Pontllanfraith memories
Here are memories of Pontllanfraith and the local area. You can start now: Add your own Memory of Pontllanfraith or a Pontllanfraith photo.
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.
Early Days
My family moved from Cwmfelinfach to 20 Millbrook Road, Pontllanfraith in 1948, a brand new house, with an indoor and outdoor toilet. Our next door neighbour was Mr and Mrs Tiley, who had two sons, Terry and Robert. My early schooling was spent in Pontllanfraith Infants, then the Juniors and Primary. Our play areas were down the mill, the field by the vicarage and Lovells, the stables. Across the common to Williams the scrapyard. We used to love going in Fords or Baters for our blackjacks and penny glasses of Tizer pop. I had a paper round when I was 11 years of age with Williams who had the newsagents opposite the Plough pub. I left the Juniors and went to Oakdale to Rhiw Syr Daffyd school for 10 months before being sent to Pontllanfraith Technical School, boys only. Those of you who went there will remember that the school was all over the village. The main building just down from Vics cafe. The canteen across the road in a... Read more
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
WW2 - Pontllanfraith
My paternal grandfather, Joseph Cook, lived at No 24 Newbridge Road, Pontllanfraith and to avoid the bombing where we lived in South London, we stayed in his house.
I was too young for school, but my brothers, Joe and Pat attended the local primary school, during our stay.
I recall my brothers setting fire to the gorse bushes on an area of land which the local kids referred to as "the common", and that the fire engine was called to put out the fire!
Ken Cook
Memories of Gwent
Fleur de Lys Infant And Junior School
I went to this school from about 1935 until I entered Bedwellty Grammar School .A war time memory comes to mind. One afternoon Miss Davies, our teacher, told us that we were going to help the war effort. We were all going to scour the countryside and collect hips (the fruit of the rose hip. Much later on in life I discovered that it was turned into rose-hip syrup). To continue ... Off we all went on a beautiful sunny autumn afternoon looking for these hips. Unfortunately the locaton chosen was just right for a very exciting game of Cowboys and Indians (location an old quarry but not dangerous). Whilst all the boys played, the girls collected the hips. The whistle went and we all went back to school. Later a great surprise, we were all given one half penny each (but remember we could not go and buy any sweets, as they were all rationed!).
Happy Days
I lived opposite Thomas the Dairy and sometimes I helped to deliver the milk driving the milk float pulled by a superb Welsh cob named Rob, well known and loved by all the local children and winner of many rosettes at horse shows, including the Bedwellty Show.
I also remember the American soldiers arriving and being invited to play baseball with them in the "show". I often wonder how many of them survived the war and returned to the USA.
Memories of Cefn Fforest
I am the youngest child of Thomas the milk and delivered milk on horse and cart from age 11 for 3 years and then went modern when the horse died. I remember Alastair Macsorley, his mum and the rest of the family, they lived opposite our dairy in Penybryn Avenue, after they moved Mr and Mrs Roper moved into their house, next door to Doll and Id Jones. My parents had a bungalow built on a piece of our land, we moved in 1959. I am still working in Cefn Fforest Primary School, please get in touch, Alastair would love to hear from you again. Cefn Fforest has only changed a little, Park and Showfield still the same, Bethany Baptist Chapel is still there. I am still in touch with Roy Smith who took over some of our milk round, he's living in Cornwall.
1950's
I can also remember a horse and cart going around Cefn Fforest from Central Ave selling cockles and mussels. We played football in Bedwellty Rd near to what was known as Rees Jones the grocers and the sweet shop known as Bizinni's? Cars and buses run passed us but it wasn't that busy in the late 50s and early 60s. I bought a book from Blackwood "Blackwood Yesterday" by Ewart Smith which shows all the districts surrounding Blackwood. Highly recommended for its photography. We are living in a small town called Ballymoney, Co Antrim now.
The Old School Memories
I attended Pengam school until 1945, when spotty Willliams was the head master, only a little man but he could swish the cane on you which I remember well. During the war we all had to carry our gas masks with us everywhere, when there was an air raid warning we were billeted out to local households but more often than not we would go playing on the slag heaps, going under the arch to get to them. We used to have school dinners cooked at the scool by Miss Summers and others, it was the best meal of the day in those times of food rationing. School sport was played on the old rubbish dump. I have lived in Australia for the past 48 years but my memories of my school days are still strong.
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