Living At Blaen Y Pant

A Memory of Blaen-y-cwm.

My father built most of the houses on Blaen-y-Pant, including our house, Bryn Dene. Initially there were houses built in 1937 on the Avenue, the Place and the Crescent. It was a private development of good quality homes. Interestingly, some families bought a few houses and a close knit community developed. I was born in our house, and had a very happy childhood there. We had the Malpas Brook and the fields of Thomas's farm in which to play and the Brecon-Monmouth Canal at the back of the house. In the winter of 1947 the men of Blaenau-y-Pant had to dig huge trenches in the deep snow to allow them to get on to Malpas Road to get to work . Meanwhile we children had marvelous fun tobogganing on The Craig. After that winter my father had central heating installed in our house - it was a most welcome addition!
For the Coronation my parents bought a Bush television and most of our neighbours came to watch the ceremony in our house, including our immediate neighbour who insisted that we all stand every time the National Anthem was played!
When my brothers married, they bought houses on Blaen-y-Pant so our family had three houses there. They were very happy times.
The Crescent was further developed after the war to provide council housing. Where cornfields had been, the blasted oak tree and dens and adventure areas which had given us years of safe fun now turned into much needed homes . Eventually the Crescent was opened up past Blaen-y-Pant House to meet up with Bettws lane and that altered forever the nature of Blaen-y-Pant as a discreet and rather wonderful place .

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