Dyffryn Street

[darran]

Hi Mike

I'm sure the numbers go the other way as my grandparents lived at No 35 near Williams the bakers/across the road from the newsagents run by Susan Roberts' parents.

Happy new year

Sheila

[iorijones]

Sheila,
Thanks for your reply and yes your piano teacher was my mother, she died in 1984. I suspect the age gap between us is probably too large for us to have known each other and in any case a great deal of my life was not spent in Ferndale. I personally left in Sept. 1953 but returned in 1962, when I bought a house in Irfon St. I left again in 1975. You might however, depending on your age, have known one or all of my three children, Carol Anne, Stephen Dewi and Huw Lloyd. Tragically, Carol died in 1981 and Huw in 1999.Stephen however, I'm very glad to say, is alive and well and after living for quite a while in the Watford area, has very recently gone to live in Trehafod. Carol would have been 51 now and Huw 45, Stephen is nearly 50.
Your query about where your Gran lived, I have no idea where 61 would be but if you get onto a website called http://www.oldukphotos.com you will find some excellent shots of old Ferndale, including one of the very corner that you are writing about! Same side, on the other corner was a cleaners, which someone has already mentioned, next up was a tiny cobblers shop, I wish I could remember his name, he was a lovely chap, but I can't. Anyway it's the opposite side of the road that you're interested in. Directly opposite the 'Rhondda' was a ladies clothes shop - 'Bon Marche' which later became 'Harriet's', next door down was a greengrocers called 'Nan's and next to that 'Sterling Radio'. Now I have a dim recollection of a doorway between 'Nan's' and 'Bon Marche' apparently giving access to an upper flat, but that could be a trick of my memory. On the same side as we're talking about, on the opposite (upper) side, was the 'Penny Bazaar', (which always appeared to be in imminent danger of falling down, so in the fifties they pulled it down. We thought of that as Ferndale's 'Woolworths'.) next to that was 'The Maypole'.
God, I do get carried away, so I'll keep some of the history of that part of Ferndale for another time, believe it or not, an axe murder, an opium den, a G.I. invasion, and Niagra Falls all play a part!
Cheers,
Iori.

[darran]

Hello Iori
Well isn't it a small world! I would have been 7 in 1953 and I probably started piano lessons in that year or the next - when I was in the Lower school. I stopped lessons when I was in my GCE year. I'm afraid I didn't know any of your children. I vaguely recall seeing a sister of yours when I went to your house? I used to pay 2/6 - half a crown for a lesson and your Mum used to knit as she sat beside the piano. Didn't she used to play in the Workmen's hall cinema too? And your aunt was the librarian in the old library and I used to have to beg her to lend me books from the adult section. I think it was 2d to borrow a book! Do you mind reminding me of your Mum's and your aunt's first names?

From the 1911 census I have gone along Dyffryn St house by house and the Rhondda pub was No 57, so Harriett's was 58 and so on. But No 61 is missed out for some reason - unoccupied maybe. I think that when she married my grandmother used that address but maybe did not live there as I know where she lived in 1911 and as she was pregnant getting married she may not have been allowed to be married from the family home. I also know where she lived on getting married in 1914 so it's all very interesting.
I have seen the photos on that website but thanks anyway.

Sheila

[bouncer]

Hello Iori
Well isn't it a small world! I would have been 7 in 1953 and I probably started piano lessons in that year or the next - when I was in the Lower school. I stopped lessons when I was in my GCE year. I'm afraid I didn't know any of your children. I vaguely recall seeing a sister of yours when I went to your house? I used to pay 2/6 - half a crown for a lesson and your Mum used to knit as she sat beside the piano. Didn't she used to play in the Workmen's hall cinema too? And your aunt was the librarian in the old library and I used to have to beg her to lend me books from the adult section. I think it was 2d to borrow a book! Do you mind reminding me of your Mum's and your aunt's first names?

From the 1911 census I have gone along Dyffryn St house by house and the Rhondda pub was No 57, so Harriett's was 58 and so on. But No 61 is missed out for some reason - unoccupied maybe. I think that when she married my grandmother used that address but maybe did not live there as I know where she lived in 1911 and as she was pregnant getting married she may not have been allowed to be married from the family home. I also know where she lived on getting married in 1914 so it's all very interesting.
I have seen the photos on that website but thanks anyway.

Sheila

Hi Sheila
I don't think the Rhondda could have been 57 as I've said previously - Gary Jenkins house was no 50 and he lived further down from the Surgery next door to the Pub. Iori the Cobbler your are thinking of was Tal's - everytime you passed the shop you had a whiff of leather and glue!

