Author Topic: Old Public Houses in Bryn Pydew  (Read 49468 times)

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Offline Hugo

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Re: Old Public Houses in Bryn Pydew
« Reply #75 on: December 17, 2015, 11:39:09 am »
I was sorry to about your father squiggle but hope that he and your mother are enjoying the countryside in Norfolk.   Skerryvore has sparked off some distant and rather vague memories for me as I remember my father talking about and visiting our relatives in Pydew. They were the Williams of Ffrith Farm and the Jones' of Cae Cwnws but he often talked about Skerryvore and I think he knew the owners there and this must have been in the 1970's when I was looking at properties in Pydew.
My father was Norman Hughes and was a builder by trade but sadly died in 1986 when aged just 61

I've copied a snippet for you about St Catherine's Church in the village
"Until 1945, worshippers had either to go to the Welsh Chapel in Bryn Pydew, or walk down the footpath to the ancient Parish Church of St. Cystennin's at Llangystennin. Morning Service was in English; Evening Service in Welsh. However, in May 1945, a group of worshippers decided they would take over a Western Command Army nissen hut in Bryn Pydew. Two days after V.E. Day on May 8th, 1945, a first service was held in the home of Mr and Mrs Alf Potts at Skerrymore, Bryn Pydew. Weeks later they all moved to the army" huts, with children meeting for Sunday School in one of them

Offline squiggle

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Re: Old Public Houses in Bryn Pydew
« Reply #76 on: December 17, 2015, 02:33:43 pm »
I didn't know the origins of St. Catherine's Church, Hugo, thanks.

As far as I can work things out, Skerryvore would have had 3 owners in the 70s.

The first would have been a couple I only ever knew as "Mr and Mrs Jones Skeryvore". My memory seems to say they had an Alsation dog. I think the property got to big for them.  They kept the patch of land to the right of the house and before the mountian and in our time at Skerryvore, relatives of theirs used to either camp there or use a caravan there.  I could be wrong on this bit but I think the owners after us bought the field, reuniting it with Skerryvore.

This happened while we were in Kent but the next owners would have been Iroreth and Jane Jones. I think these would also have been the people at Glanllyn when you viewed it.

We moved there in 1978.


Offline squiggle

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Re: Old Public Houses in Bryn Pydew
« Reply #77 on: December 17, 2015, 02:59:17 pm »
OH and a bit OT but, not that she'd be able to walk them now, my mother does miss, eg. a walk in the Carneddau. North Wales to North Norfolk is quite a contrast!  That said, there are places like the Cley reserve on the coast and of course there are the broads - maybe next year we'll finally manage to see a swallowtail butterfly...  The coast itself is pretty bare (eg. no Great or Little Orme's) but, personally, I think one can find beauty even in bleakness.

Offline squiggle

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Re: Old Public Houses in Bryn Pydew
« Reply #78 on: December 17, 2015, 04:43:49 pm »
Thinking Cae Cwnws and the top bit to the right of Skerryvore that we used to call the mountain, I once heard something that I thought sounded nice.

I can't verify this or know how things work out but the tale goes it was given by the family of Cae Cwnws as a place for the enjoyment of the children of Bryn Pydew.  We used to play up there when little. Trying to sledge down the grass (no snow) on a bit of hardboard was a favourite.

Of course proper sledging and Pydew had its own tragedy.  He was an older age group than me and I never knew him to have chatted with him but  I still remember the day Paul Scott went over Ffrith mountain. We used to look forward to snow in Pydew as kids - it didn't take much to stop the bus and if a bit heavier even the taxi for the younger ones to Glanwydden could fail - it could be an extra day off school!  I think we had got to school that day but the older boys took the day off or perhaps were sent home. It was a childhood shock to learn someone had died that way. I think the whole small community was also stunned by it.

Offline squiggle

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Re: Old Public Houses in Bryn Pydew
« Reply #79 on: December 17, 2015, 06:01:10 pm »
I've been racking my brains, Hugo.

The other name I come up with for Skerryvore is a Mr Bott - I think I have that right. I'm not sure if he was a plumber by trade but I have heard reference to someone regarding the pipework in the house. This would have been at least pre 67.

