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Llanwonno church yard with a fully occupied house circa 1968. A hamlet with 1church,1 pub and 1 house. Now there's just a grass strip and a patch of tarmac.

I'm sure that there was a small row of houses by the side of the church, just before to go round the bend to the pub.

One was a shop. This would have been early to mid 1960's.


David

JohnPitt wrote:Llanwonno church yard with a fully occupied house circa 1968. A hamlet with 1church,1 pub and 1 house. Now there's just a grass strip and a patch of tarmac.

Very interesting, I thought it looked like something had once stood there. Any idea why the house came to be demolished?

There were definitely three houses and I believe the one nearest the Church was the shop (maybe wrong)! When collecting wimberries during August, we would often go down to the shop for an ice cream. After my friend and I joined the forces, we set off from his house in Blaenllechau on a Sunday and arrived at the pub just as it was opening - timing perfect!

On a sadder note, in 1952, when my paternal grandfather was buried, due to the heavy snow and ice in November, the funeral was delayed a week and then on a Sunday, council employees had to clear all the ice from the bottom of commercial street (known as the screen) up to their house No 15. On the Monday, via Pontypridd, my grandfather travelled by hearse, ash cart and then a sledge to the cemetary - my late father always said he would have been over the moon at the hassle his funeral had caused.

Brian

Becca54 wrote:I'm sure that there was a small row of houses by the side of the church, just before to go round the bend to the pub.
One was a shop. This would have been early to mid 1960's.
David

brianblaenboy wrote:There were definitely three houses and I believe the one nearest the Church was the shop (maybe wrong)! When collecting wimberries during August, we would often go down to the shop for an ice cream ....
Brian

Yes. I remember the shop (can't have been much passing trade!)

On my earliest visits to Llanwonno there was a terrace of 3 or 4 houses.
Like all 19th cent housing, there was no bathroom, and loo was a hut at bottom of garden! I dare say that before the popularity of a holiday home, these little properties were too expensive to upgrade.

However, the one in the picture has been well improved so why has it gone?

Probably for the same reason many houses were demolished in Tylorstown and Penrhys in the 90's, no-one wanted to live there any more? How times have changed?

19th century map.



Was I right about a terrace?

There was definitely a row of terraced houses adjacent to the church at Llanwonno.The building shown in the photo is of the pub. I think its called The Brynffynon Arms. Which I think Roughly translated is
Hill spring or fountain. In My boyhood days Llanwonno was a very popular place with annual sheepdog trials.The pub did good trade as did the small shop. In the church yard there is a grave of the legendary
runner Guytto of Nyddbran excuse my spelling if its wrong. There are many stories about his exploits but carved on his gravestone in Welsh it states that he ran 10 miles in twelve minutes under the hour.
My last visit to Llanwonno was about 6-8 years ago when with my wife and her sister we drove there via Blaenllechau and had a nice lunch in the pub. We had a look around the church which was very clean and well maintained.We located Guytto's Grave and someone had restored the wording by highlighting it with black paint. Llanwonno was featured in a film called Proud Valley which starred Paul Robinson.
It was the starting place of one of the famous treks to London during the 1926 general strike which was part of film.
Tom Pritchard

TomPritch wrote:There was definitely a row of terraced houses adjacent to the church at Llanwonno.The building shown in the photo is of the pub. I think its called The Brynffynon Arms. Which I think Roughly translated is
Hill spring or fountain ...
Tom Pritchard

The map shows the Brynffynon "Inn" on the bend, but also around 3 seperate squares suggesting 3 detached buildings one of which is presumably the Vicarage ... ????

Thanks for your tale - seems there was no house 8 years ago?

The three houses I remember, were not there 1995/1996 which was when I was last there. There used to be a photo of Stanley Baker in the bar - some-one told me his aunt ran the pub at one time.

Brian