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Books > Around Alton Photographic Memories
Abergavenny, below the Sugar Loaf c1955 (ref. A9025) | The symmetry of the
ploughman's furrows
consign the hills of Bryn
Arw and the Sugar Loaf to a
background role. The Pandy
and Monnowside Ploughing
and Agricultural Society,
formed in 1867, continues
to hold annual competitions
in agrarian crafts like this.
Seen in the centre of
the photograph, but also
marginalized, are the
houses alongside the old
Hereford Road and the
steam of the Hereford to
Abergavenny train.
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Abergavenny, the Blorenge 1893 (ref. 32592) | Two bridges crossed the Usk at Llanfoist:
the medieval stone-arched road bridge is
dwarfed by the railway bridge, which was
demolished shortly after the Abergavenny
to Merthyr line closed in the early 1960s.
Behind them are the spired buildings of the
new town cemetery, which was to be
opened in 1894. The shadowed slopes of
the Blorenge dominate the skyline. On the
right, on the town side of the bridge, are the
chimneys of the town's gasworks. In 1894
the Gas Committee of the Improvement
Commissioners debated the introduction
of electricity to supplement the gas supply,
but it was 1932 before public electricity
was to be added to the town's amenities.
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Abergavenny, River Usk and Blorenge Mountain c1955 (ref. A9044) | The home-made stile in the foreground has a temporary air. The electricity pylon beyond it is less elegant but more permanent,
and remains a familiar sight today. Abergavenny had debated the merits of public electricity for nearly 40 years before it was
finally introduced - only for it to be affected by the wartime blackout. The house across the river is Pen-y-worlod.
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Abergavenny, the Bridge c1965 (ref. A9138) | There seems to be ample
room beneath the wide
arches of Llanfoist
Bridge, but when the
Usk floods the waters
have often risen to the
top of them and flooded
the Castle Meadows in
the foreground.
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Abergavenny, from the Blorenge c1960 (ref. A9122) | The church, castle and
market hall, the historic
heart of the town, remain
at the centre, but more
modern housing fans out
from it in this scene. The
landmark factory building
on the left, occupied by
Coopers Filters for years,
was demolished in 2003-2004. | Add your own Memory
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Abergavenny, from the Canal 1893 (ref. 32587) | Here, from the Brecknock & Abergavenny
Canal of 1812, Abergavenny can be seen in
the distance. Between the new cemetery in
the centre and the allotments and houses
to the right, the Merthyr, Tredegar and
Abergavenny railway line, opened in 1862,
begins its climb of 1000ft to Brynmawr,
a mere eight miles away. | Add your own Memory
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Abergavenny, view from the Blorenge c1965 (ref. A9133) | The view from the 1833ft summit of the Blorenge is one of the most spectacular in Wales; but
the road that crosses the mountain from Blaenavon to Govilon and Llanfoist is fairly narrow
and steeply sided, so drivers cannot allow their attention to wander! Early maps have the
name Bloreys or 'bare spot' for the mountain - this was a name given to high exposed places.
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Abergavenny, 1898 (ref. 41669) | To a current inhabitant,
the most striking feature
of this view is the absence
of houses in the centre.
The development of Park
Crescent, Croesonnen
Park and the large estates
beneath the Deri had yet
to take place.
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Abergavenny, Linda Vista Gardens c1965 (ref. A9131) | The landscaping of these
gardens was only completed
in 1964, following the pur-
chase of Linda Vista House
and gardens by the council
in 1960. Many unusual
plants and trees had been
planted in the gardens by
previous owners, the
Whitehead family. Linda
Vista means 'pretty view' in
Spanish, a suitable name as
this view to the Blorenge
mountain shows.
