Category: General Interest Articles

Articles of general interest on no particular subject

My “Antiques Roadshow” Moment

MY “ANTIQUES ROADSHOW” MOMENT

This is a tale of serendipity perseverance and self-confidence. In 1988 while rummaging around a second-hand furniture shop in Canton I came across a copy of “South”, Sir Earnest Shackleton’s account of his fateful 1914 Trans Antarctica Expedition. It had a very attractive cover and having read bookshelves full of books on Travel and Exploration in my teens I knew a little about the expedition. I bought the book for the princely sum of 50p. Although the Trans Polar expedition failed it became one of the greatest tales of heroism and survival in the history of Polar exploration. The Endurance became trapped in the ice, was crushed and eventually sank. The tale of how Shackleton managed the rescue of the whole crew without loss is a great read especially the account of the incredible 800-mile voyage across the Southern Ocean in a small boat.

 

I hadn’t noticed at the time, but the book turned out to be a First Edition albeit a second impression. I was intrigued by the inscription on the flyleaf which read

“To Vince from those who appreciate his worth and villanies” (sic)

And signed J G McIlroy and F Wild

Research showed that Frank Wild was second in command to Shackleton and McIlroy was the expedition surgeon. Further detective work revealed that “Vince” referred to crew member John Vincent. Vincent had been recruited as Bosun but because of his aggressive behaviour Shackleton had demoted him to Able Seaman. He was one of only a few members of the expedition that was not awarded the Polar Medal. This explained the reference to his “villanies”. I deduced that this volume must have belonged to him. Because of this provenance it occurred to me that this book might be of value to a collector of Polar memorabilia but for me it became part of my small collection of first editions.

Some years later I faced up to the fact my book collection would likely end up back on the shelves of some charity shop or even the skip. It was time to cash them in. Cue The Antique’s Roadshow coming to Cardiff. After queuing for an age, the specialist book expert declared that my book was not a first edition because it was a second impression. It was quite interesting because of the inscription but he didn’t think it was worth much. I was convinced that he was wrong, but he was the expert. So, disappointed, the book went back to my bookshelves.

Fast forward to this year, 2022, the centenary of the Shackleton Expedition. There was a massive amount of interest in the press and media which peaked when the wreck of the Endurance was found largely intact on the floor of the Weddell Sea. Much was written about the expedition and especially about the epic 800-mile rescue voyage of the small boat, “The James Caird”. By this time, I knew that John Vincent the original owner of my book, had been one of the five members of Shackleton’s crew on this voyage. I figured that there would never be a better opportunity to find a buyer for the book.

This time I emailed a few auction houses specialising in rare books. Most resulted in lukewarm interest, but one responded quite excitedly and suggested that I include it in their July auction. They put in an estimate of £1000 to £1500. Bingo. I was right. It was quite a valuable find.

Came the day of the sale we watched online. Lot 66. It seemed to take ages to get to it, but too excited to risk missing it we had to watch from the beginning. The bidding opened with a commission bid of £2600. Wow! then, £2800, £3000, amazing. … and finally, as the hammer came down, £4000. Take a breath.  Time to break out the Prosecco. I just knew that a book with such a provenance had to be worth a lot to someone and I was proved right. There are so many societies and Polar organisations, one of them surely would have valued it. Success!

I don’t know who bought my 50p find. I like to think that it went to somewhere like the “Scott Polar Research Institute” and that someday I would be able to see it again. In truth, it’s a bit sad. Of course, the £4000 was exciting and was very welcome but it just vanishes anonymously into a bank account and is forgotten whereas figuratively speaking, the gap on my bookshelf remains. I miss it.

But now the blood is up. Next to go will be my first edition of Bruce Chatwin’s “In Patagonia”. I know this is worth a couple of bob. Then my major project is to convince some art gallery that my original but unsigned Fauve oil painting of Collioure is genuine and worth in my estimate upwards of £2,000,000. I was right last time. I’ve got a lot of work to do.

