Nelson
Nelson Bottle factory...High street Nelson..now the site of the Chain Works During the middle of the 19 century there was a bottling factory by the name of Peters and Osbourne operating out of a small factory on the High Street...we have some photographs of the bottles that were sent from the factory to different locations throughout the UK. During 1905 the company changed from Peters and Osbourne to E M Peters...( courtesy of Robert Amos)
we also have acquired a receipt dated September 12th 1910 that was sent to a customer.
Pictured below is an early photograph of Commercial Street in Nelson...You can see the letters MCA in the top of the building that now holds the Chinese takeaway..opposite Barclays bank,below you can see the shop that sold China and Pottery.
The old Peter's & Osborne bottling factory stood where Graham Bridges business is now situated behind 17-19 High Street.
I was not aware of this factory until recently, as the only bottles I recall were found by the former Landlady of the Tyler’s Arms, Carol Evans (Mansell), when she was a young girl in Long Row.
This prompted my memory of the Pop Shop on the corner which was run by Roy (Jenkins)? in the 1960s.
He always had 2 large Alsatians that used to prop themselves up on the bar when you walked in..
Some of my nimbler friends took delight in raising extra pocket money by borrowing empty bottles from the back yard when the shop was busy- after all, before the advent of recycling, you could get 1d for an empty beer bottle and 3d for a flagon, provided they were sold from the premises.
Hence the Pop Shop was obviously inherited from the former business to the rear.
I'm sure there are few lads of my age who waited for Freeman’s to arrive to see the twins!
I think other names displayed were Deakin and Forrest’s.
In my day it was always the local Teddy boys who ran the Dodgems, Elvis, Bethel, Tolley & Brynmor come to mind.
I loved the penny slots and goldfish bowls, though always came away empty handed.
When I moved to Kent and had children, both my daughters were never allowed to go to the local fair as it was always closed!
Has a youngster I always enjoyed market day. I remember some of the farmers arriving on horseback and tying them up to the rings on the front wall of the Dynevor.Arms public house
Mike Shelton with his horse and cart and the baker behind Donald street, where I used to take Christmas cake to be cooked.
Memories of many businesses thriving in the small village
Nelson was a very busy village in those days and I have many memories of the time including The Teddy girls who rode the van for Bazely & Pearce.
Sienc Hughes the butcher at 9 High Street.
Franchi's cafe on the square.
The only fish and chip shop was on the corner of High Street.
Chips were 6d, scraps were 3d
Teacher Miss Smith had a sweet shop, then Mrs Griffiths next to Pedro's.
Billy Spriggs had the cobblers.
Vic Morgan had the ironmongers.
The building at the corner of Thomas street in the postcard, I remember as Peglers.
Phil later had a fish shop on the corner of Ash Grove in the 60s.
John Jones the paper shop.
Mr Price was the barber in Wern Crescent.
Penry Price the blacksmith behind the Balfour.
You then had Piggy's field. and the Calfaria.chapel
The Co-op where I did my Saturday job delivering groceries for 12/1d
The old Co-op Butchers with sawdust on the floor.
Lena's cafe. And the Electric Shop.
Vernon Jones pet shop. Lijah Jones grocery shop.
Goldsmiths(the Jews) Haberdashery shop where I used to get free BMK carpet colouring books.
Parry's chemist shop. The Cosy Café. The Institute( stute) for billiards
The Cosy Cinema, later to become the Queen of Hearts night club
Reg Powell's fish & Chip shop in the 60s
Hamilton's barber shop. Malcolm Jones Butcher Shop.
Matthews Grocer shop. The Italian hairdresser on the corner.
No wonder it's called Commercial Street.
I still can't explain how so many pubs, clubs and eateries can survive in a small village.
Ray Davies formerly of Nelson
A pot from Nelson possibly from the shop in the picture above
Below are two more pottery items, souveniers of Nelson
During the 1980's there was great concern in Nelson amongst the residents of the relatively new houses above the village in the Greenacreas and the Avril estates. Below we are fortunate to get a report and some pictures from that worrying time...Robert Amos who supplied this item for the wensite is actually pictured in the photographs doing the repair work.
Ffos y Gerddinen
At the end of the 18 Th Century the area was called “Ffos y Gerddinen”. The English translation means bog or marshy ground of the rowan tree. In 1800 it is believed by many that Lord Nelson and Lady Hamilton visited Ffos y Gerddinen, enroute from Cardiff to Merthyr, and that they stayed the night in the Inn.
The Inn was subsequently named the Lord Nelson Inn and later the village was also re- named Nelson. This cannot be proven as a certain fact, but it is accepted to be true.
