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Sontley
Sontley maps
Historic maps of Sontley and the local area, hand-drawn by Ordnance Survey and Samuel Lewis. View all Sontley maps
Sontley photos
We have no photos of Sontley, although we do have photos of these nearby places:
Erddig| Bersham| Ruabon| Wrexham| Rhosllanerchrugog| Erbistock| Penycae| Bangor-Is-Coed| Acrefair| Rhosymedre| Coedpoeth| Gwersyllt| Newbridge| Cefn Mawr| Minera| Trevor| Gresford| Froncysyllte| Garth| Chirk| Holt| Penley| Farndon| Bronygarth
Sontley area books
Displaying 1 of 0 books about Sontley and the local area. View all books for this area
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Memories of Sontley
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Clwyd memories
The Good Times at Middle Sontley
My first visit to Middle Sontley was in the late 1970s and I was made welcome by the kind owner, Mr Neville Roberts. Part of the farm was being transformed. Mr Roberts had bought land from the closed down Hafod Colliery that consisted of a derelict house, marshy fields and a black muddy brook. He amazingly transformed this bleak area into a place of beauty that attracted an abundance of wildlife and fish in the three lakes he created out of the horrible black marshy area. Today you would not recognise what was previously a settling area for coal-dust-laden water from the colliery. His house is historic and, with Mr Roberts' permission, worth viewing, especially the well in the kitchen!
Bersham School
I attended Bersham School until 1950 and well remember the daily walk (or run) from 30 Wynnstay Crescent up West Grove to the school. I believe 1947 was the year that the winter flood happened and Gwylim Williams drowned near the footbridge. I remember all the teachers at Bersham - Mr Hughes, Mr King, Mr Gilla and Ms Mitchel. She had a great influence on me and was instrumental in getting me to Grove Park. I saw Mr Hughes on Bersham Road in the late eighties and he actually said my name when my sister Kathleen asked him if he knew who I was!
How many of my school friends remember me I wonder? Names I remember are: Glyn Jones, Derek Rowlands, Tony Pemberton, Cynthia Rogers, Beryl Davies, Pam Kyffin, Phillip Pierce, John Povah, Colin Humphries, Emily Rogers (Blacky Row, and she had a younger sister whose name I have forgotten). I was a train spotter and remember trying to catch the ZULU express passing Rhostyllen at 1:00pm. Our... Read more
That Smell
When i was young i moved to manchester from Rhos but cam back lots to viset my Nain and Tiad in Johnstown and i alwys remember the smell of the smoke coming from the chimnys. i loved to smell the air while in the car going down High st. i have moved back now but it dose not smell the same any more.
Emma, Rhos. xxxxxxx
5 Mill Terrace
As a young child, I lived at number 5 Mill Terrace. It was my grandparents' house. Their names were Stanley and Alice Timberlake and they were able to rent the house because my grandad had worked for a local landowner by the name of Fitzhugh. My mother, Jeanette, was born in that house. We moved to the midlands when I was 5 years old but continued to visit until the mid-70s when Nan and Grandad moved to nearby Rhostyllen. There was no bathroom there for many years and I remember taking a bath in front of the fire with water heated up on the stove. I remember the rooms were icy cold in winter and I would stay in bed waiting for my grandad to light the fire before daring to go downstairs. I also remember doing the washing in the backyard in a metal tub, using a dolly pin and a hand mangle. Monday was my favourite day of the week. ... Read more
A Dump Called Paradise
I lived in this house until I was 21. My father had already bought the property when this photo was taken and I was also born in 1955. My parents had no hot water, low ceilings, no bathroom or electricity when they moved in. He did all the renovating himself...yet we had a wonderful, rich childhood. There used to be a picnic area across the road by the river...now there is a noisy dual carriageway there. When my father died in 1984 my mother had to sell it because the house needed a lot of upkeep.
In the past the house used to be a pub and Dad found lots of clay pipes in the garden. The horses were `parked` in the white area of the house. The bar was the black and white bit in the middle. The house was built in the 16th century so we were just a blip in its history....but it was a very well-loved home.
Erica's House
I remember this house very well. I played with Erica and her sister - whose name was, I think, Suzanne, in Bersham. Like Erica, I was also born in 1955. My grandparents lived in the cottages at Mill Terrace. Their name was Timberlake. My grandad was Stanley and my nan was Alice. My name is Jane and my surname was Thompson. My mum and dad (Jean and Roger) and I lived for a while in the cottages with Nan and Grandad. I remember loving Bridge House - finding it so special because it stood alone, right next to the river and near the waterfall. It was such a great place to play. We moved from Bersham, but continued to visit until my grandparents moved to Rhostyllen in the mid 70s. I still cherish all my memories of Bersham and feel so privileged to have lived in such a beautiful, peaceful place.
My Sunday School Teacher
Mrs Ingman, my Sunday school teacher, lived in the first house at Mill Terrace. The houses were so small inside, maybe two rooms downstairs and two upstairs but they had so much character. Mrs Ingman seemed so old when I was a child but she was probably only about middle sixties. I considered myself to be a favourite of hers but looking back , she was kind to everyone. I remember a huge, round dining room table in her sitting room ....I think she was very proud of it because I`ve never seen such a shine on a table.
Mr Fitzhugh owned the church in the village and we attended services 3 times on a Sunday and choir practice on a Wednesday. Mr Fitzhugh never failed to turn up even when he was ill. I remember him often sneezing into a huge handkerchief in Sunday school. My father, Fritz Franke of the Bridge House, had a lot of time for him and respected him greatly.
We had... Read more