Alan Williams

 

References:

The John Caird   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voyage_of_the_James_Caird

The Scott Polar Research Institute
Scott Polar Research Institute, Cambridge » Our present

Original film of the expedition
In cinemas: South: Sir Ernest Shackleton’s Glorious Epic of the Antarctic (1919) | BFI

Re-enactment of the Boat Journey
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3742938/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0

 

Place Name History -Y BARRI

3. THE MEANING AND DERIVATION OF PLACE-NAMES

Y BARRI / BARRY

We know that the name Barri was in existence before the Twelfth Century because the de Barri family, the family of the well-known historian and Archdeacon of Brecon, Gerallt Gymro – Giraldus Cambrensis, Gerald the Welshman – who was born in 1146 – took its name from that of the area. Scholars believe that the name Barri is derived from the name of a stream, Barren, which flowed from the Buttrills area down to the sea. It’s possible that the element ‘bar’ – which means ‘hilltop’ or ‘summit’ – is part of the word ‘Barren’. (Interestingly, this Celtic – or even Brythonic word ‘bar’ can also be seen in the name Berkshire – which is, as you know, a particularly hilly county.) The name given to the stretch of water between the island and the mainland was Aber Barri – ‘aber’ meaning ‘estuary’ in this instance. In Welsh, the definite article (‘y’) is used with the name – ‘Y Barri’ – and this could be a contraction of ‘aber’ as in Aber Barri – or it was adopted because many other place-names in Wales, which begin with the consonant ‘b’, are preceded by the definite article – y Bala, y Borth, y Bermo etc. (By the way, this use of the definite article with place -names is not only a Welsh phenomenon as it is common in many other languages – The Hague, Las Vegas, El Salvador, die Schweiz, der Iran and so on.) The spelling ‘Barry’ with a ‘y’ is merely the anglicisation of the Welsh name.

COLD KNAP

This name derives from two Old English words. The first element ‘cold’ developed from the word ‘col’ which has given us ‘coal’ today. In the name Cold Knap it refers to coal works or pits in the area. But the reference isn’t to coal – but to charcoal – which was used extensively in the ironwork and smelting processes. The second element, ‘knap’ is derived from the word ‘knaepp’ which means ‘hill’. So, ‘Cold Knap’ therefore means something like ‘the hill near the charcoal pits’ or ‘the charcoal pits near/on the hill’.

COLCOT

There are two elements to this word also – both derived from Old English words. The first element is ‘Col’, which refers once again to charcoal works in the area. The second element ‘cot’ is derived from the Old English word meaning ‘a building for creating or storing craft items’. Where that building was situated is lost in the sands of time, but we know that it was somewhere near charcoal pits.

Next month – Highlight and Brynhill

Ann. M. Jones

Wave Goodbye To an Old Friend

Wave Goodbye To an Old Friend

Another old friend who we will soon have to wave goodbye to. This great specimen on the village green is an elm tree which has failed to stir itself from last winter’s cold and no doubt will soon be set for removal by the Community Council. It is still popular with the pigeons, doves and Jackdaws so enjoy its wonderful form while it is still with us.

Brian Jones

Jubilee Treasure Hunt

FAMILY JUBILEE TREASURE HUNT

Available from The Hub

There is still plenty of time to take part in the great Jubilee Treasure Hunt; especially with the summer holidays at hand. The closing date is not until the August Bank Holiday. You can collect an entry from The Community Hub. Just pop in and ask for a Jubilee question sheet; the opening times of the Community Hub are shown on page 2.

All the answers can be found within our community area which stretches from the village to Culverhouse Cross and out to Dyffryn. All answers are within walking distance for most people but if using the car please park with consideration to others.

What does the quiz consist of?

It comes in four parts:

Part 1 is to locate a series of house names and then discover which letters will help to form a word.

Part 2 is devised with children in mind and requires a visit to some of the community orchards and nature sites, identify a picture of an animal to help find another one.

Part 3 is a collection of photographs; some are within local communities and others require a stroll along local footpaths into the surrounding countryside to identify the picture.

Finally part 4 is questions on local items.

If you have any difficulty locating places or footpath routes etc the staff at The Hub will be only too willing to assist you or will know somebody who can assist. The Hub is located behind the Community Centre in the centre of the village.

ENJOY THE HUNT!

 

 

Andrew R.T. Davies’ Column

ANDREW R.T. DAVIES’ COLUMN

People in Wenvoe, like anybody in the Vale or in Wales as a whole, are entitled to quality healthcare.

And I think I speak for most if not all residents when I say that our NHS staff are doing the best they can, and then some.

I have nothing but gratitude for those staff who are doing so much to help people in Wenvoe when they use our health service.

