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Machen
Machen maps
Historic maps of Machen and the local area, hand-drawn by Ordnance Survey and Samuel Lewis. View all Machen maps
Machen area books
Displaying 1 of 2 books about Machen and the local area. View all books for this area
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Memories of Machen
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memories of Machen.
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Machen
Fond memories of Machen - my Mum and Dad, Doris and Edgar, used to go dancing at Machen club in middle 60's also The Tradesmans Arms was their local when it was a quaint little local pub. I remember there also used to be a Pub - it was more like someones front room - I think it was called The Glue Pot. I had my first serious relationship and he took me there (drinking under age tut tut). There used to be The White Heart pub but there was one further up where alot of us youngsters used to congregate - I can't remember the name of it though. I remember one very bad winter, it must have been about 65/66 when it snowed and I walked back from Newport where I worked with some friends and thought nothing of it - we just had a great laugh. Remember that? Ahhhh great memories of coming in to coal fire burning... Read more
Mid Glamorgan memories
Pit Village
Born in Machen, moved to Thomastown as war began, my parents opened a shop at 7 Newport Rd. and sold fish and chips there until long after I became a physician, and found a specialist career in hospitals in S Wales, and then the Miidlands.
In the many years of exile, regret that separation from a past so well remembered and so inspired by the best of neighbour and local worthy has been increasingly felt. However, what was can not be set in stone for indulgence in less frantic years as dotage descends, but would it not be fine if those one knew were still remembering too?
The great plant and colliery I once saw from my bedroom have gone, and the huge steam cloud at such regular intervals as the coke was cooled will not be seen again: are all others I knew gone too?
Trethomas or Bedwas Pit ?
I too remember looking through the bedroom window of my Auntie Olga's house in Bryn Y Fran Ave and watching the clouds of steam rising from the coke oven in the skyline. I also remember going to meet my Uncle 'Herbie' Wedlock as he walked home from the pit. At night one could see the glare from the coke before it was cooled. Does anyone remember the 'Rec' behind the cinema and the lovely bowling green which my uncle loved? The area is now a school I think.
Bridge Cottage
Hi, Does anyone have any photos or memories of the Bridge House/Cottage in Bedwas that was an Indian restaurant for some time. We now own it and want to try and bring it back to the very early years. Many thanks if you do.
Bridge Cottage
Dear Tina,
Re Bridge Cottage/House
We re-named Bridge House when we bought it in 1977 to save it, as it was one of the few and oldest Welsh long houses in the area. It was boarded up vandalised and was about to be demolished to make a larger car park for the Bridge End Inn.
We re-named it Bridge Cottage as the original Bridge Cottage that stood on the opposite side of the road had been demolished as part of the road improvement for the Bedwas Bypass and the it was more in keeping as a 'cottage' than a house.
It was previously a catogory three listed building but the catogory three listing protection had been dropped and that was why it was possible to demolish it!
We had started the Bedwas and Trethomas Conservation Society to try and involve the community in improving the area, as a result we tried to get the protection for Bridge house reinstated but we were unsuccessful as none of the official bodies were... Read more
Jazz Band
Does anyone remember the Trethomas Jazz Band called the Novellettes around 1975? I've been searching for photographs but can't find any. We entered loads of competitions so I'm hoping someone somewhere will have one I could copy.
I Was Born in Caerphilly in 1938
I left Caerphilly in 1955 to join the Royal Airforce. Prior to this I worked for AJ Marshall Wholesale Confectioners in Castle Street. I went to school at The Twyn Secondary Modern as it was then known. I remember coming on leave and having a few pints in the Clives Hotel, on leaving I took the short cut to Nantgarw Road via the Castle fields but unkown to me the moat had been filled so needless to say after running down the slope to the path I ended up in the water. After leaving the RAF I got married and moved to Swansea. I wonder if Brian Uphill and Mike Richardson are still about, we were all very good friends. That's about it for now. George.
