Tag: Iron Lane

Merthyr Memories: A Boy’s Christmas in Iron Lane

by Tudor Jones

Sorting out my Christmas stuff this year I came across decorations dating back to the 1950’s at least. These reminded me of my boyhood Christmases in Iron Lane, Georgetown.

Some survivors of the last half century and more include celluloid fairy light shades. I vividly remember my father struggling to get the lights to work, because if only one failed, there were no lights at all. They had to be replaced and tested one by one until the light worked. How fortunate we are today!

I will divide my memories into two sections –

FOOD

Perhaps the most unusual aspect of the food was the bird – always a goose, never a turkey. This was roasted on a spit in front of the coal fire as can be seen in the photograph below.

Christmas goose roasting in front of the fire in Iron Lane

This tradition continued throughout my boyhood and beyond. It tasted delicious.

The Christmas pudding was always home-made. It was mixed by my grandmother and boiled in white earthenware pots covered with cotton on the top. One incident sticks in my mind – my grandmother, mother and I were mixing the pudding and beer was needed. For one reason or another I was sent with a jug to a pub a few minutes away on Georgetown Square (I don’t remember which one now). I remember entering the pub and being served the beer. This as a 10 year old! Not to be done today!

On the day itself, the pudding was covered with brandy or rum, then it was set alight. Christmas pudding remains one of my favourite foods. Afterwards, for the only time in the year, my grandmother, mother, father and myself drank alcohol. I remember its sweet taste – cider.

PRESENTS

As an only child in the 1950’s, I was blessed with many gifts at Christmas time, all wrapped – a tradition I continue to this day. Some of the presents I still have, especially the books: ‘Golden Encyclopaedia 1956’, ‘Golden Book of Bible Stories 1957’, ‘Pageant of History 1959’ & ‘Story of Ancient Egypt’.

I also have remnants of a toy zoo, and other odds and ends, but others have long gone. How much would they be worth today? Two remain in my mind. Firstly a Doctor’s set with stethoscope, thermometer, plasters etc, and secondly an electric Triang train set with lots of accessories. I wish I had kept that.

Another present I remember for other reasons. It was a big black box (not wrapped). I opened it, glanced at its contents, said thank you and shut it – never to use it again. The contents – Meccano, pieces of metal which you could use to build, a sort of metal Lego. I then turned to the rest of Father Christmas’ gifts. My father’s hopes of me becoming a draughtsman were dashed. By the way, I still have that box….but not the Meccano contents.

These memories flood back of an exceedingly happy Christmas time in Iron Lane. I remember it with great joy

Merthyr Memories: Iron Lane, Georgetown

by Tudor Jones

Although it is almost 60 years since I moved away from Iron Lane, memories remain fresh in my mind.

Iron Lane looking towards Georgetown School

In many ways it was a typical Welsh working class community replicated in Merthyr and throughout the whole of Wales. I lived at Number 29 with my parents and grandmother. These are personal memories. I am certain that others who lived in Iron Lane would remember other facets of the community. I will divide my memories into three sections – the house, the street and the people.

Number 29 Iron Lane

The house was part of a terrace of cottages. It consisted of a two up, two down with a ‘lean-to’ at the back. None of the modern conveniences were in the house – no indoor toilet, bathroom, piped hot water etc, so when I was old enough to realise, I knew that the area was ‘slum clearance’.

To enter the house, there was a large step going into the front room – ‘the best room’ for special visitors, with heavy Victorian furniture. This led to the next room – for eating, television and radio. Stone stairs led upstairs where a walk through bedroom led to another bedroom.

The ‘Back Room’ at Number 29 with a goose roasting in front of the fire

At the back downstairs was the ‘lean-to’ – for cooking, washing, food storage, plus one sink the ‘bosh’ with an electric water heater. This led to the garden – a path dividing raised sections. I remember having my part to grow flowers. There were tulips, chrysanthemums, bluebells etc. At the top right was the ‘coal cwtch’ with an asbestos roof with ‘snow on the mountain’ covering it. On the left a non-flush toilet – cool in the summer, freezing in the winter. To modern readers it seems an age away.

The garden at Number 29 with the toilet at the left and the ‘coal cwtch’ to the right

However, Iron Lane was a close community supporting each other in time of need. The street was parallel to the present day Nantygwenith Street. It was bisected by Howell Street. Iron Lane was a long street with the Georgetown Schools at the top and George Street at the bottom. At the top was a small factory belonging to ‘Dai the Up’ – an upholstery business. Leading off Iron Lane were some courts. Next door but two to Number 29 was Chandler’s Court, with a few houses leading to a small shop – Dai Chandler’s, and Nantygwenith Street. None of the houses had modern day conveniences.

A map of Georgetown showing Iron Lane

I remember a few events in the street. In 1955, a group of children marching and singing:

“Vote, vote, vote for S. O. Davies.
He is the bestest of them all.”

Later on I remember a fight int he street. A highlight (pardon the pun) was a fire in the top part of Dai the Up’s business.

Iron Lane coronation party in 1953

Georgetown was convenient was convenient for town, but it also had its own schools, pubs, shops, chapels, a club, a ‘community centre’, fish shop and small factories. It was indeed a living community.

The people in Iron Lane I remember vividly. Next door were Uncle Willy and Auntie Maggie (not relations), an elderly childless couple. Auntie Maggie took me once to a service in Bethel Chapel on a Sunday morning. Next to them, Mr & Mrs Phillips and their daughter Beryl – so the names go on – Cloakley’s, Chamberlain’s, Twose, Coleman’s, Richards’. It was a working class community with the men (and some women) working in factories, in the pit or for the council. Of course there were no cars or phones. We children played in the street, or on the tip, or on a field by Chapel Row. We all went to local schools – Georgetown Infants, Abermorlais Junior and then in my case to Cyfarthfa.

I continued visiting Iron Lane as my grandmother was still living there until 1975 when she passed away. As time went on and people died or moved away, the houses were boarded up. My last visit was in the late 1970’s when there were just a few people left until the bulldozers came to destroy what was once a living, breathing society.