Unfortunately, those staff, and patients, are suffering. Our NHS performance is not where it should be in a modern, wealthy country.

One area which is of particular concern to me and many people I speak to in the community is A&E waiting times.

People who have to attend A&E are often in a lot of pain and stress, and it is vital that they can be seen promptly so they can move forward with their treatment.

In Cardiff and the Vale Health Board, the health board that serves the community of Wenvoe, in the month of May this year, 1 in 10 A&E patients were waiting more than 12 hours in an emergency department.

Five years ago, in May 2017, only 0.5% of patients were waiting that long.

I know lots of people will agree that we don’t want to see anybody waiting 12 hours in an emergency department.

But to go from 1 in 200 people waiting for 12 hours to 1 in 10 in just 5 years is a serious cause for concern.

These long waits are putting pressure on people’s lives.

It’s not good enough.

It is truly unacceptable that 1 in every 10 A&E attendees are having to wait at least 12 hours to be seen.

We need to see action on this.

I continue to raise this in my capacity in the Senedd, and I will stay on top of this issue, because it has an impact on everybody in our communities.

 

Place Name History -BRO MORGANNWG

THE MEANING AND DERIVATION OF PLACE-NAMES

BRO MORGANNWG – VALE OF GLAMORGAN

There are two patterns in English which convey a Welsh place-name such as Bro Morgannwg – namely ‘Vale of Glamorgan’ and ‘Glamorgan Vale’ (cf Ogmore Vale, Ebbw Vale, Merthyr Vale etc). This second pattern is the exact equivalent of the Welsh name though you’ll notice that the English word order differs from that of Welsh. Those of you who speak Welsh or have some knowledge of the language will know also that adjectives follow the noun in Welsh – as they do in Italian, Spanish and French (with some exceptions). English, like German, being a member of the Germanic family of languages, follows a different pattern in that the adjective precedes the noun.

The Welsh word ‘bro’ has no exact equivalent in English and numerous words are used to convey the meaning – depending on the context – words such as ‘land’, ‘area’, ‘district’, ‘locality’, ‘neighbourhood’, ‘native haunt’. In the case of Bro Morgannwg, the word chosen in English is ‘Vale’.

The second part of our place-name is Morgannwg. This consists of two elements – Morgan + wg. The Old Welsh ending ‘-wg’ means ‘territory of’ or ‘land belonging to’. And the person to whom the land belonged was Morgan Mwynfawr – Morgan the Wealthy – who was King of south east Wales in the eighth century. Some scholars maintain that it was after a tenth century king – Morgan Hen – Morgan the Aged – that the area was named. Either way, the name was Morgan! So Bro Morgannwg means something like ‘the district of Morgan’s land’. (Don’t worry about the double ‘n’ – it is merely something that happens to the spelling when the consonant ‘n’ falls under the main accent.)

In the English version, we’ve seen that ‘Vale’ is the equivalent of ‘Bro’ – and this is followed by the seemingly English name Glamorgan. But on further inspection we see that ‘Glamorgan’ is made up of two elements – ‘Gla-‘ and ‘Morgan’. The second element, Morgan, has been explained above. The first element ‘gla-‘ is a contraction of the Welsh word ‘gwlad’ which means ‘land’ or ‘country’. So the name Glamorgan isn’t an English word at all – and I’m sure that has surprised many people! ‘Morgan-wg’ and ‘Gwlad-Morgan’ are two Welsh names which mean exactly the same thing – ‘Morgan’s land’.

Next month – Y Barri, Cold Knap and Colcot.

Ann M. Jones

Energy And Life In The 1950s

ENERGY AND LIFE IN THE 1950s.

At the time of the coronation, 1953, I was living in Germany, and I remember that there were some things in short supply. Milk was mainly powdered or condensed in a tin. We had one jug with about 1 pint of milk per week. Once per week, the milkman came in his horse-drawn cart up our road and we went with a jug and he put a ladle or 2 into it from a milk churn. When we returned to the UK in 1954, the milkman also had a horse-drawn cart, which was eventually replaced in the mid-50s by an open backed electric milk float. Sometimes it had difficulty getting up our steep hill and would need to be towed. He did come every day except Sunday.

