.. A selection of photographs/articles concerning Cwmbran People, Places, Pastimes and Professions ..

... Click on the links below for more info ..

*The `sweet shop` next to the Odd Fellows Inn *Twm Barlwm * Who remembers Griffithstown Swimming Baths? *

* Fancy Dress Comps and Cwmbran Carnival * Where are you now? * Bygone `Footie` Photographs *

* Pen y Parc *  Forge Hammer * Henry Parfitt * My Newt's Bigger than your Newt!  *

*  An Eastern Valley education in the 1950/60s * Cwmbran - Ex Pats *

* �The GLORY be to thee O GOD ALONE� *

*Marjorie Honing shopkeeper Old Cwmbran* The Square and a Family connection *

* John Chapman `Pentre Basket`Ty Coch * Tommy `Toes` Jacobsen * Christmas Party 1949 *

 * Maes-yr-Rhiw Country House * Lawrence Skuse(2) * Les Rowland * My Charity Hike to Machu Picchu - Peru *

* Gareth Duke (Olympic Medallist) * Tom Richards (Olympic Medallist) * Girlings *

.. Click on the image to enlarge ..

.. Baltic Terrace - Pentre Basket - Ty Coch ..

- Baltic Terrace is a row of seven terraced cottages just off the canal at Ty Coch -

.. John Chapman ..	.. Baltic Terrace - Pentre Basket - Ty Coch ..

John Chapman, a sprightly 71 year old (2007) was born in a cottage directly behind Baltic Terrace, which incidentally was attached to the Carpenters Arms Public House; although by the time John was born it had `shut tap` and closed it's doors. The pub, cottages, adjacent farm (Pentre Basket) and surrounding fields are shown on the Ordnance Survey map of 1881; and recorded as Pentre Basket.

John remembers as a young lad bringing water home each day from a well, known locally as Rachel's Well, which was a couple of hundred yards (metres) from their home, he also recalled seeing `Dickie the Lock` Williams and Pontnewydd Lock Keeper, Tom Beniam working together, removing weed and raking it up onto a barge. `Dickie the Lock's` cottage ( now demolished ) was built of stone with a slate roof and had a lean-to attached, he remarked favourably on the well stocked vegetable garden and numerous roses.

`Dickie the Lock`s` cottage - below Ty Coch village, circa 1935

He can also recall the decaying remains of a barge and a large wooden shed that straddled the culvert adjacent to Dickie's cottage, he said a barge would be floated in there and the sluice gate closed, thereby draining the culvert and allowing maintenance work to be carried out in the `dry dock`.

At the age 18, John enlisted in the R.A.F. and his father moved into his Nan's cottage at No.1 Baltic Terrace. The family were very close, literally, as his Aunt also lived  a couple of doors away at No.3. When John came out of the R.A.F. three years later, he married his `sweetheart` Pat and they bought No.2 Baltic Terrace. John and his wife never lost their `wonderlust` though, and now reside in No.1 Baltic Terrace.

Annie Chapman, John's Nan - on the step of No.1 Baltic Terrace

John's father worked for G.K.N. and John joined the G.K.N. Cricket Team in his latter `teenage years`, after his National Service, John joined Alpha Laval, where he was employed for twenty seven and a half years before he was made redundant. He then went on to become the caretaker, at a junior school in Ponthir until his retirement. John told me of his past interest of `whittling` and making walking sticks, some of his talented `handy work` is shown below . . .

John's collection of walking sticks, crafted by his own hand.

.. Who remembers Griffithstown Swimming Baths? ..

Back Row:   ?,  Bryn Evans, Graham Bradshaw, ?, ?, Sam Evett, ?, Archie Hardwick, Roy Phillips, Nelson Slade, Ken Jayne, ?, ?, ?, John Bevan.
 
Middle Row: Jeff Beale,  Alan Powell, ?, ?, ?, John Strong, Peter John, Paul Spredbury, John Moore, David James, ?Woods.
 
Not sure who's who in the front, but there's bound to be someone who does know ...here's hoping...   
 
Front: Rhys Parlow, ? Trask, William (Bill) Gilmore, Pippy Blount, Cecil Watkins.
 
