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Abergynolwyn, the Village 1895
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Abergynolwyn, the Village 1895 Ref: 36483
Memories of Abergynolwyn, the Village
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Year: 1930s
Mixed Feelings
I first arrived in Llanegryn at the latter end of 1939 along with my younger sister and a lot of other kids from my school (St Johns)in Birkenhead. I was eight years old at the time and my sister was six. We were all put into the village hall where people of the neighbourhood came and took us to different addresses. A lady from the next street to me in my home town was with us as she had two girls about 5 and 6 and a little boy under 2 years old. They were chosen along with my sister by Mrs Evans of Gessail Farm, but I wasn`t included. My father told me before I left home "don't let them split you up from your sister (Linda). I stood in the centre of the hall and wouldn`t allow my sister to go without me. Mrs Evans said 'ok, you can come too' and away we went to the farm by Bird Rock. I had a wonderful time there and it was the first time that I had tasted butter and home-made bread, mmm and fresh milk. There were two ladies there called Mrs Evans, John and Evan Evans and a young man called Egrin. It was marvellous collecting the eggs of a morning and watching the cows being milked, some times we were squirted by whoever was doing the milking. At the bottom of the orchard there was a toilet built over a stream with 3 holes in line, (so we could sit together I guess) running water, no less. One day a lot of children from my school (St John's) came around with the teachers and were astonished to find us there, they thought we had gone back home as we hadn`t attended school. We were at the farm for about 5 weeks but had to leave and go into Llanegryn so we could attend school. We were placed with Mrs Davies who ran the post office down by the bridge. After that my sister often sat on the wall of the bridge crying, she was so home sick. We went to the school up the lane and a great place it was, a field to play in for a playground and a spinney where we used to set snares to catch rabbits(never caught any). However our teacher, Mrs Garner from St John's School used to take me out of the class into the cloakroom to comb my head into the sink with a fine tooth comb, I was absolutely crawling, my sister went through the same routine. I can't remember if I had ever had a bath. My Mother came out to visit us and when she saw the state we were both in, she bundled us up and took us back home and was very angry at what had happened to us. Overall we were evacuated for about 10 weeks and we were back home before Xmas 1939, Mum wouldn`t let us go again. We went back to Llanegryn about 10 years ago, we found it a very moving experience. We picked up some slate from out of the river to take back home and a piece of flint each from the gate posts of Gessail Farm, pure nostalgia huh. I have them in my garden now. We met a lady who remembered the "vaccies", she is the cleaning lady for the community hall and lived about the middle house on the side where the telephone box is. We also visited the school after going into the "new" post office, the lady there arranged it for us and we spoke to some of the youngsters there. Overall, I must say that I enjoyed my time in Llanegryn, especially Gessail Farm. Nosta, Bob Boyd. Last edited: 10/04/2007 09:54 by Bob Boyd |
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Arthog
From early 1960s onwards: At school in London we had 2 summer holidays at Min-y-Don. The first time we travelled by coach, we got lost and arrived in the dark. The following year we came by train from Paddington. We had to change at Gobowen and Ruabon, arriving late in the afternoon. My pals and I spent all our time exploring the area, on one excursion we were dropped off at Abergwynolwyn and had to make our way back over Cader Idris. Two of us lost our bearings slightly and arrived back nearer to Dolgellau than Arthog and had to thumb a lift home. Probably wouldn't be allowed now. Walking one evening a farmer pulled up in his Land Rover and roped us in to helping him get a cow out of a ditch. That was when I learnt my first words of Welsh. After this we left school and my mate worked for a travel company which enabled him to see the world and I worked as a long distance driver so was able to see the UK. But ever since that time one or other of us went to Arthog every year on a sort of pilgrimage. One particular year Id just got back from a holiday at Arthog only to find the first day back at work I was loaded with 16 ton of plasterboard for Dolgellau. A few years before that, just before the railway closed we timed our holidays together so we could hitch hike up to Arthog where we slept at the station for a couple of weeks courtesy of British Railways. The goods engine from Penmaenpool used to come past at 6-30 a.m. waking us up to be able to get out before the 7.20a.m. from Paddington came through. We'd meet the stationmaster as we walked over the bridge to get our breakfast in Davy Jones Locker. Have a few photos of Arthog and the station as well as Mawddach Crescent and the junction. Memories of sitting in the bar at Morfa Mawddach late into the night, listening to the tales of a Peter Don driver who lived at Fairborne, known as "Lofty". There was a camping coach at Morfa Mawddach station. A sad day when the station was pulled down. Also memories of an art exhibition held at Mawddach Crescent. There was a cafe at one end of Arthog terrace, a B&B in the middle which I stayed at once and a post office at the other which sold colour postcards of the village and the lakes. My wife and I still pay a visit to Arthog a couple of times a year as we live not so far away for the last 20 years. We sometimes have a meal in the George III at Penmaenpool. Interesting to see the Arthog Barns conversion, I would love to live there but I don't think it will happen. I have travelled all over the UK and Ireland but I keep coming back to this place, it doesn't seem to have changed all that much. Last edited: 19/01/2008 15:24 by Alan Spillett |
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Year: 1975
The best of times
My Mum and Dad first brought me to Fairbourne when I was born in 1966. My father and his father before him had been coming to the same bungalow (Min-y-Don on the Coast Road - Penrhyn Drive South) all their lives. Mum Dad and my sister visited Fairbourne every summer till I was 16. What happy memories. Each morning we would walk to the bakery for bread rolls - I can smell them now. If the weather was fine we played on the beech, went rock climbing or took the little train to the Barmouth ferry. Each year we did the same trips, to the butcher in Dollgellau, stopping off for a coke and a packet of crisps at the George III in Penmaenpool on the way back. Maybe a trip to Aberdovey to go crabbing from the pier, or a day spent at Harlech castle. But the highlight every year was a walk to the Blue Lakes where we bounced stones across the water. I can still remember the much smaller yellow lake, which I presume has gone. Happy, carefree days - test match special, candy floss, welsh lamb, football on the beech. I am going back with my kids -I hope they love it as much as I did. Posted: 29/05/2008 16:31 by William Cock |
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Year: 1976
Our summer holidays
Every year since the 1970s we went to Fairbourne for our holidays either with our mom and dad or our aunt and uncle. Our nan and grandad owned a bungalow in Llewellyn Drive. It was right next to the golf house across the road from the beach. Every year we would go on the little steam train up to the point then get a ferry across to Barmouth. Sometimes we would walk across the bridge to Barmouth. The last time I was in Fairbourne was in April 2006, it still looked exactly the same. The memories of Fairbourne are happy times, we had a brilliant time when we were there and always looked forward to going. Every year we would walk up to the blue pool, and throw stones in to see how deep it was, we never found out. We would also go into the arcade called The Penryn, I think it's still there now. Last edited: 28/04/2008 10:17 by Kathleen Mcgivern |
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Year: 1974
Barmouth, my Barmouth
My mum and dad used to take me and my younger brother to this wonderful holiday destination once a year till 1980. We used to stay at a caravan site called Tally Bont . I have many happy memories of these times. We used to spend our time there visiting some wonderful narrow gauge railways. Harlech Castle was always a must see destination, as was the Snowden cafe for chips, pie and peas. The highlight of every night was going down to the shingle covered beach just before sunset, where my father would build a magnificent sand castle. My mother, younger brother and my father would then sit and watch as the sea slowly washed it away. These were the happiest times of my childhood. Last edited: 05/05/2008 16:33 by Andy Cowan |
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