Initially when my family returned to the UK, we lived with my grandfather in Hove. I used to sit in the window and watch the lamplighter come along the road and light the gas street lamps. He rode a bike and carried a long pole to reach the lights. The nurses walked from the local hospital to the nurses’ home opposite his house wearing their white lace edged caps, flared dresses, black stockings and red caps. Car ownership was uncommon, so the roads were quite quiet.

We did have electricity and town gas. North Sea gas came in the late 60s. The cooker was gas. The dining room and living room had open coal fires, which had to be cleaned, laid and lit every day. Getting a good fire was an art and required bellows and newspaper to draw a current of air. Care had to be taken that the sparks did not cause a fire in the hearth rug or catch clothing. Most houses had open fires and so smoky chimneys were the norm. The chimneys had to be swept regularly, about once per year, or there was a risk of soot falls or smoke filling the room. That was a dusty job. We were lucky that we did have central heating with radiators, which were quite bulky compared to modern ones and not very efficient. My best friend did not have central heating; there were only fires in the dining and living room. Bedding was several thick woollen blankets and a feather eiderdown. Pyjamas were winceyette or brush cotton. Windows were single glazed and draughty and in winter one woke to ice lacing the panes: jack frost. Frozen pipes in houses were common. We used to have a paraffin heater in our bathroom, which did not have any other heating. We would leave the trap door into the attic open to prevent the water in the cold-water tank and the associated pipes from freezing. Wearing thick woollen jumpers, woolly vest and layers were the norm. Young children wore long woollen socks in winter. Uniform was a woollen tunic over a shirt for girls and short woollen trousers for boys with blazers. They were dry cleaned if you were lucky once per term. I remember getting the bottom of my skirt wet in cold rain or snow and having chilblains on the insides of my thighs. Tights only became common in the mid to late 60s and initially were quite expensive compared to stockings.

Even then new houses were often not built with bathrooms or inside toilets. Water was used with care. The heating of water was restricted due to small tanks, often heated by electric immersion heaters. Once drained the tank took a long time to reheat. Baths were generally once or twice per week, limited to 4 inches and family members taking it in turn to use it. The last one had a very soapy bath. Hair washing was once per week in the bath and dried in front of the fire to keep warm.

The combination of smoke from houses, trains and industries plus cars and other vehicles led to smog, which was the combination of fog and particles. Exhausts were smellier and contained lead. Catalytic converter exhausts were a thing of the future. There was a dense sort of yellow fog, which made vision and breathing difficult. We lived less than 20 miles from the centre of London in a rural area, but I remember how it smelt. I do not remember the Great Smog of 1952 as I was too young and lived abroad then, but I do remember the Big Smog of 1962 and walking in front of my mother’s car so she knew where the curb was and we could get home.

(http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/december/6/newsid_3251000/3251001.stm)

We were lucky that we had an electric refrigerator, which was not common. A lot of my friends did not until late in the 50s. We did have a larder ( a small room/ walk in cupboard off the kitchen with vents to the outside), which had a marble shelf to keep things cool. People who did not have a fridge would put things like milk in a bucket or bowl of water and cover it with a cloth and the latent heat of vaporisation helped to keep things cool. We were also able to make ice cream and ice in the small ice box of the fridge, which was about the size of a shoe box. Commercial ice cream was made with colouring and whale blubber and was not as good as that made from fruit and cream. Frozen foods were not commercially available. We also had a cage in the shade outside the kitchen known as a meat cage, which could keep meat protected from flies and animals.

Again, we were lucky to have an electric washing machine. It was a single top loading one which had a wash and a spin cycle, which had to be switched on and off. The water was added via a hose on the tap and a hose emptied it into the sink. You loaded it up with water and added the detergent and clothes and then turned it on to gyrate and wash. To save hot water the clothes were taken out, put through a mangle to remove the water, and then a second load of clothes were washed. The soapy water was then removed, new water added to rinse and the mangle was used again to remove water. Very dirty clothes and my baby twin brothers’ terry nappies were boiled. We had a purpose made boiler powered by gas, but some people had to do this using a large pan on their cooker. Disposable nappies would not be available in the UK for nearly 30 years and even then, were expensive and not very good. Drying was done on a washing line or by being hung on a Dutch dryer (rods attached to a frame and pulley that can be pulled up to the ceiling) or in front of the coal fire. Clothes materials were not easy care like today. Most things needed to be ironed. Cotton shirts and dresses were also starched to make them stiff and crisp.