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Abergavenny, Cross Street 1914 (ref. 67667) | On the left is the sombre
but reassuringly secure
frontage of the Capital and
Counties Bank. The gradual
increase in motorized
traffic may account for the
presence of a policeman at
the junction with Monk
Street. On that corner,
Saunders & Co boldly
advertise their agricultural
services. | Add your own Memory
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Abergavenny, the Castle from Usk Bridge c1955 (ref. A9034) | The castle and the south-
eastern approaches to the
town present an illusion
of island tranquillity,
stretching from the wide
waters of the Usk through
the cattle-filled Castle
Meadows to the wooded
slopes of the Little Skirrid
in the distance.
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Abergavenny, Sugar Loaf and Rholben from the River c1960 (ref. A9084) | This is a tale of two paths. A growing army of walkers now take the wide path which snakes up the Sugar Loaf to the left. A
less widely used path is that below the castle walls on the right, which winds around from the main entrance to Mill Street.
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Abergavenny, the Castle c1955 (ref. A9049) | The raised site chosen for his
castle by the Norman
Hamelin de Ballon in the late
11th century can be clearly
seen here from Castle
Meadows. The remains of
the 14th-century lodging
tower are to the left. Ballon's
motte to the right is topped
by a 19th-century hunting
lodge, which now houses the
town's museum.
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Abergavenny, Llanwenarth Church Interior 1898 (ref. 41684) | St Peter's was restored
extensively in the 19th century.
Though there are a number of
candles on the pulpit and in
the chandelier suspended from
the ceiling, it is likely that oil
lamps would also have been
used at this time.
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Abergavenny, River Usk and Sugarloaf 1898 (ref. 41672) | In this idyllic scene much loved by artists and photographers, the River Usk wends its way through wooded banks away from
Abergavenny and flows on to join the Severn beyond Newport.
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Abergavenny, the Castle 1893 (ref. 32599) | The most infamous event in the castle's history occurred in the hall, situated just behind this outer
wall. At Christmas 1175 the Norman lord, William de Braose, invited Seisyll ap Dyfnwal and other
Welsh nobles to a banquet. At this time there were hopes of a truce in the intermittent warfare
between the Normans and the Welsh. Instead, William callously massacred his guests and provoked
acts of revenge.
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Abergavenny, Llanwenarth Church 1898 (ref. 41683) | St Peter's stands in meadows beside the Usk, to the left of the A40 and just beyond the
western outskirts of Abergavenny. The parish of Llanwenarth was divided into two parts,
Llanwenarth Citra and Llanwenarth Ultra, by the River Usk. St Peter's Church was in
Llanwenarth Citra. The two Llanwenarths were joined by a rope ferry, which closed down in
1951. From the churchyard there is a magnificent view of the Blorenge mountain. The
medieval cross near the tree on the left is still a broken remnant at this date. It was restored
', and it also remembers those who served and fell in the Second World War.
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Abergavenny, the Deri from Bailey Park c1960 (ref. A9086) | The park is the home of
Abergavenny Rugby Football
Club, and their grandstand
can be seen in the middle
distance. Much in demand
for sporting events, the park
is also the venue for steam
rallies, shire horse shows and
a variety of fundraising
events. It is named after
Crawshay Bailey, who leased
it from 1884 and made an
agreement with the
Abergavenny Improvement
Commissioners to 'empark' it.
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Abergavenny, the Castle 1914 (ref. 67673) | The well tended beds, paths and raised walkways show that the Abergavenny Improvement Commissioners had an early
appreciation of the ruined castle's leisure and tourist potential. The circle of stones in the foreground stand on the site of
the gorsedd stones for the Abergavenny eisteddfodau, organized in the 19th century by Cymregyddion Y Fenni, the
Abergavenny Welsh Society.
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Abergavenny, the Museum c1960 (ref. A9126) | The buildings now house the town's museum. The museum was opened by Lord Raglan in
July 1959, and its first curator was Duggan Thacker. It was extended with the refurbishment
. The post-war tennis courts on the left are no longer there, and the
grounds are now the venue for events such as open-air dramas and historical re-enactments.
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