 
I was talking to one of my other uncles recently. I was telling him about your website and asking for info about this photograph.
 
"Bloody swimmin' pool, more like a wildlife pond with all the frogs that were in it. Bloody freezin' it was!   Priceless memories eh!
 
(Photograph contributed by Karen Selway nee Gilmore)

.. Christmas Party 1949 in the  Co-Op Hall on Chapel Street- Pontnewydd ..

.. Residents of Chapel Street, Harold Street & Stanley Place ..

Back Row (L-R):-Derek Dixon, Mrs. Parry, ?, Mrs. Sharp, Mrs. Morris, Mrs. Slade, ?, Mrs. Arundel, ?, Mrs. Cooper.

Row 5:- Winifred Howard holding her baby daughter `Tania` ,  ? , ?  , Barbara Hanson, Mrs. Hanson, Mrs. M. Dixon, Bryn Hook, Bernard Marsh, Donald Westacot, Mavis Marsh, Kathleen Cooper,  ? , Mr. Hook.

Row 4:-  ? , Mrs. Hook, Margaret Dixon, Mary Cooper, Geraldine Lennon.

Row 3:- Colin Bowen, Peter Morris, Llewellyn Williams, Pat Morris, Margaret Arundel, Yvonne Parry, ? , Gorden Garrett, ? , ? ,

Row 2:-  ? ,  ? ,  ? ,  ? ,  ? ,  ? ,  ? , Gareth Williams,   ? ,  ? ,

Front Row:- Robert Arundel, ? , ?,

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Tania Mason responds: The Lady on the left holding me in row 5, is my mum (now  age 89) Winifred Howard wife of Reg Howard from the garage in Chapel Street. My sister Sandra is probably there too, aged 7, but I can't make out which one she is.

.. If you have any related memories or can supply any of the missing names please click here ..

During the war years the women of Chapel Street met regularly to learn the art of managing without much in the way of materials, food etc. The classes were called �Make do and Mend� � probably the original �Green� recycling classes. A �British Restaurant� was also set up in the Co-op Hall when the local ladies would volunteer as waitresses and I remember that one of the cooks was Winnie Thomas. Lunches were provided for the local workers and school children at very low prices.

When peace was declare there remained a wonderful spirit of neighbourliness and this led to many social activities being organised, one of which was the Christmas Party in the Co-op Hall, the men made toys for the for the boys and soft toys were made by the women. I remember the huge bonfires that were built in the Co-op field, and staying up all night to stop them being lit early by children from neighbouring areas. These bonfires were rivalled by those built in Forgehammer.

(Photograph and recollections kindly contributed by Roy Dixon - Upper Cwmbran )

• Date: 18th January 2007
• Name: Shaun McGuire
• Email: Click here

When I used to visit my aunt and uncle at the Forge Hammer Hotel in the 1950�s I remember in the bar there was an upright piano.

 

On the walls around the piano there were a number of photos; photo�s that this site would probably love to have these days but one photo in particular always drew my attention.

It was a photo of a gentleman playing the piano, the same piano that was in the pub and around it were a number of customers either listening or singing to the tune being played.

 

Nothing unusual about that except that the gentleman was playing the piano with his toes as he had no arms.

Now I believe that this person was one of Cwmbran�s �characters� and I wonder if anyone remembers him, his name or any other stories about him.

 

The photo I would have thought, was taken sometime in the late 1940�s or early 50�s as I was a child at the time I saw the photo.

 

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• Date: 15th February 2007
• Name: Don Carr

Ref the enquiry about Tommy Toes:

I am not sure of the year that I first met Tommy �Toes�, but it was around the time that the G.K.N Club shut down, early � mid 70�s?

My Father and Mother were Steward and Stewardess of the Pontnewydd Royal British Legion Club when Tom started going there.

Not only did he play the piano with his toes but I have also seen him, on the stage at the club, give a man a shave using a cut-throat razor.

For a man with such a disability Tom was always pleasant and ready to crack a joke. A real nice guy!

I believe his name was Tommy Jacobsen.

.. Maes - y - Rhiw  Country House ..