When we went on holiday to Pembrokeshire, we stayed in a cottage on a farm. It was essentially 2 up and 2 down with a lean-to added on the back, which was a scullery with the only sink used to wash everything – people, food, dishes and clothes. One downstairs room had an open fire and the other had an open range with an oven and hob heated by logs. On Sunday we went to church, having left the joint to cook, and it depended which way the wind blew whether it was under or over cooked when we got home. There was a small gas hob too fortunately.

Trains were mainly steam engines. My cousin loved to stand on the pedestrian bridge, when the train went under which was a very smoky business. There were some diesel trains. The London tube was run by electricity. Buses were diesel. Some areas had electric trams. More areas had trolleys, which looked like buses but had spring loaded poles drawing electricity from overhead wires similar to modern electric trains.

When we moved to our house in 1954, we inherited with the house a small television which was black and white with about a 9 inch screen. Children’s hour was limited to things like the Wooden Tops, Bill and Ben, Andy Pandy and on Sunday the serial of a classic book. Grandpa had a phone that had to be wound up to get the operator to answer and arrange the connection and when we moved, we did have a phone which had a hand hearing piece that hung from an upright holder which you spoke into. You had to tap the bell and ask the operator to connect you to the doctor or a number. International calls were expensive and had to be booked. Many people did not have phones so there were lots of phone boxes. You either dialled the number or asked the operator to connect you after you inserted 4 old pennies. Once connected you pressed button A. If there was no reply you pressed button B and got your money back. Telegrams could be sent by going to the post office or talking to the operator so messages could be sent fast or overnight. They were charged by the word and expensive. Writing letters was the main form of communication and used for organising parties and visits to friends and families. One had to allow enough time to get the replies and respond before organising final visits.

Jane Fenton-May

 

Platinum Jubilee Thank Yous

THANK YOU MA’AM!

On the 2nd June 1953 Princess Elizabeth was crowned Queen Elizabeth II amid all the pomp and ceremony that we Brits are known for.

Roll forward seventy years and the country celebrated her Platinum Jubilee. Events and street parties were planned up and down the country and Wenvoe was no exception.

The Beacon was lit in Twyn yr Odyn on Thursday 2nd June and the event was well attended. This was also the first time for many people to see the commemorative Toposcope in situ at the site of the Quarrymen’s stone. The Toposcope was designed by Ian Moody and thanks are extended to him for his time and design.

Many thanks to Dickon Oliver who led the walk up from the village and Jonathan Bird for organising and lighting the Beacon.

An outdoor service was held in the church grounds on Friday with picnics and games galore. Many thanks to the Church Committee for organising.

Saturday saw Wenvoe’s answer to Bake Off – we had seventy entries in the Cake and biscuit competition between the children’s and the adults’ categories.

Sian Jones and Anne Leslie registered each entry and made sure that all of the names were kept secret – well done Ladies!

The standard was very high and a big thank you to the judges Candice Shibani and Sandra Jones. What a task they had in choosing the winners and runners up! Thank you to Kelly Stevenson for organising the competition prizes

The exhibition in the hall on Wenvoe Past was a great success. We were so pleased that so many people shared their memories and mementoes of past Jubilees and general Wenvoe and Twyn yr Odyn history for everyone to enjoy. The cakes and biscuits from the competition were enjoyed by all along with a cup of tea and a natter!

The exhibition was the culmination of many hours of collating photos, clothes, toys which were then displayed on tables and on the boards in the hall. Huge thanks to Glenys and Mike Tucker, as not only did they collect all of exhibition material, but they also decorated the hall and indeed the village in the runup to the Jubilee weekend. They also had the mammoth task of making sure that everything was returned to its rightful owners.

Many thanks to George Burke for his input with the flyers and his enthusiasm in making sure that as many people as possible knew about the planned events.

Another big thank you to Abby Gaughan, Hazel Crockford, Annette Patterson, George Burke, and his granddaughter Esther, for helping us with setting up the exhibition in the Hall and for helping to clear up afterwards.

Lastly but by no means least the ‘tea’ ladies Heulwen Davies and Carol Wyllie for making sure that the refreshments flowed freely – nattering is thirsty work!

