Inside the Workmen's Institute, Ferndale

[mochyn]

No date for this one I'm afraid.

[snooky]

i remember how frightened i was when I was in the Christ Church Panto for the very 1st time! I was only about 7?? The hall seemed ENORMOUS...and it was packed to the hilt!
HAPPY DAYS!!!
went on to do many more with them....and LOVED it

[brianblaenboy]

I agree, Snooky, because when I played for the Band at a concert it was just the same.

[GaryLockyer]

I Can't put a date to it either, but is definitely old.
The seating arrangement up in the balcony is different to how it was in the 50's.
There is/was a walkway across from left to right about three rows back from the balcony.
There was an aisle going both up and down right in the centre.
We had to have somewhere for the icecream lady to walk up and down, did we not?
Seem to remember that it cost 3d downstairs, 6d upstairs on the side and a bob for the middle.
I was lucky. Both the Workmans and the Tudor Hall used to post their weekly programmes on my grandfathers wall at the garage.
Our reward for this was 4 tickets to each programme at both Halls.
The programmes used to show for 3 days each. Monday to Wednesday for prog1 , and Thursday to Saturday for prog2.
Each programme consisted of 2 pictures - a B movie and a main movie. In between them we would get all of the adverts and trailers for forthcoming attractions.
(I hope you all remember the Tudor Hall - directly opposite the Band Club in Rhondda Road - which is the empty block of ground used as a carpark these days - I think, unless it has been integrated into the beautification of Ferndale scheme).
That is my thruppenceworth (3d).

[brianblaenboy]

Spot on Gary, I remember the hall like that. Tudor Hall - was this also not called the "Fleapit"? or am I being unsensitive?

Delving back into history as we all seem to be doing, does anyone else consider the task of planning and then building the Hall? No electric tools let alone computers! It was said that the miners all gave money towards it being built and what an achievement it was considering the time it was done.

[daveporthcawl]

Yes indeed.....this was the original Workmen's Hall before renovation. The highlights in the 40's were the Drama and Variety Weeks with packed houses. One week they booked JAGANA the WONDERMAN who claimed to be able to read minds and divulge secret information from members of the audience. After each show he sold very expensive good-luck trinkets supposedly recovered from Egyptian Tombs. Seemed very clever but the act was a complete scam which relied on his interviewing gullible members of the audiece before each show. On the Saturday night he was denounced as a charlatan by a forceful miner and booed off the stage, never to see the Valleys again.
daveporthcawl

[bobjones1938]

I remember the New Hall and Tudor Hall - in fact I sang in the Workmans Hall in both The Mikado and HMS Pinafore (both put on by Trerhondda I think - at least that is where we rehearsed. also played snooker on the Hall and also in the City - does anyone remmeber that snooker hall?

We used to go to the Thruppennies in the Tudor Hall which had wooden seats. those were the days.

[brianblaenboy]

The City-name is familiar. There was a snooker place further down the High Street, past Peglars and was upstairs above a shop? Was this the place.

Brian

[bobjones1938]

Yes - the City Snooker Hall was just past Capel Wesley, upstairs, run by a Mr Burroughs. It had a small drinks bar where you could get Vimto. I spent many hours there.

[daveporthcawl]

Bob
The CITY was indeed a part of most lads' leisure activities (mispent youth?) growing up in Ferndale. The table cost was 6 old pence for a frame of snooker on the five rather shabby tables and you were lucky to find a straight cue. I recollect that the Manager was Joe Burrell. Most ventured in at the age of 12 and graduated to the Workmens Hall at 14. I followed that path and then joined the Maxwell St "Unemployed" Club where they two tables and loads of other facilities..........cards.........table tennis and a good gym. They played in the Pontypridd and District Snooker/Billiards League with a team of six. Bert Rosser (great guy) was 1st Billiards and I was 2nd. John Thomas was 1st Snooker and Handel Matthews 2nd. We topped the League (Sealed handicap) in 1949.
Dave