.. This Christmas card was commissioned by Mr. L. Booth and Mrs .J. Booth (Proprietors circa1980`s) ..

Smiling `Newly Weds`, Nigel Thomas and Cath Mc.Carthy on their wedding day 22nd July 1989 - together with friends and Family members, pose for photographs, in front of the Maes - y - Rhiw Country House (now demolished),

Webmaster:- Any history or memories of the Maes - y - Rhiw (Field on the Hill ) ? please  click here

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Date: August 2007

My name is Sarah Hagan (nee Grenyer) and my parents owned, operated, and resided in the Maes-y-Rhiw in the mid-1980's.  I used to walk down the hill to class every day and then every afternoon, I would walk home and pinch a bag of prawn flavoured crisps from behind the bar. There was a sit down `Pac-Man` game in the bar to the left of the entrance and I could usually be found there with my little sister, bothering the chef, or out playing in the beautiful gardens that encircled the estate.  I have many fond childhood memories (including meeting Emlyn Hughes, one of my favourite `all-time players` and my first crush, Matthew Lane). I was so sad to have learned a few years back that they knocked it down. 

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Date: December2006

Richard Williams responds:- I used to Work at the Maes Y Rhiw from 1979 till 1984; I used to be the chef there and did a few weddings of girls I was in school with. The barn function room was impressive as were the gardens and the trees.

It was a great place and its a shame that it has gone.

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Date: October 2006

Tuarita responds:- I don't have any memories of the Maes y Rhiw but I do have memories of Nigel Thomas, we used to be in the same form at Croesyceiliog Comp and were great friends as well as Richard Bowie, Bryan Curtis, Marion Evans, David Jones, Brian Jones, Stephen Kendall etc!

 

Tuarita Lawson (was Gregory back then)

.. Photographs kindly contributed by Lawrence Skuse ..

.. Thornhill Road 1976 ..

"Photographed, from where Hafren Road is now. As a child I never thought this area would be developed as it was Green Belt.  I can remember as a teenager, finding an old rubbish tip, probably from Park House Farm off Graig Road, from which I recovered several old pop bottles including a "pop alley" bottle, in the woods levelled to make way for the estate".

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 "My father and his brothers, probably just after the war outside their family home at the New Town end of Grange Road. Where the house stood they built the Bus depot ". (Stagecoach)

 "This photograph shows my elder brother with a Reliant 3-wheeler outside Pontrhydyrun Chapel in 1967.  We were there for a cousin's wedding and the Reliant was about the only car that could make it up the hill, so it did a lot of shuttle runs!

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PENYPARC  *  PEN Y PARC  *  PEN-Y-PARC   PONTNEWYDD

.. 2008 ..

(Contributed by Lawrence Skuse)

This was originally a residential estate of fifty Arcon V  �prefabs� built, like thousands of others up and down the country, as a short term fix to the housing shortage.  Designed to last up to twenty years, many are still inhabited and inhabitable today. Sadly the ones where I lived from 1955-1963 were demolished in the 1970s/80s to make way for a rather more high density development.  Penyparc means �Top/End of the Park�; locally, the street was always referred to as �The Prefabs�, rarely Penyparc, possibly a reference to the �Cwmbran Gardens� recreational area.

 �The Prefabs�, would certainly have had a proportion of ex-servicemen from WWII settled there with their families when they were built.

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.. Penyparc in the 1950`s ..

In one picture you can see the �coal hole� constructed from Anderson air raid shelter panels and breeze blocks.  The front end had a lockable door.

.. 1950s, note the `coal hole` ..		.. 1950s (with alien life form!) ..

.. Photographs kindly contributed by Ceinwen Hargraves ..

.. (Ceinwen`s father)  Les Rowland circa 1933..

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- (Ceinwen`s paternal Grandfather) -

.. Alfred Rowland - National Master Bakers, President - 1936 ..

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.. A.M. Rowland and Sons - Bakers, Ventnor Road, Old Cwmbran - circa 1935 ..

Left to right:- Percy Compton (Driver) * Gerard Waygood (Baker) * Mansell Dovey (Baker) * Les (General factory man) * Jack Waygood (Baker) * ? (Driver)

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