[bouncer]

Hello Iori
Well isn't it a small world! I would have been 7 in 1953 and I probably started piano lessons in that year or the next - when I was in the Lower school. I stopped lessons when I was in my GCE year. I'm afraid I didn't know any of your children. I vaguely recall seeing a sister of yours when I went to your house? I used to pay 2/6 - half a crown for a lesson and your Mum used to knit as she sat beside the piano. Didn't she used to play in the Workmen's hall cinema too? And your aunt was the librarian in the old library and I used to have to beg her to lend me books from the adult section. I think it was 2d to borrow a book! Do you mind reminding me of your Mum's and your aunt's first names?

From the 1911 census I have gone along Dyffryn St house by house and the Rhondda pub was No 57, so Harriett's was 58 and so on. But No 61 is missed out for some reason - unoccupied maybe. I think that when she married my grandmother used that address but maybe did not live there as I know where she lived in 1911 and as she was pregnant getting married she may not have been allowed to be married from the family home. I also know where she lived on getting married in 1914 so it's all very interesting.
I have seen the photos on that website but thanks anyway.

Sheila

Hi Sheila
I don't think the Rhondda could have been 57 as I've said previously - Gary Jenkins house was no 50 and he lived further down from the Surgery next door to the Pub. Iori the Cobbler your are thinking of was Tal's - everytime you passed the shop you had a whiff of leather and glue!

Unless of course the numbers were higher nearer the Strand end

[darran]

Mike, The Rhondda pub was No 57 on the 1911 census. The numbers could possibly have changed since then but between the houses and the pub were the surgery, the chemists and the photograpers and I knew someone who lived in 52 which was a few removed from the photographers so I think its about right.

Sheila

[JohnPitt]

My Grandparents started married life at 97 Dyffryn Street in 1896 - unsurprisingly, grandfather was a Collier.

[JohnPitt]

.... I do get carried away, so I'll keep some of the history of that part of Ferndale for another time, believe it or not, an axe murder, an opium den, a G.I. invasion, and Niagra Falls all play a part!
Cheers,
Iori.

Well the great freeze of 2010 has come and gone spring has sprung and the blue bells are again a memory with the onset of flaming June - and here we are still in suspense !!

Were d'you get to Iori?

[GaryLockyer]

G'day all,
I trust everyone is fit and well.
Duffryn Street starts numbering from down to up the valley from 1 to 56.
56 was (is?) the Rhondda Hotel. Then you cross the road and gp back dwon the valley.
Harriets was 57 Duffryn street.
Jeremiahs' was next door at 58, which became Nanw and Ken Thomas's greeengrocery.
Remember that Nanw was quite well known as a singer and appeared profesionally.
Number 59 was Sterling Radio owned by Bert Rosser. His daughter - I think was Wendy, who married Jim Salt the policeman. Handel was one of the two employees there. The other was George Gosling. Does anyone remember him falling off a roof and doing some serious damage to himself whilst erecting a TV antenna?
I think number 60 was Arthur Powell the buthcher, which was later taken over by one of the employees when Arthur retired. Terry Gorringe.
61 went through many hands and has been variously an outfitters shop, a cake shop - I think this was the first cake shop that my cousin Shiela (nee Thomas) who married Ossie from up the baths, started to run before she moved further up High Street.
I am then vague about 62 and 63, but 64 is the Businessmans Club. This took a couple of houses so I think it could be 64 to 65 or 66.
Hope this helps a bit. Nice to see everything is still running.
P.S. WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO LOCKYER & PEACEY GARAGE.
When I looked in street view, it was no longer a garage but ?an upholstery shop?.
I stopped and had a sob when I saw that. Can you give me an update please someone?

[JohnPitt]

...
P.S. WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO LOCKYER & PEACEY GARAGE.
When I looked in street view, it was no longer a garage but ?an upholstery shop?.
I stopped and had a sob when I saw that. Can you give me an update please someone?

Where was that then Gary?

I remember a Garage at the end of Oakland Tce/ East St (now a tyre fit place) and then one up on the Maerdy Road coming out of Ferndale the other way but nothing in the high St area springs to mind.
Anybody remember "Lets" fruit & veg now boarded up (29, Dyffryn St} - the barbers shop the other side used to be Evans Baker's shop and bakery.
Also I remember Maddock's the printers a thriving business when I was a boy. The sign is still there! (Junction of Cross Street & Maxwell Street).