gwaun Cae Gurwen to Pontardawe, was the most important trackway until the first turnpike road was built from Pontardawe in 1805. This new road crossed the ‘Waun’ to Garnant and was the first step to opening the area up for industry. The Gate Shop Garage in the village takes its name from a tollgate that once stood on the turnpike road there.
Mining began in earnest in this district during the 1830s, but not in Gwaun Cae Gurwen itself. Collieries opened in surrounding areas and attracted more people and trade into the locality. As a result, Gwaun Cae Gurwen began to grow around the junction where the turnpike roads from Garnant and Brynamman met.
By the late 19th century, larger collieries, brickworks, ironworks and tinplate works had opened in neighbouring villages and the railway network expanded, with the GCG Branch of the Great Western Railway opening in 1908.
The population of the district boomed and Gwaun Cae Gurwen grew rapidly. A large number of businesses and tradesmen were established here. By the 1930s, Gwaun Cae Gurwen was large enough to have separate schools for its younger and older children.
Chapels, eisteddfodau and the Gwaun Cae Gurwen Silver Band have contributed to Gwaun Cae Gurwen’s rich cultural history. The Public Hall, built in the early 1900s was replaced in 1931 after a fire by the Welfare Hall. It was a theatre and cinema and an important centre of social and cultural life. In 1984 it became the home of Cwmgors RFC and was replaced by a new building in 1995.
