You are here:
Ystrad
Ystrad maps
Historic maps of Ystrad and the local area, hand-drawn by Ordnance Survey and Samuel Lewis. View all Ystrad maps
Ystrad area books
Displaying 1 of 2 books about Ystrad and the local area. View all books for this area
You can read extracts and browse photos from these books.
Memories of Ystrad
No memories of Ystrad have been shared yet - be the first!
Add your memory of Ystrad
or of a photo of Ystrad.
Mid Glamorgan memories
Llwynypia General
I lived with my parents in two rooms in a house on Church Street near Partridge Square. I had a small mongrel dog called Spot who used to go down to the bus shelter and wait for the bus to Porth, get on it and ride to Porth and back. My father was a miner and my mother worked in Llwynypia hospital and was there when the wounded soldiers were brought back from Dieppe. We "adopted" three of the wounded soldiers and they used to visit us regularly. I only remember one of their names - Jack Sargent - but they are all remembered with fondness. I went to Pontrhondda school and had music lessons (playing the piano accordian). I was in fact a member of "Joy Clark's Accordian Band" - happy memories. By the way the single storey shop in the pictures was always known as "The old man's".
My Birth Place
Dear readers,
Llwynpia was where I was born at the Hospital, 8th August 1947. My Mom was taken there in labour with me and I should have been born at my grand-parents house which was in Gilfach, Bargoid. At 6 weeks old my parents moved me to Birmingham where I have lived ever since. One day I hope to go and see the place where I was born
Thankyou for the memories x
My Memoires
Dear readers,
My name's Steve Hopkins and I was born in Llwynypia hospital in late 1957. My mother's a Liverpudlian evacuated during wartime to Malpas in Cheshire and my father’s from Rhydfelin near Pontypridd. I was readmitted to the hospital when I had tonsillitis at the tender age of three. I remember my parents bringing me a big green helicopter, eating loads of ice cream and my uncle Vernon popping in to say hello along with the tall, dark and handsome young Tom Jones and Keith the guitarist with the band. My uncle was the bass player and then leader of the Senators. They were exiting times with Tom hitting the big time and we were receiving postcards from all over the world, blah blah blah.
I grew up in Ferndale till the age of 7 and my best friend was another famous Ferndalian the alias Mike Curtis, author of CQB (Close Quarter Battle). He joined the Para regiment and later... Read more
Riding The Bike
This photo was taken in 1963, my husband was the boy on the bike. He said that it was taken on a Saturday afternoon. The chapel on the right of this view has now been demolished.
Wrong Year
That's me on the bike, my wife said it was 1963 but in fact it was 1962, early summer. At that time I was using my step-father's surname of Price. The policeman standing outside the post office was Sgt Brown.
Visits to Aunty May's
I loved to visit my Aunty May’s house in Rhonnda Terrace, Ferndale. She was my grandfather’s sister, a lovely jolly person always happy, and she loved us kids coming to visit. We had to do a good bit of traveling to get there, but it was worth it. I remember Ferndale was really hilly, really steep, you would be out of breath when you reached Aunty May’s house, but what a welcome, what a terrific aunt! Then I would visit the park nearby, a lovely place with a small lake, where you could hire a small rowing boat. I had friends there that I would only see once a year. We would mainly go to the park, it was safe, surrounded by mountains and trees, and at home-time Aunty May would have made me a delicious rice pudding, nobody made it like her – great. For my beautiful Aunty May, thank you for the great times when I was a kid.
Saturdays
I went to Ferndale nearly every Saturday with my Mum and brother to visit my grandparents and my Great Aunt and Uncle. My grandparents, the Gambles, lived in Brynhyfryd and we would get off the bus at the bottom of the hill on the Strand and walk up the steep steps to the house. We would spend lunchtime and early afternoon there and then we would walk down to New Street and spend the late afternoon having tea with my Great Aunt and Uncle Pope. Then we would walk to the end of New Street and catch a bus back to Cardiff by the garage. I always enjoyed these visits because I used to get at least 2 sets of pocket money at the end of the visits! I should be a millionaire but I'd rather have my memories!
