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Abergwyngregyn
Abergwyngregyn photos
Displaying the first of 2 old photos of Abergwyngregyn. View all Abergwyngregyn photos
Abergwyngregyn maps
Historic maps of Abergwyngregyn and the local area, hand-drawn by Ordnance Survey and Samuel Lewis. View all Abergwyngregyn maps
Abergwyngregyn area books
Displaying 1 of 1 books about Abergwyngregyn and the local area. View all books for this area
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Memories of Abergwyngregyn
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Gwynedd memories
A Wet Weekend in Wales!
I used to work and study in Manchester for several years in the 1960's and frequently travelled back to my home town of Hatch End to see my girlfriend, Angela Chapuis. Sometimes she would come up north to see me. One wet weekend in April 1967 Angela and I set off from Manchester to visit North Wales in my old car. We stayed in youth hostels and hoped to climb Snowdon as both of us enjoyed outdoor adventures with the scouts and guides over the years. We were beaten back by appalling weather so she took me to nearby Llanfairfechan to see her grandparents instead. The warm cottage was a most welcome respite. I have not seen Llanfairfechan since 1967 and expect it is now much changed! I still have the postcards that Angela and I sent to my parents on that trip.
Happy Home
Halfway, with Uncle Idwal and Auntie Lal, was full time home from about 1951 to 1954 whilst mum was in hospital. She died in 1954 and I returned to live in Chester with Dad though I spent holidays at Halfway up to about 1964, including the long summer breaks. I always loved Halfway with Uncle Id and Auntie Lal, but is only when adulthood crept up on me that l began to appreciate fully my 'Swallows and Amazons' childhood, and the many things I learned courtesy of my surrogate parents (learning to swim in the icy Ogwen pools, how to 'whip' a fishing rod, about the use of slate in coffin making. Uncle Id was undertaker, postmaster at Halfway Bridge PO, carpenter, river bailiff for Penrhyn Estate (landlord of Halfway), and organist at Talybont church. I began my school life at Llandegai village school in 1953 and still remember finding life difficult as a non-Welsh speaking 4 year old so much so that I have vivid memories of... Read more
Names of The People in Photograph
The men on the wall are (looking from left to right)
Charles Matthews
William Matthews
Sydney Matthews (Charles's son who died quite young.)
The little girl in the background was a Miss Jones who lived at No 1 West End.
Cattle on The Street
To the right of the Jaguar car was a farm yard set behind a large brown wooden gate. As a child I recall seeing an old man dressed in black coat and hat riding very slowly on a black bike driving his black cattle through the street to the 'green' in front of the castle. They moved very slowly there and back each day leaving a tell tail trail behind them along Castle Street and up Church Street to the farm. A sight never to be seen again. The old farm yard is now an up-market restaurant.
Llanfaes Estate
David Mills lived at #3, I lived at #11. Mansell Grifthiths, Dianna Lucas, Jean Jackson, Mary Quin all lived on the same street. I ended up in Vancouver. What happened to everyone?
Chris And Mike Sail Their Blue Yachts
Myself and older brother are the two boys on the right of the picture. That day we had been treated to a new blue yacht. We had returned to live on Anglesey as our father was working overseas.
That yacht held such memories that I bought one for my own son twenty-five years later and still have it to this day.
I bought this post card some years ago but the picture was cropped just to the right of the boy in the foreground.
Beaumaris Boating Pool
I believe this was a classed as a boating pool. I used to bring my father's 1930's model steamboat here and run it to the amazement of onlookers. There weren't many model steamboats around in the 1950s although they have since become more popular. The old steamboat is still with me and still gets an occasional run. Toy yachts were the usual sight on the pool. I once made a very small electric boat using a home-made varnished paper hull with a tiny electric motor and a battery. I'm pleased to say the pool is still there and in use - well done, Beaumaris Council. The Blue Peter Lifeboat Station now stands between the pool and the sea. The Pier was also altered many years ago. It was shortened and had the fine old pavilion replaced with a sort of timber 'bus shelter'. At least Beaumaris still has its very popular pier.
Now, where did I put my steamboat?