Population increase
During the 19th Century the village began to grow and the arrival of the railway and the local Llancaich colliery (see colliery section) provided employment and the need for more housing and services for the growing population.
In the railways section of this website there is more detailed information about the Railways that served the village.
By the start of the 20th Century the population of Nelson and district had increased almost ten fold to over 4,000 residents compared to just over 400, one hundred years earlier.
Police Station
The building is swathed in history. In September 1910, a Llandaff builder named Mr. S. Shail put forward a tender to build the police station for the princely sum of £1895. The building was completed and ready for occupation by June 1911 and Sergeant Walter Kelland, Nelson's first sergeant moved in with his family.
It is now an excellent restaurant called "Sergeants", please see links page for details
Foot race about to start from opposite the old Royal Oak, part of the report is below dated November 9th 1895
Llanfabon
Nelson is in the Parish of Llanfabon and there are records of Llechwen Hall, a privately owned Country House dating back to the 17th Century. It is now an excellent 20 bedroom hotel that attracts tourists to the area.
http://www.llechwen.co.uk/
The Parish of Llanfabon is comprised of two churches:
The Parish Church is situated at Llanfabon and is dedicated to St Mabon. The Daughter Church is situated in Nelson and is dedicated to St John Baptist.
St Mabon’s: Llanfabon
The original church would have been a simple wooden structure that has left no remains after 1500 years. There is mention in the Vatican Archives of the rebuilding of the church by the Earl of Hereford in the eleventh century.
By 1836, this building had fallen into disrepair and the then Rector appealed to the Church Building Society requesting grants for a programme of restoration. This appears not to have been successful.
In 1846, it was decided to demolish the medieval building and rebuild. The architect was John Pritchard, who was later to restore Llandaff Cathedral.
How Llanfabon was described in 1833
"LLANVABON, a parish in the hundred of CAERPHILLY, county of GLAMORGAN, SOUTH WALES, 9 miles (S. S. E.) from Merthyr-Tydvil, containing 853 inhabitants. This parish comprises a surface of about five thousand acres, in general mountainous : it is bounded on the west by the river Taf, and on the east by the Romney : the soil consists of gravelly clay and peat. A colliery belonging to Sir C. Smith, Bart., from which a tram-road communicates with the Glamorganshire canal, affords employment to about twenty men. The parish is intersected by the road from Cardiff to Merthyr, which passes about two miles and a half westward from the church, and by the Glamorganshire canal, on the banks of which, within its limits, is situated the Navigation House, where this important line of communication is joined by the Aberdare canal, and by the tram-road from Merthyr-Tydvil: at this point of junction is a spacious quay. The living is consolidated with the vicarage of Eglwysilan, in the archdeaconry and diocese of Llandaf. The church is dedicated to St. Mabon. There are two places of worship for Welsh Calvinistic Methodists, and one for Wesleyan Methodists. James Thomas, in 1730, gave by will a rent-charge of £2 for the benefit of the poor of this parish. The average annual expenditure for the maintenance of the poor is £213. 19." ( A Topographical Dictionary of Wales by Samuel Lewis 1833)
sourced from Genuki
Population of the Llanfabon Parish in the early years
| 1841 - 1,449 | 1851 - 1,925 | 1861 - 2,360 | 1871 - 2,263 | 1881 - 2,660 |
1891 - 3,037 |
St John's: High Street Nelson
Due to the expansion of the village of Nelson during the mid 19th century – the population 0f Llanfabon was a mere 475 in 1801, but by 1901 it had increased to 4,035 - it was decided to build a daughter church closer to the new population.
At the time, this would have been described as a Chapel of ease to Llanfabon. The original church of St John Baptist was completed in 1888. By the end of the century the original church was considered to be too small. In 1904 it was extended and a tower was added.
The Sewage Works on Mabon Road
I am looking for information about this sewage plant that was once on the entrance to Nelson, but here are some photographs of it after it was closed (courtesy of Robert Amos)
Nelson Cattle Market
Editor Notes.( research needed on the various markets held in the village over the years) Luckily we do have a poster advertising a market in 1920.
Photographs of the Cattle market site behind Dynevor Terrace.(R Amos collection) date 1999
The picture below shows the site cleared by 2007
The Pre fabs...build in the 1940's as temporary homes, they lasted for over 20 years...some of the street names that people will remember include...Heol Bryn Fab, Heol Pant y Celyn, Heol Mabon, Heol Tasker and Heol Islwyn...number one Heol Islwyn is pictured below, the lady in the photograph is Mrs Tovey
Number one Heol Islwyn courtesy of Michael Tovey