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Candleston
Candleston maps
Historic maps of Candleston and the local area, hand-drawn by Ordnance Survey and Samuel Lewis. View all Candleston maps
Candleston area books
Displaying 1 of 6 books about Candleston and the local area. View all books for this area
You can read extracts and browse photos from these books.
Memories of Candleston
Displaying a selection of personal
memories of Candleston.
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Cottage Homes - Children's Stamping Ground
I grew up in Merthyr Mawr Road Childrens' Home, named Preswylfa. Candleston and Merthyr Mawr sand dunes, scout's pool, and the dunes were our playground. We loved the old ruins where we would scare each other to death in the dungeon. The walk from Bridgend was only a few miles and we would walk to Ogmore Castle via the stepping stones when we had time. Many a hot summer we played until exhausted on the sand dunes at Candleston. We were safe, happy, healthy and it was the best time of our lives. We had no computers, no money, no video games, no mobile phones, but we were so happy and contented and there was no such thing as antisocial behaviour. We had the best upbringing ever and I thank Idris Jones and Joyce Jones the superintendent and wife who brought us up as decent citizens at Preswylfa Cottage Homes, Bridgend. Lots of kind regards and best wishes to everyone who were at Bridgend Cottage Homes, Preswylfa with me in... Read more
Dyfed memories
Days Gone by
I remember walking down to the river with my friends, taking some sandwiches and a bottle of pop, when the tide was really low walking across the river from one side to the other, going spikeing along the river banks for fish, also fishing and catching mullet, swimming and jumping from from bridge into river but only when the tide was going out as you could then swim onto the beach, watching the river run strongly between the two bridges, simple but fun days. Bob
The Good Old Days
I remember buying sweets from the sweet shop you can just see the entrance to the shop behind the car in this photograph, you could buy a lot for 3 pence then (late 1950s) and if I remember correctly there was a fish and chip shop around the corner where we bought our fish and chips, they were wrapped up in newspaper, they never tasted better. We used to take our old newspapers down to the shop, they always needed newspaper, nothing happened to us from eating fish and chips out of newspaper, I'm 64 now. Bob
Wartime Evacuation in 1944
I was placed in an orphanage on 13th October 1943 together with my elder brother Brian. My father had died on the infamous Siam (Thailand) Railway as a forced labour navvy. He was a regular soldier and had already been rescued from the beaches of Dunkirk - May 1940. By early part of 1944 my younger brother Peter also joined us at Spurgeon's Orpanage a home for Mother or Fatherless Children - a home founded by Dr Charles Haddon Spurgeon in Victorian times he was an early prototype (and probably more generous) of Billy Graham. We never saw each other during that time.
It was spring-time in 1944 that the decision was made to evacuate all the boys to South Wales and, I believe, all the girls to Yorkshire. We set off during the afternoon for Reading where we stayed overnight in the local cattlemarket hall and next day caught a train to either Swansea or maybe Neath. I really do not know. We were then taken by bus... Read more
Cwmfelin Road
Living far away from Bynea it was lovely and sad to see in this second photo of Bynea that the bus pictured is outside the house that I was born in in 1941. This house is approximately 110 years old and has always been in the Cooper family.
Many happy days were spent by the village boys and girls playing in the field opposite - cae Llewellyn I think it was called - and on the tip. I can´t remember it ever raining only the hot, dusty days!!
Marilyn Cooper Lewis
Bryannman Hotel. Good Times, Good Money.
I was sent to Lower Bynamman in 1970, to work building up a huge 2400 Marion excavator for Sir Lindsey Parkinson at the GCG (Tyor Gwaith?) opencast site.
I lodged at the Bryannam hotel with Dez and Dylis. I soon made lots of friends in Bryamman, Gwn Gosto, (foreman fitter), Panto and Darrell Chips (from Abercrave), Clive Trotman, (welder) Mel (welder) and all his friends at the 'opera'. They were doing 'Oklahoma' that year and after rehearsals Mel and the whole cast used to come into the pub and sing all the show's songs as they played dominoes etc. I had heard about the Welsh singing but I was totally amazed. What they forgot to inform the 'bob Seis' was that they were in fact an amateur operatic society coming in for a drink after rehearsals, I thought they were just pub customers, I was gob-smacked. Later I was told and eventually I went to see the show, I still remember it to this day, it was fantastic, especial Mel... Read more
William Rees - 1915
My Grandad William Geraint Rees was born in Brynamman in the year 1915 :o).
