Our favourite Memories

Market Place c1965
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So many happy memories of Maesteg - where do I start? I was born in 1947 and lived at No 3, Plasnewydd Street until I was about 19. My best friend when I was young was Paul Spracklen (with whom I re-kindled our friendship a few years ago, and we now chat by phone most weeks). Friends also were; John Eley, Ian Davies, Andrew Davies and David Hodder. My sister, was and is Helen. I went to Maesteg Grammar/Technical school in Llan - great days there too. Anyone here from there? nickdavies007@aol.com I particularly remember Angela Reid (blonde), Susan Jones (red-haired) and Eirwen (can't remember her surname - James?). Lyn Devonald married Angela, I believe - lucky devil. Our headmaster was Yorworth Jones ('Boss'), Mr James was deputy head, and my memories of teachers are Bill Thomas (maths), Elfed Jones ('Chung') - physics, 'Di Ike' - history, 'Mew' - maths, Gren Lewis - woodwork, Mr Rees - metalwork, Mr Puw - Chemistry, Mr Crum (I think that was his real name!) - music, Gus John - Latin and Mr Rees - English; Mr Stephens - Spanish, David Brown - P.E...and many more. I joined the school choir and Madrigal group even though I couldn't sing! My father, Elias Davies, was a railway clerk in Maesteg and my mother, Nancy Davies, had a kindergarten school in our front room after having run a shop from there. We had seasons in those days - snowy winters, nice spring days, hot summers and then autumns.... Read more

Cliff Road 1894
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I was brought up at 14, Ingestre Street and always consider myself a Bathside boy. I was very lucky to have my school opposite my front door. Just up the street was Mr.Barneys shop where you could buy 4 black jacks for a halfpenny. There were sherbert flying saucers, rainbow drops - lots of sweets to keep kids happy. One end of Bathside was the railway bridge where, if you heard a train coming, you'd run to the top to disappear in clouds of smoke and steam. At the other end of Bathside was the coke factory. Through the dirty windows men were stripped to the waist toiling away in the heat and grime. One street housed a crisp factory. Up by the park was Kettle's soft drinks - my brother and my favourite was called Kings Cup. Along the sea wall was a scrap metal yard called Skinners. Clothes could be taken there for money by weight - wool had to be separated as you got a better price. In the summer, for a highlight of their holiday, campers at Warners in Dovercourt would walk all the way through Dovercourt and the sea wall of Bathside to go to the pub for a meal and a singalong, then walk all the way back. I still remember all of the men with knotted handkerchiefs on their heads. This was considered fun in those days and people actually enjoyed... Read more

The Slipway c1955
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I remember when a very young kid, walking down Banks Road with my mother to the slipway and buying fresh shrimps from the Evans boys. The shrimps were caught in the Dee and cooked on board the boats on the way back to the slip. The fishing was a thriving industry in those days.

The Pond And Crown Inn c1955
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I was a Chiddingfold child. My father was from Milford (Cozens) and his mother and father owned the little newsagents/grocery shop on Manor Road. My mum was from Shackleford (Reffold) and I didn't move far away - Godalming, and some of my siblings still live in Chiddingfold today, my youngest brother in the family home with his family and pops. I remember the Laggs and taking my first swim in the brook, jumping off the bridge, going to the bottle dumps, even in the 70's there was no H&S we had the best childhood ever. In the woods at the back of Hartsgrove from 9 in the morning untill late in the evening, we used to make camps, wooden jumps and had whipey sticks for imaginary horses (my sisters and I often called our horse Glamour, after our aunt Hilda's horse). I remember mum calling us from the bottom of our garden for dinner. All the kids in Hartsgrove used to play in the woods - it belonged to the Moores from the farm and the grandson I believe still owns the woods but the farm house was pulled down and is now Woodberry Close. We used to cycle around Vann Lane into Hambledon and just take a bottle of squash and a jam sandwich, our parents didn't worry about us we seemed to be safe, it is very sad but I wouldn't let my daughter do that now. Bonfire night in Chiddingfold was always a big event, roads blocked off,... Read more