Cylchgronau Cymru

Chwiliwch trwy dros 450 o deitlau a 1.2 miliwn o dudalennau

in the blacksmith's shop were hanging shoes of varying shapes and sizes, and the names of the owners written underneath, so that whenever a horse was brought in Alfred had shoes ready. The cobbled area outside the Skirrid Inn was a great attraction on Tuesday evenings, following the Market at Abergavenny; horses and carts, and horses and traps, were all tethered up outside whilst their owners were inside (my father used to tell me that they were in there for the same reason that he occasionally went in 'to put their watches right by Mr. Powell's clock'. The inn was well patronised each evening by the local working men; a half pint of beer would sustain them all the evening with a game of quoits or cards (they probably could not afford to spend money on drink as we know it to-day). By the side of the great fireplace was a conical shaped copper jug, and into this men would pour their beer and heat it up by pushing it down into the fire. Sugar and ginger were free, in jars on the counter. A pint of beer, a round of bread and cheese, and a box of matches, cost 6d. in those days. Charles Powell was a good landlord, had two sons, Hector, the oldest, being my particular chum. On Harvest Festival night, the long wooden benches were taken from the inn into the church to provide additional seating. The stables were always full of horses, as in my youth there were a number of timber hauliers working in the district; many of the great woods have now gone, and sadly, not replaced. Charles Powell inciden- tally, was the first man in the village to own a motor car, about 1910 I should think. It was in this very high, two-seater, that I had my first car ride. As cars increased in number, one got showered with white dust thrown up from the roads-the roads were only stone-laid at that time; tarmac came much later. It was a common sight to see long rows of stone at various points along the roadsides, with men breaking them up into roughly two-inch pieces, ready to be laid on the road, and water- rolled by the steamroller. The Big Houses. There were five of these: Llanvihangel Court, Trewyn, Glanhonddu, Penbydwl House and Ty Derlwyn. Llanvihangel Court. This was the home of Mrs. F. B. Attwood- Matthews, and the largest house in the area. A very ancient house, part of the walls were exposed under glass as being of daub and wattle. It was kept up in the grand style. There was a Housekeeper, a German lady whose late husband was said to have come with the Prince Consort's entourage when he came to marry Queen Victoria. She spoke but in- different English-her name was Mrs. Seagars. There were on the House Staff a butler, two footmen, a page, a cook, two scullery maids, two parlourmaids, and two housemaids, all to minister to the wants of the one lady, but there were frequent dinner parties, and often visitors coming with their own personal maids etc. The 'dressing bell' was rung punctually at 6 p.m. each evening-dinner was served at 7 p.m. and one would often see the ante-dining room lights