It is difficult to try to draw on memory and perhaps hearsay like this. To move back to Old Swan, I believe there were a family with a name something like "Maurice".  Before that, it does have some association with Peter Thomas MP (a one time secretary of State for Wales). Whether he actually owned it or whether he might have just stopped with friends there is something I don't know for sure....

Offline squiggle

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Re: Old Public Houses in Bryn Pydew
« Reply #80 on: December 25, 2015, 12:16:58 pm »
Just been thinking on "White Orchard".  I wouldn't describe it quite as an orchard but there were long established fruit trees when we lived there - and may well still be there.

The apples trees were a type unknown to me (but I only know a couple of apples anyway...). They grew as big as a Bramley. As far as I remember, they had pretty uniform sort of waxy green skin and as a kid, I'm pretty sure I could use one as an eater so perhaps they were dual purpose.

The pear tree used to produce small pears as hard as bullets. You could cook them but they were no dessert pear.

The plum tree was probably a Victoria. Something similar anyway.

Offline Hugo

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Re: Old Public Houses in Bryn Pydew
« Reply #81 on: December 26, 2015, 03:43:08 pm »
Now that you've mentioned his name, I think that it must have been Mr Bott the plumber that my father used to go and visit.
If there were any old(ish) forum members that were born and bred in Bryn Pydew I'm sure they could fill in any gaps for you.

Offline squiggle

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Re: Old Public Houses in Bryn Pydew
« Reply #82 on: December 29, 2015, 11:19:43 am »
Now that you've mentioned his name, I think that it must have been Mr Bott the plumber that my father used to go and visit.
If there were any old(ish) forum members that were born and bred in Bryn Pydew I'm sure they could fill in any gaps for you.

Yep, it would be useful to have someone like that here.

I hope I have got the name right.  I can expand a little on plumbing.  When we moved to Skerryvore, there was a lot of redundant copper pipe. Some of it may have been to do with the sinks in each bedroom (I can't remember if they were all working in those days) but some of it was just duplicated. eg. I think in the downstairs toilet/bathroom (there wasn't an upstairs one btw) there were 6 pipes running up the wall when it only needed a cold feed going up and hot coming down(or perhaps a third - memory seems to suggest that at that time, c/w to the bath was supplied via a tank in the roof) . I remember talking to Mr Roberts, a plumber in Glanwydden and him attributing Skerryvore's peculiarities to this guy.

Offline Cambrian

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Re: Old Public Houses in Bryn Pydew
« Reply #83 on: December 29, 2015, 11:57:51 am »
I remember a Mr W T Jones of Tyn Terfyn, who was the local plumber in the 60s and 70s.

Offline squiggle

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Re: Old Public Houses in Bryn Pydew
« Reply #84 on: December 29, 2015, 12:47:26 pm »
I remember a Mr W T Jones of Tyn Terfyn, who was the local plumber in the 60s and 70s.

I remember he was a  plumber.  I'm certain the pipework in Skerryvore was not attributed to him though.