I would also like to extend our gratitude to Wenvoe Community Council for funding the street and hall decorations, the Commemorative flag, the prizes and the tea and coffee in the hall

Finally, on behalf of myself, Rhian Sexton , and the Jubilee Committee we would like to say a big thank you to everyone who attended the events and we hope that you enjoyed them as much as we did!

For everything!

 

The Usk Valley Walk

THE USK VALLEY WALK

A couple of months ago Isobel and I were camping in Pencelli a lovely little village Southeast of Brecon. One day we walked down the canal to Talybont on Usk and we came across signs for the Usk Valley Walk (UVW). When we came back to Wenvoe I did some research and found that the UVW stetches fifty miles from Caerleon, on the outskirts of Newport, to Brecon. The route follows the river Usk the whole way, but the path is very varied on the journey. The word Usk is derived from old English for “abounding in fish”. I found a couple of good friends and we decided to walk the UVW over three days in May.

The great thing about the Usk Valley is that, unlike most of the valleys in South Wales it escaped the ravages of the Industrial Revolution which saw coal mines and iron works introduced between Carmarthen and Newport. Instead, the Usk retains its natural course flowing down from Fan Foel on the north side of the Black Mountain into the Usk Reservoir before carrying on through Brecon. Below Crickhowell the river crosses from Powys into Gwent. From Abergavenny it meanders past small hamlets and villages before reaching the delightful market town of Usk, then Caerleon and the former Roman fortress of Isca before entering the Severn estuary at Newport. The Usk is a famous fishing river and both salmon and trout can be caught. It is said to be one of the top ten fly fishing rivers in the United Kingdom.

The normal direction of travel for hikers is from Caerleon to Brecon and so we caught the 07.45 train from Cardiff to Newport and then took a taxi the short distance to Caerleon. The gods were not smiling on us as we set off in rain towards the very well-kept Celtic Manor golf course, and we soon became lost, but a green keeper riding a large mower quickly put us back on track. After a muddy slog through Wentwood along a forestry track we emerged to see the very grand Bertholey house in front of us. This is a rebuilt Georgian mansion with impressive views across and along the valley. It was built around 1830 and destroyed by a fire started accidentally by a drunken guest. Winding downhill past magnificent wrought iron gates we came upon the M50 dual carriageway that had been the cause of traffic noise all morning. The route now led off uphill past blue fields of linseed, and then of wheat where a young deer sprang up in front of us and darted away.

On this first afternoon we had the pleasure of walking the banks of the river for hours. We saw very many ducks with their sweet ducklings. Nature gives ducklings a marvellous mottled plumage with colours that match the riverbank so they can avoid predators. There were many swans and some geese. A little further on we saw a fisherman with a fish on his line and we sat on the opposite bank to watch him slowly reel a trout into his net. It was a bit of a struggle for him in his waders, but he appreciated our applause when he succeeded and doffed his hat to us in return.

We arrived footsore at Usk in the mid-afternoon, the sun was high, and we were dying for a cool pint of beer. Happily, the historic Three Salmons hotel was open, and we were able to sit with our drinks in the cool and shady garden. We had booked accommodation in the Castle Inn close by, but it did not open until later so like schoolboys we set off to explore Usk and its castle. The Castle Inn was first class. We were given three good rooms each very well furnished and equipped, and a breakfast thrown in for £60, which is the best value I have seen for many years. The bar was full of locals, which is always a good sign, and we ate supper in the restaurant which was excellent.

The next morning, we were soon crossing the bridge to continue up the west side of the river passing the campus of Coleg Gwent. The sight of the Chain Bridge was familiar, and I knew that there was a popular inn on the other side. It was looking like rain so we asked if they could serve us coffee? The place was not open, but the publican kindly stepped up and served us good coffee which we enjoyed outside as our boots were muddy. Then it was waterproofs on and along the riverbank again towards Clytha Park and the elegant Pant y Goitre bridge where we found a very well-equipped fisherman who had travelled from Twickenham to fish this stretch of the river. After a few more miles we came to an unusual and private cable bridge which allows pedestrians to cross from the impressive Llanover estate. This was once home to Sir Benjamin Hall of Big Ben fame (it is said to have been named after him) and his wife Lady Llanover who wrote a noted cookbook on Welsh food. Llanover was also the birthplace of Penelope Fillon, wife of the recent prime minister of France.

