Pontnewydd

The firemen are photographed in front of the Cenotaph at the junction of Richmond Road/Lowlands Road and Clark Avenue, Pontnewydd.

.. The Fire Station once stood where the Surgery is at present, on Clark Avenue ..

.. The postcard bears a `penny red` stamp and postmarked - 11.0a.m - 28th July 24th, 1936. Pontnewydd ..

.. `Explore Our Canal` interpretation board at `The Cascades` Pontnewydd - 2010 ..

..This postcard view of Upper Pontnewydd Station was sold on Ebay on the 16th March 2008 for £36.88 ..

.. This is an early 20th Century scene looking down Mount Pleasant road - Pontnewydd ..

.. This Cwmbran Gardens token, (made of plastic) was found amongst some buttons, in a tin OXO box ..

(Photograph kindly contributed by Colin Bowen, formerly of Chapel Street, Pontnewydd)

.. Photographed 1973, shows `Great Western Railway` Engine No.5643 awaiting restoration at the Old Coal Yard - Adjacent to Cromwell Place - Pontnewydd ..

Engine No.5643 was one of 200 of it's class and emerged from the Swindon Works in October 1925; and spent its entire working life in and around South Wales operating out of the Coke Ovens shed at Pontypridd; Abercynon shed and the Barry shed.

After 38 year's service, 5643 was withdrawn in July 1963, and was moved to the now famous Dai Woodham's scrap yard in Barry.

.. Pontnewydd Golf Club was established in 1875 and is accessed via Ty- Pwca road, Upper Cwmbran ..

The course consists of 11 different holes 7 of which are played twice and from unrelated tees, in a complete round of golf.

The course measures 5278 yards - par 68 - from the mens tees (4918 yards - par 70 - from the ladies)

If you play or have previously played a round of golf here and would like to comment please click here ..

..This is a view of the bowling green and pavilion of Pontnewydd Park off Mount Pleasant Road ..

Lawrence Skuse relates: In the 1950s/early 60s, our next door neighbour in the "Prefabs" at Penyparc, was Mr Jarrett (worked on the last ever shift at Cwmbran Colliery), and was a stalwart of the club. He was incensed one day, because they borrowed a load of turf from the green to create a grassed path for Princess Anne to walk on when she visited Cwmbran New Town.

.. The houses of Maesgwyn, photographed from the canal, adjacent to the Cross Keys pub - December 1981 ..

1st August 2008

.. End of an era ..

.. `Powells` Hardware Store - Chapel Street ..

End of an era ---- `Powells` Hardware store finally closed it's shutters for the last time on Friday 1st August 2008

The store known by `one and all` for many, many years, has served the community of Pontnewydd and surrounding areas very well and will be sadly missed. The store's products range was immense, e.g. Garden tools and sundries, D.I.Y. products, carpet, tiles, dustbins etc; even down to the `saviour` of the `annoying dripping tap` ... the humble tap washer!

.... Many years ago I recall Mr.Powell (the previous owner) travelling around Pontnewydd and Cwmbran, calling on his `regulars` with his well stocked van of `goodies` and my mother going to his van with a `steel jug` to be filled up with paraffin to use in our paraffin heater .. no central heating in those days!

Cyril Clifford and his wife, bought the Hardware store 13years ago when Mr. Powell decided to retire, and carried on, changing little,if anything, to the `ambience` of the store .... another example which springs to mind was `Tothill & Bodnam`s Hardware store in Old Cwmbran.

Cyril informed me that he started working for Mr. Powell, whilst still at school (after school time though), and when he reached 15 years old, he left school to work full time at the hardware store .... and that was some 45 years ago ... How time flies ...

Unfortunately as time stops for no-one, Cyril and his wife have now decided to take `early retirement` and `shut up shop` for the last time ... I'm sure that, they and their `famous` Hardware store will be sadly missed. We wish you well in your `retirement` ...

.. Cyril Clifford and his delivery van - Clark Avenue, Pontnewydd ..

March 2009 .. Powell`s Hardware store is now being converted back to a dwelling ..

Ralph & Margaret Williams from Pontnewydd relate: The shop is Powell`s Hardware in Chapel Street. When we got married in 1957 we had our carpet squares from there. They sold everything for the home even Paraffin, also white powder, which I cannot remember the name, for the lamps on our bicycles when I was a child.

.. This photograph circa early 20th century, shows the original `Powells` hardware store situated in one of the terraced houses, opposite the premises that we are all familiar with ..

.. Chapel Street ..

.. Hope Methodist Church ..

.. 1974 ..

Viewed from Peterson's Funeral Home, shows the bottom of Maendy Way ... n.b. the row of houses (now demolished) next to the Workingmen's Club and the crossroads (now replaced by a roundabout).
Viewed from Peterson's Funeral Home shows Nightingale House
( block of flats, to the right ) under construction.

Photographs kindly contributed by J.Tamplin

.. October 1956 ..

This photograph taken in October 1956, shows the junction of Woodside Road, Maendy Way and Chapel Street - Pontnewydd. Notice the pavement on the right is are finished. The white cottages to the right were known as Nightingale Row (now demolished) behind them, can be seen the houses of Trinity Road, Ty box Road and the blocks of flats known as Nightingale House.

June Tamplin (nee Peterson) relates: This is the bottom of Maendy Way at its junction with Woodside Road. I see Ty Box Road. Trinity Road and the flats above have been built but Laybourne Close, Padarn Place etc do not appear to have been developed yet! The pavement on the R/H side seems to be in the process of being completed and the bus stop is still there!

