You are here:
Mathern
Mathern maps
Historic maps of Mathern and the local area, hand-drawn by Ordnance Survey and Samuel Lewis. View all Mathern maps
Mathern area books
Displaying 1 of 3 books about Mathern and the local area. View all books for this area
You can read extracts and browse photos from these books.
Memories of Mathern
No memories of Mathern have been shared yet - be the first!
Add your memory of Mathern
or of a photo of Mathern.
Gwent memories
Bush Hotel
My great granduncle and aunt managed the Bush Hotel - certainly in 1901. He was James Price, born in Ifton (Ilton?) Monmouthshire c. 1862 and his wife, Mary Pearce born in the same place C 1865.
Grandfather
My Grandfather, Reginald Cornish, is standing in front of the car (waiting to embark) in the centre of the photo. He was County Engineer for Monmouthshire. I still live in Chepstow and the buildings to the top and left were demolished after the Severn Bridge was built directly above the slip way.
The Cottage Hospital?
I hope I am not mistaken, but this building looks very much like the old Chepstow Cottage Hospital. I lived and worked at Sedbury in the 1970's and I am sure this is where we used to bring our youngsters (from SPS) to be treated.
Clog Dancing at The Two Rivers Folk Festival
I went to this folk festival for the first time this year and got some memories that I will never forget! Exciting music and dance memories at the entertainment venues around Chepstow plus a never to be forgotten rain soaked camping experience on the Chepstow racecourse along with woeful sanitation!
The dance display teams are a crucial and vital element to any folk festival. The Two Rivers Festival organisers put together an impressive list of Morris teams representing all styles of Morris Dancing from around England and Wales with a heavy emphasis on the "Border Style". Overseas visitors were there too: “Orange Peel Border Morris” came from Ontario, Canada and for me a highlight was the traditional folk dance troupe from Finland “Samppa Folklore” and their band “SydWäst Parainen”. I was able to play along on my piano accordian with their musicians on Sunday while waiting for the Festival procession to get started.
On Saturday the town burst into life as the dancers entertained around the... Read more
Memory of A Place I Lived
I had lived in Portskewett for the first eighteen years of my life. I grew up there, went to Portskewett Infants and then to Sudbrook, most of my family lived in Portskewett and Sudbrook and as a teenager grouped together with several others on the Green. I recently went back to visit the churchyard where my mother and other family members are buried, place sure has changed a lot. I did teach SundaySschool and was in the church choir, I couldn't sing a note.
Portskewett 1940-1950's
My name is David Jenkins. The photo of the village green 1931 is taken from the front of the house in which I lived. First time was during the world war 2. My father was working on constuction of a railway line from the Ordinance factory at Dinham.
Looking for a place to stay, the village policeman suggested the owner of Harewood, the house on the green. He asked if his wife & son could also move from Birmingham & so started my association with Porskewtt. There was also a young girl evacuee from Peckham, named Valerie. After the war my parents, plus my new sister, who was born in Caerphylly, moved to the Midlands.
1946 I suffered with tuberculosis & returned to stay with Mrs. Millard for the second time.
She was a retired school teacher who gave private lessons to several pupils from the village & Sudbrook. Eventually I attended the village school, I can remember Mr.Vernall! Passing 11 plus exam, with several other pupils, I attended... Read more
Living in Portskewett
In Jan 1965 I married Margaret in Chepstow I was working for D A GRIMMER in Caldicot as a Television Service Engineer and Margaret worked at the Propellent factory in Caerwent.
We moved into Harewood House and stayed there until August 1965 and then moved to Margaret's home in Wexford, Ireland.
Yesterday I met up with my teenage friends after a period of 43 years, one of them, Tony Snook, lives at 2 Sunnycroft, Portskewett and the other, Robin Bonning, lived near the Tippling Philosopher pub in Caldicot.
If anyone remembers us please get in touch, they were very good days.
Thanks, David and Margaret. dheath@oceanfree.net
