Pontypool

Penygarn 1954-1960

My recollection is of my friends and me belonging to Penygarn Tabernacle Chapel for children's religious teachings. Every Sunday afternoon we all traipse across to the little house behind the chapel. There were only two rooms one downstairs for the younger children and one upstairs for the older children, in the cold weather there was always a roaring fire in the old blacken grates.

All the services in the big chapel was conducted by the Reverent Mr James, whom we all adored for at Christmas time, we all had to practise in the big chapel in front on the stage singing, Mr James a well built parson who gave is all, with perspiration dripping of his face and his ...read more here
Contributed by Jennifer rogerson

Long Lost Bus Stop

The bus is parked outside the Pontypool office of the "Red & White" bus company. Their head office was in Chepstow and they ran services across the whole of Monmouthshire as Gwent was then known. Buses for Newport, Usk, Chepstow, Abergavenny and Blackwood went from the Clarence. A glass canopy ran across the whole of the front of the building which included the Carlton cafe and the Free Press newspaper office. The large building behind the bus is the Clarence Hotel - the best hotel in Pontypool at that time. In the 60s and 70s it fell into disrepair but has recently been renovated as residential accommodation. On the left behind the tree was the home of Dr Siddons.
Contributed by Robin Morgan

Grandpa ran a pub in this street

My Great Grandpa Frederick Harvey was the beerhouse keeper who ran The Swan in George Street. Wish I could find some pictures of the pub (and my Grandpa, Arthur James Harvey, was born in the pub).
Contributed by Sarah Vann

Its a Girl!

During the construction of Finefare my dad was general foreman. After 4 sons there was great excitement when he finally got a daughter. A banner was put up on the scaffolding saying, 'Its a Girl!' That baby girl was me, Kathryn Stundon.
Finefare is now the vacant Kwiksave store.
Contributed by kath moody

The Bottleneck

This view of Goerge Street was taken before the "bottleneck" was re-developed. The store in the right in the foreground was demolished and a new Tesco was built there in the early 1960s. The "bottleneck" was not wide enough for 2 vehicles to pass but was always thronged with shoppers on a Saturday when Pontypool was the major shopping centre in the area and had a first class rugby team. Ray Prosser, Malcolm Price and Benny Jones were local heroes. In George Street was an Italian cafe called Savinis (Jakes) that sold wonderful italian ice-cream. Further up the street on the right was "Sharpies", - Cyril Sharps. A tiny shop that sold all the things any young lad (and those not ...read more here
Contributed by Robin Morgan

Gosh, My Birth Parents' House

My birth parents lived in number 51 Osborne Rd, glad I found a picture of the rd.
Contributed by Sarah Vann