We played in the park on the L/H side of the picture, it had little swings with the bar across to stop you falling out, big swings, a large wooden/metal roundabout, an umbrella roundabout which older boys would try and rock off its pedestal and horror of horrors concrete bases and in 1963 (the last BIG FREEZE) the canal was frozen and we skated on it! I don't know how we survived our childhood!
Barbara Thompson now residing in New Zealand relates: There was a park with swings etc to the left, we called it Woodside park.

.. Maendy Way Road Bridge ..

.. August 1956 ..

.. October 1956 ..

.. October 1956 ..

These photographs show construction work in progress, which entailed the building of a road bridge over the Monmouthshire Eastern Valleys railway line and a `new road` from the junction of Maendy Way, Woodside Road and Chapel Street to the `developing` Town Centre ..

The `official opening` of Maendy Way bridge took place in June 1958; The ceremony was performed by Mrs. Brooke (wife of Henry Brooke, Minister of Housing), Lady Rhys Williams, General Rees, Percy Jones, Lord Raglan.

Dawn Jones (nee Peterson) relates:- I can recall this view looking up Maendy Way towards the canal, obviously the construction of the road bridge over what is now Cwmbran Drive, I find this fascinating, as I can remember the houses either side and when they became unoccupied and derelict, we played in them as kids, I remember the fruit trees in the back gardens, it was like finding bags of free sweets. Where the crossroads were, not a week went by without an accident and Mrs. Miles lived in the end house (near the Workingmens Club) and she was always one of the first people on the scene and my mother often used to say that the authorities should give her a first aid kit as it must have cost this lady a fortune in bandages etc. I think the right of way was straight through Maendy Way  and then they changed the priorities, there were numerous accidents after this.

The park was on the left hand side with the big umbrella roundabout which we climbed, dangled from, turned upside down, played tag and allsorts, it had a concrete floor - how did we survive. The little roundabout, we used to whizz around on with lolly pop sticks and sharpen them to a point or place our shoes around the edge and see who could collect the most, sometimes they went underneath, there was a bench near the edge of the park and we would sit there and wave to the motorists - how dangerous that would be to do that these days.

Holy Trinity Church is visible up towards the right, as kids we would attend the Harvest festivals and any other important Church events, the tables would be laden with fresh produce and home-made bread, the colours would be outstanding. Vicar Redd was the Vicar and his sister Mrs. Evans taught at Pontnewydd Church School.

I don't remember the construction of this bridge but I do remember the construction of the telephone exchange and associated works in that area near the old dairy and one Saturday I had been shopping in the town centre with my sister and cousin, we were going to cut through Forgehammer but a JCB was working near this site and I was so scared I wouldn't go that way and under much protest my sister had to take me up over Maendy Way bridge, I must have been quite young but this is a vivid memory.

The view looking up towards Mynydd Maen has made me feel very nostalgic and I could waffle on for ages, it's brought back some lovely memories.

.. January 2010 ..

.. If you have memories to add or old photographs you would like to share please click here to email me ..

.. The Well Centre - Station road - Pontnewydd ..

Lawrence relates:

This is the old Presbyterian Chapel in Station Road Pontnewydd, now the Well Centre, and  well I remember it as the Labour Exchange, once signing on there for "dole" more years ago than I care to remember. Where the housing estate next to it now is, there used to be before the war, so I was told, the local cinema.

    Reverend Mike Endicott relates:

The site freehold belongs to the Trinity Presbyterian Church in Wales. It was originally acquired by them in 1905 to provide an extra place of worship during the Welsh Revival of 1904. At that time the various churches in Pontnewydd were  carrying out 2000 Baptisms per week!

By 1935 the original corrugated iron building had long ago been replaced by a brick church, consisting only of the large room under the main roof. Then were added a single storey extension along the west and north walls.

With the advent of war, the church was taken over by government and became the local Benefit Office for the distribution of such things as food rationing coupons and orange juice for children.

After the war the building remained in use as a benefit office, gradually ceasing its old role and turning itself into a Labour Exchange to help the settling of returning men from the war and the just beginning influx of investment in South Wales.

In the 1950's, when the Cwmbran new town was being constructed, provision was made within it for a Job Centre and thus the building in the village of Pontnewydd became redundant. It was then leased to a church grouping referred to as New Life Fellowship and it remained under their use until the mid 90's.

With the demise of that local church, the building was left empty for some while attracting the usual vandalism and general deterioration that resulted.

So it was in the 90's that we found it in a somewhat dilapidated condition and it has now grown into the headquarters of a flourishing international religious Order, ( Jacob`s Well ) under the patronage of the Archbishop of Canterbury and the watchful eye of the Bishop of Monmouth, concerned with bringing healing and wholeness to those who need it through prayer.

It is intended in the Spring 2007, to open its doors to local non-church people who might find their way to us for that reason.

So, in that sense, it is still a benefit office!

.. `Dock` Cottage - 5 Locks .. Adjacent to 5 Locks Moorings ..

`Dock` Cottage - Postcard scene (date unknown)

`Dock` Cottage `extended` 2008

I have been informed that the cottage is also known as `Lock` cottage but it was originally known as `Dock` cottage, due to the coal and limestone that was transported down from the mountain to the `Dock` and loaded into barges for transportation to Newport Docks.

16th November 2008

Ralph Williams relates: Back in the late 1940's I used to do my courting on the bridge just below the Cottage. One of the girls living by the Cross Keys Pub took my school hat off and threw it into the lock by the bridge. I had a `clip across the ear` when I got home. School hats cost a lot of money in those days.