Offline Bebull

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Re: Old Public Houses in Bryn Pydew
« Reply #85 on: April 25, 2017, 12:18:23 am »
Hello,
I know this is a pretty old thread, but I came across this Forum a week ago when my daughter mentioned the "Cottage in Wales" which my parents owned in the early 1950's.  This prompted me to Google Bryn Pydew and I was delighted to find the conversations between Squiggle and Hugo especially because the house is mentioned - 'White Orchard', on Skerryvore Road.  I had no idea it had been a pub called the Old Swan.   For about 4 years I spent many happy weekends and holidays there.  The family from whom we purchased the house had built the  extension but my mother worked very hard on the garden.  I remember her hauling rocks from the ruined building in the driveway - which is mentioned as having  possibly been a bakery -   to the orchard to build a pond.  She also made an extensive vegetable garden behind the house and used to 'lurk' in the front porch on a Sunday morning with her bucket and shovel, waiting for the horses to come down the lane so that she could dart out and  collect the 'droppings' for her roses.  There was no Grid electricity of course but we had a generator in the outbuilding behind the house.  I have great memories also of scrambling up through the back garden and up onto the 'Mountain' and sledging during the winter.  The family to the left of the house were the Hughes - mother and father and three grown-up children  - Gwillym, Jinny and Tegwyn who was the youngest  and probably about 20 at the time.  I have photos of the house and of me with the local children - some of them, a lot older than me,  would be in their  eighties now (I am almost 75).  The regular drive from the suburbs of Manchester (no motorways then) eventually  became too much for my mother after my father became unwell so sadly they sold White Orchard.  I did not return there until 1995 when my daughter and I went on  what was for me a 'sentimental  journey' after my mother's death.  I knocked on the door and we were invited in by the very friendly couple who lived there as the time - I'm afraid I don't remember their name but I know they were definitely operating the Post Office - very discretely -  from the front porch.   The village is of course much more 'built-up' than I remember it as a child.  There were few houses and a rather gloomy Chapel in the tiny hamlet.   I remember going past the chapel on our way to collecting cobnuts from the hedgerows in the lane beyond the village. It's fascinating to see White Orchard on Streetview,  The house looks exactly the same but of course the garden is different and the orchard - and I presume Mum's pond - look as if they are gone. The photos are old and a bit faded but someone might recognise themselves!  As soon as  I  figure out how to attach my pix I will post them!

Offline SteveH

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Re: Old Public Houses in Bryn Pydew
« Reply #86 on: April 25, 2017, 10:21:52 am »
Looking forward to the photos.   $good$

Offline Bebull

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Re: Old Public Houses in Bryn Pydew
« Reply #87 on: April 25, 2017, 12:33:02 pm »
Thank you  very much Polly and Steve H. for picking up my post.  I didn't expect any response as it has been so long since this thread was 'live'.  Reading through all the posts again, I have had a 'light-bulb' moment.  Of course - my father  bought the house from Peter Thomas, former Welsh Secy,  who must have carried out the conversion.  Maybe he changed the name from the Old Swan  to 'White Orchard' - I'm not sure.

Hope the photos might  be of some interest.  The young man on his own is Tegwyn Hughes - our next door neighbour.  I am in the middle of the group photo and that's me on the 'Mountain' with 'Rex'.

Offline SteveH

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Re: Old Public Houses in Bryn Pydew
« Reply #88 on: April 25, 2017, 12:53:08 pm »
Thank you  very much Polly and Steve H. for picking up my post.  I didn't expect any response as it has been so long since this thread was 'live'.  Reading through all the posts again, I have had a 'light-bulb' moment.  Of course - my father  bought the house from Peter Thomas, former Welsh Secy,  who must have carried out the conversion.  Maybe he changed the name from the Old Swan  to 'White Orchard' - I'm not sure.
Hope the photos might  be of some interest.  The young man on his own is Tegwyn Hughes - our next door neighbour.  I am in the middle of the group photo and that's me on the 'Mountain' with 'Rex'.
Thanks for the photos and past memories, a lot of the "Times past" threads can lie dormant for awhile, just waiting for the likes of yourself to add more information and history, the more the better, and it all adds up. thank you.

Offline Hugo

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Re: Old Public Houses in Bryn Pydew
« Reply #89 on: April 25, 2017, 01:00:42 pm »
It's nice to see the old photos of the people and the village.   The cottage is still called the Swan and looked very well looked the last time I saw it.    Just around the corner in Ffordd Y Pentre there was a shop, a bakery, school and a Chapel as well as another pub.
The pub was called The Red Lion but is now a private residence called Islwyn
Sadly they have all gone and I'm sure that you have noticed a lot of changes to the village over the years.
When I had a walk in Coedlodd Lane there have been a couple of nice new properties built  there that have replaced older buildings.
At one time I was seriously thinking of buying the cottage across the road from the Swan, it was a small cottage and one of the last thatched cottages in the area although when I looked at it the thatch was covered in a corrugated tin roof.  I decided against buying after restrictions were put on how much I could develop it.
My father always told me that distant relatives of mine lived in Pydew at Ffridd and Cae Cwnws