On this second afternoon we were getting tired as we left the river for the first time and climbed up through the modern housing estates of Llanellen to reach the tranquil canal. In 1812 two canals had been joined to create the Monmouthshire and Brecon canal. This waterway brought iron ore from the south as well as limestone and coal to the towns and villages on the upper reaches. It was only thirty years later that the railways arrived and that started the decline of the canal, but it still runs for over thirty miles and provides lots of fun for canoeists and people who hire the many barges available. Walkers and cyclists can enjoy the flat and well-maintained towpath which runs alongside. We were able to cover the miles faster now and soon we were passing the historic wharfs of Llanfoist and Govilon. At Llanfoist there is an incline that served Hill’s Tramroad, built in 1818. It linked the great ironworks at Blaenavon to some limestone quarries and then the canal. Reaching Govilon we were met by a friend in his car who kindly put us up for the night at his home in Crickhowell.

Our last day saw us being driven back to the canal at Govilon as early as we could because we knew that the last day was a long walk, and we were very keen to catch the T4 bus to Cardiff which was to depart Brecon at 16.29 pm. Soon after Govilon we came across the splendid sight of a giant redwood tree on the bank which measures twenty feet across at the base. This is correctly called a Wellingtonia, a native of California, which can live for over four hundred years. This particular tree is thought to be over one hundred years old.

As we passed Llangattock we came across the substantial limekilns beside the canal. These limekilns alongside the wharf were built in two or more stages and are listed Grade II. The oldest were built in 1815 by the Brecon Boat Company. There are seven chambers in total, making them the largest set of limekilns along the canal. Limestone reached the kilns in wagons which descended on inclined planes and a tramroad from quarries on the hillside behind.

At Llangynidr we marvelled at the three locks and tried to imagine the effort it took to make them before the days of JCBs and power tools. Shortly after the locks we saw a barge pass swiftly under a bridge, but it failed to turn and went into the bank at full speed. The result was that it was firmly wedged, not in the bank but in the mud at the side of the canal. No amount of revving the engine in reverse by the crew made any difference so we offered our help in dislodging the boat. Perhaps pride caused the man at the helm to turn down our offer, but in any case, we waited to see what they would do as the barge was now completely blocking the canal. After more futile attempts our offer of support was accepted, and we first tried to use poles to push it free. That did not work so we took a rope from the stern and the three of us pulled it backwards. After much huffing and puffing with the engine in full reverse the barge finally began to move, and soon it was able to move forward under its own power.

The canal ends at the attractive basin in lower Brecon, but we had no time to linger as there were just minutes to go before the bus was due. So, with weary legs we pounded our way to the bus interchange, without even time to stop and buy a drink in Morrisons. The T4 arrived on time and the rush had been worth it. We had walked for ten hours, with stops, and covered twenty miles, it was good to be sitting down at last.

Alun Davies

 

Hungry for Justice

CHRISTIAN AID 2022:

Hungry for Justice

This year we took our lead from women in Zimbabwe who struggle to survive due to the climate crisis. With training to use different farming methods, seeds and types of crops they are successful in growing enough to eat, store and sell.

Post pandemic we needed new ideas this year to raise money. After much consideration we included:

A Coffee, Cakes and Books morning: This was supported well from the local community here in Wenvoe, with visitors from Sully, and St. Lythans. Friends and family members also came and enjoyed the event. The total raised was £573.75 (including gift aid).

Another new idea was ‘Delivery Only Envelopes’ throughout the village. Volunteers delivered envelopes, including information of where they can return a filled envelop back to the volunteer’s address or to the church. This was most successful raising £1,558.93 (including gift aid).

Gwenfo school held their usual Big Brekkie for lunch and had a non-uniform day raising £219.30.

Additional donations of £245.69 were received from the churches in Sully and St Lythans.

This was a great result and was only realised with the work of all concerned including, young people taking a lead in the Christian Aid service, cake makers, book donators, refreshment servers and book sellers, balloon crafts people and bunting hangers, poster maker, envelop delivers, money counters, a chief cashier and a verifier!

All these efforts combined to make a great week’s activities and an amazing financial result. This in turn should enable women in Zimbabwe to continue to gain training to develop their skills.

Lastly, many thanks to all who so generously donated to the total of £2,597.67 (including gift aid).

Jude Billingham

 

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