You are here:
Clydach
Clydach maps
Historic maps of Clydach and the local area, hand-drawn by Ordnance Survey and Samuel Lewis. View all Clydach maps
Clydach area books
Displaying 1 of 3 books about Clydach and the local area. View all books for this area
You can read extracts and browse photos from these books.
Memories of Clydach
No memories of Clydach have been shared yet - be the first!
Add your memory of Clydach
or of a photo of Clydach.
Gwent memories
The Old Primary School
I attended the old primary school via School Lane through the 1930s and early 1940s, the teachers were E L Richards (head), Mr Withers, Miss Austen, Miss Lewis. The school by the old canal was a very happy school, and through the last war we had a big school garden where we grew food and shared it in the village. We also had to help on the local farm (Jim Llewellyn's, at Ty Gwyn) at potato picking time, we had good food and got paid, we enjoyed that. I left school in 1945 but enjoyed my years there. I still visit the village as often as I can, it brings back memories of home. The other memory I have is of Gooding the canal boat owner, where we made ourselves some pocket money by rowing people up the canal that could not row. These were very happy times. I would like to hear from anyone who is old enough to remember them, my email address is bachen95@yahoo.com
Special Times
Once the time had come for blackberry picking and whimberry picking, my lovely Uncle Fred took us down the valley roads, to get picking, ready for those lovely pies my grandmother would make. We would climb up beside these waterfalls, drink the pure water from them, lovely. Uncle Fred would walk for what seemed to me miles, me eating most of my pickings as I went. This was the early 50s, a lovely day out, lovely scenery, lovely memories. With thanks to my Uncle Fred Bedford, a lovely, loving man.
My Hometown
Brynmawr is a quiet little town on the edge of the valley roads. These photos bring back memories of all the hills I climbed, picnics on the mountain, paddling in the pond across from our house in Warwick Road. Snow 6ft deep in Winter. I remember the old steam train passing our house, I would wave to the driver and he would wave back to me standing on a low wooden fence. Everything was at a slow pace in the 50's. We would go to the local cinema and see mainly westerns in those days. Then come out and get a bag of chips and wander back home, just simple easygoing things.
'Up The Baths'
I remember being 'taught to swim' here, by the teachers at the board school. We were stood at the poolside, only up to the black line, then summarily being to "Jump!". If that failed, we were helped in by the boot of 'Danny' Davis or 'Joe' Robbins, then expected to 'swim' back to shallow water. The lifeguard was called Gerald. My mother, Minnie Evans, was the cashier at the baths for two summers. It was a great time, she opened a shop and sold crisps and pop, I was sent down to Saxons on a regular basis for extra supplies. I had great times in those summers.
Hometown
It's not an actual memory, but my grandad, Tom Gurney, used to fetch me from the nursery, put me on his shoulders and take back to the house up at Heol Isaf. I have many fond memories from home, I was a bit of a rat bag when younger, but my parents of Neil and Audrey, my uncles and Aunts did a great job. I actually miss home and it was a go-slow place nestled up in the valleys. One day i want the Welsh to beat the All Blacks in rugby, maybe this weekend 19-June-2010.
Synagogue
Brynmawr. Although I've lived away from here for nigh on 40 years, I still regard this place as home. I was, and although thankfully grown up now, always regarded as a bit of a black sheep. Lived originally on the new houses, 5 Tudor Crescent, having moved from the Semtex estate, up by the Gurnos. We moved into the old synagogue, in the late 1960s, as my dad, David Bennett, God bless him, with his mate Alan Durban, renovated it into our new home, Westlyn, 46 Baily Street. Massive place, or so it seemed at the time. I remember the original stairwell, the large front room+window, and it seemed the quite regular pig invaders into our back garden from the slaughterhouse, fresh bread from directly opposite at the distribution depot. We left in 1970, moved to Brum, me personally kicking + screaming, dragged from the pond fishing, Warwick Road, by my dad. I'm the only one left there now. I was always sporting minded, playing cricket, footie, for the town. Good+ bad memories,... Read more
Semtex Ltd
I worked in the factory for six months in 1962 as part of a management training programme with Dunlop. The work was mainly the production of vinyl asbestos tiles but there was a unit for making rubber underlay. This was a hell hole where ammonia fumes were rife. For a while there was an attempt at diversification in producing fibre glass rod blanks, suitable for fishing rods. It was a friendly place and I had lodgings with Alf and Doris Sillman, a lovely couple.
Geoff Brickell was the Export Manager, with a hobby of wood turning. I still have a bowl he made. The factory had a very good male voice choir. I don't think any of them could read music but they had the Welsh innate sense of harmony. There were two top tenors in particular with that special quality you find in the valleys. I was also able to join the Abergavenny Bach Choir, which was of a very... Read more
