Nostalgic memories of Porthcawl's local history
Share your own memories of Porthcawl and read what others have said
For many years now, we've been inviting visitors to our web site to add their own memories to share their experiences of life as it was when the photographs in our archive were taken. From brief one-liners explaining a little bit more about the image depicted, to great, in-depth accounts of a childhood when things were rather different than today (and everything inbetween!). We've had many contributors recognising themselves or loved ones in our photographs.
Why not add your memory today and become part of our Memories Community to help others in the future delve back into their past.
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Displaying Memories 1 - 10 of 27 in total
Tommy was the ventrioquist's dummy and the morning's show was not to be missed when on family holiday from Penarth in early August 1936. I would be eight in the October of that year. As far as I recollect there was no entrance fee, I just sat on the sand along with a crowd of kids. Unfortunately I do not recall any of the repartee but there was plenty of fun. I have a vague recollection that the ...see more
in the harbour at Porthcawl there were some times moored two fast patrole boats owned by the Royal Air Force and they were painted in the colours of the R.A.F. Occasionally they would go off on patrol manned by R.A.F crew I have seen them going off on patrol gathering speed as they left the harbour.`That was many years ago as I am now 76 years old and living in Belgium
We stayed in a small caravan the first holiday we had in Porthcawl during the miners fortnight holiday in June many years ago. Other wise it would be day or afternoon trips to Porthcawl and other seaside resorts along the South Wales coast . Playing on the beach at Porthcawl but to go there we had to put nice clothes on on our mothers orders as we had to look proper to go out even when it was warm or very warm and we had to ...see more
Oletha is now split into 3 dwellings. My husband Roger Timms and his family have lived in the house on the right of this picure for many years. We love living here and this road is now Gordon Road, which is now more populated than in this picture - BT office to the right of the dwelling and the Post Office sorting office next door to that. We consist of four generations of the Timms family living here now and 2 previous ...see more
I did some of my early training in the maypole-Lipton store in John Street under store manager Dick Roberts & Deputy Manager Ben Hopkins. I recall querying why there were rows of wellington boots on a bench in the basement warehouse as well as stock being stored on low trestles. "Well you'll need them when the flood comes" I was told!
Miners holiday fortnight was something else in Porthcawl, one ...see more
My family have a long history with porthcawl as my mothers family name was Churchill and my mother and her mother ran the sweet stall and the fish stall in trecco bay in the sixties and seventies. My fathers side of the family is called Theophilus which has many family members still living there. I was born in Hookland Rd and was only 4mths old when my mother and Grandmother opened up their stalls ready for the season to start. Very happy memories
My friend Valerie and I used to sit around the bowling greens playing Jack Stones with the pebbles in the gullies.
I remember my uncle, Edward Callaghan who was a coastguard, taking me to his look-out at Porthcawl to survey the sea. His wife, Polly, was my father's sister. My father and mother lived and died in Plymouth, Devon (dad died in 1971). Polly and Edward's children were Winnie, Irene and Teddy but only Irene had children but I have lost contact with the family.
I have some of the most fond memories of my childhood on holidays in and around this place, so much so that to this day I still remember the caravan number CY17 that was drummed into both my sister and I so that we did not get lost on the camp. We stayed in the same caravan year after year, you know the ones with the old gas lamps inside and you could smell them burning it was all very cosy. But the one thing I do ...see more
My wife's maiden name was Madeleine Sanderson (Bee), her memories are as follows.
Before her parents moved to Porthcawl they kept a caravan at Trecco House owned by Mrs Pearce her son Tom, daughter-in-law Dorothy and granddaughter Audrey. Audrey, Maddy, Noah and Basil played together and used to sit on the front wall of Trecco House and watch the lorries bring the tents and miners families down for the miners' fortnight ...see more