Treowen Road

A Memory of Crumlin.

I was born in March ,1947 at 69,Treowen Road.It was a terrible winter,and the midwife who delivered me (Nurse Maiden) had to enter the house through the upstairs bedroom window because the snow was pilled up so high.
I lived in treowen Road untill I was twelve years old and and I've nothing but happy memouries of the place .
In those days Crumlin was a coal mining community andI can't think of any kid in Treowen Road that had a Dad that did'nt work down the pit.
Up until I left Trowen Rpod in 1959 we had a magnicient view fom the back of our house.Look to you're left and a couple of hundred yards away you had a full view of Crumlin Viaduct in all it's splender.Look straight ahead and you could see for miles across the valley towards the slag heaps in the far distance.You could also look down into the valley where you had a commanding view of Crumlin ,the coal mine,and the mining school.
For us kids who lived in Treowen I think we all got on pretty well together.There was'nt much to do of a night time exept hang around under the lamp post outside the Carpenters HouseWe did,nt see a lot of our Dads as they worked long hard hours down the Pit.It was shift work so they were either on nights ,or days
I struck up a friendship with a lad just down the road from us,and his name was Micky Pook.He was a year older than me and was a good solid mate!
On Saturday nights we used to go around selling the Football Argos We did't get paid for selling the papers,but relied on our tips We would start with the houses first on our side of CrumlinIt was Saturdy night,and easy money,just knock a door it would open,there would be a waft of aftershave and a Dad,or elder brother would answer I'd say Football Agos the bloke would nod his head pay me for the paper and alllways made sure he'd given me a tip .No one was well off in those days but they were proud and generouse to a fault.
Sunday morning was the same doing the Sunday papers.Down into Crumlin ,pick up the papers,drag them up to the top of Crumlin hill,and keep knocking doors untill you'd sold the lot,again you did't get paid for it but relied on you're tips,and we always did well out of it.