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Pontllanfraith
Pontllanfraith photos
Displaying the first of 3 old photos of Pontllanfraith. View all Pontllanfraith photos
Pontllanfraith maps
Historic maps of Pontllanfraith and the local area, hand-drawn by Ordnance Survey and Samuel Lewis. View all Pontllanfraith maps
Pontllanfraith area books
Displaying 1 of 3 books about Pontllanfraith and the local area. View all books for this area
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Memories of Pontllanfraith
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memories of Pontllanfraith.
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It's All Chicken Feed!
Hello all, my name is Robin Harries, and in 1965 I was a teenager. Mr Moore (I think Len was his name) used to drive the Ford van and deliver to our farm (which was Cwmdraw Farm) with the chicken feed. He was a lovely man, and when you spoke to him about anything, which he thought was amazing, he would always reply by saying "Due Due Due" (I think thats how you spell it) which I have been told is Welsh for "God". Sometimes my father would need more corn because we had been to Abergavenny market and bought more chickens, so sometimes I would go with him to the mill. Then when I got older (18 years old) I went to Usk College of Agriculture, where I learned how to look after poultry. I then had my own poultry farm in Stroud with 45,000 chickens, I'm sure Mr Moore would have liked the order to supply all that chicken feed, many tons a week. I then started a... Read more
The Miller's Van in This Photo.
I travelled with Mr Moor, the miller, in this Ford van as he went from house to house selling grain food for chickens etc. I also paid a weekly visit to the mill which charged our accumulator acid battery that powered our wireless (radio). I recently visited the mill and spent an enjoyable hour being shown around and seeing an actual copy of the distress message sent out by the Titanic which Mr Moor picked up, after it struck the iceberg in 1912. My home was in Brynteg Avenue and I now live in Northern Ireland.
Graham Clive Cale James
Between 1938-1949 I lived in Llanarth Road then at Bryn Road 1949-1959. There was no Springfield Estate (only Springfield Villas, about 6 houses). Tradespeople at that time were Davies the bakers with door to door delivery by horse and cart, the horse was named Boulter and his driver was Oliver Tovey, W.A.Ford greengrocer, Starks grocers shop opposite Pont. Low Level Station and Richards, grocer/greengrocer at Pont. bridge. Opposite Richards shop was Pantycelyn Stores. The other side of the bridge was Gibbs Brothers Garage (purchased by my grandfather in 1939/40) and the Greyhound Hotel. The Gibbs family all lived at Llanarth Road and Islwyn Terrace. Ynyswen House was the home to the park keeper of the Welfare Ground and The Dell was the home of the swimming baths superintendant, Jack Musselwhite. At No.2 Springfield Cottages lived Nan Withers, the only person I knew who lived over 100yrs. Belmont Garage on Newbridge Road were agents for Triumph cars and motorcycles. Gibbs Brothers were agents for Ford vehicles. Next to Belmont Garage was... Read more
Baptism
My memory of the Penllwyn was being baptised. At that time it was called the Penllwyn Mission. The Baptism took place where the bar now stands. Also my wedding reception was held there in 1972.
Gypsy Camp
As children in the Summer we would walk from Ynysddu to the swimming pool in Pontllanfraith. We would walk along what was known as 'the old road'. As we approached the Mill we would look to the right. If we saw dogs we knew the Gypsies were camping in the old Quarry. We were afraid because of the'old wives tales' about Gypsies. We would then very quietly go over the Bridge passed the Mill instead of passing the Camp! Longer way to the Pool but as far as we were concerned safer!
War Time at The Penllwyn
As a lad of 12 + I used to visit the Penllwyn with my friend. There was a massive tented camp full of American soldiers. They were there for some time and we would freely walk about the tents. One day we arrived and every single tent had gone.
Continuation From 1954 by Graham Clive Cale James
New friends were made at Pontllanfraith Grammar School, names such as Alan Davies, Gino Minoli, Clive Lewis, Glyn Moss, Joyce Davies, Margaret Brooks, Judith Dyer all come to mind. I regret I gave so little effort to my academic work, but I had already decided that I wanted to work in my grandfather's business at Gibbs Bros. Garages Ltd. Sport I loved in any form, athletics and rugby in particular, and was the Middle School Victor Ludorum at athletics and played for the school XV at rugby. I left school in 1954, and as planned worked for my grandfather. My progress in the company was:- Parts Dept. Assistant then to Manager and later to be appointed to the board of Directors. The business closed in 1985 and I was the last person to leave the building on the 24th Dec. 1985. In 1959 after a long courtship [5 years] I married Avril Diane Williams at St. Sannans Church, Bedwellty. We had three children, Shelley, Jeremy and Richard who in turn gave... Read more
From Woodland Road to Cheshire Via The Penllwyn
On June 11th 1952 in the front downstairs room, (or close by) of 14 Woodland Road I let out my first cry. My early days of Pont are blurred, because they were not happy days. But I do remember walking down to the Mill and just looking at the water for hours and hours. My parents divorced in 1960 and we ended up in a prefab up the Penllwyn, it was Broadmead Road and there was good view from the living room windows right across the fields towards the Crown pub and the black slag heaps beyond. Glan-islywn was our next house, they demolished the prefabs. It's funny but from the bedroom window of this house I could just about see 14 Woodland Road and Myddislywn Church beyond. My mother is now buried in the graveyard there. Then it was off to seek my fortune in Cardiff, then on to Liverpool, via Caerphilly, and Barry, next Ellesmere Post, Dubai and finally back to Cheshire where I now live in a... Read more
