Childhood Memories

A Memory of Lower Sketty.

I spent my childhood summer holidays with my Nanny at 7 Crown Row, Cwymtwrch, a whitewashed cottage on the main road. My Aunty Annie lived further up the road, opposite the grocers shop. Next door lived my 'Aunty Molly', she had a son called David. We used to play a game with marbles on a board his dad made him. He also played the organ. I remember all the children used to put on plays in one of the neighbour's sheds, we used to buy crepe paper and make our outfits. My aunty's name was Annie Harris, my uncle was Dae John. My father was Jim Williams, he was a miner and died at the age of 43 as a consequence. I still have a cousin in Cwmfllynfell called Marion and her husband is Tal. My aunty's garden backed on to the railway and I used to rush out to wave to the driver. There was a stream just behind the railway and we used to go on long walks. I was a friend of the girl whos parents owned the shoe shop, I used to try all the shoes on - I still have a thing about shoes. All the houses had outside toilets, most of them had spiders. My nanny's cottage ran down to the river. The next door neighbour had a pig in a trough, it smelt.  I remember having a friend called Jean, she lived opposite to my nan, one year I went on holiday and she had died, I never knew how or why, we were not told those things then. Every year my nanny used to take me to the house on the other side of the river to a lady who used to knit, I would come home with a doll's outfit every year and she also used to let me have one item out of her trunk, it was always china, I still have some of it at home. Oh, so many memories of a very happy childhood.

---

---