Georgetown Page - 2

Georgetown

Merthyr Tydfil

<Click on the photograph to enlarge it>

Five Ways, 1965.

George Street and Nantygwenith Lane.

Cyfarthfa Lane April 1971

Cyfarthfa Lane. Milk being delivered to a resident of Cyfarthfa Lane. Over the wall are

the houses of John Street.(photo courtesy of Mike Donovan.)

Cyfarthfa Lane, Coronation Street Party - June 1953.

(This photograph was sent in to Merthyr Central Library by a lady living in Australia, would

she please contact us or Carolyn Jacob at Merthyr Library, with her name.)

White Row Street Party.

Iron Lane. (Georgetown School at the end of the street.)

Iron Lane Coronation Street Party - 1953. (E-mailed to us by Mike Lewis in Canada)

Iron Lane Coronation Street Party - 1953. Taken at the bottom of Chandlers Court

(E-mailed to us by Mike Lewis in Canada)

Williams Court (off Iron Lane). Stuckey's bakehouse down the gully, and under the arch into Williams Court.

	Williams Court.

Howell Street.

A Miners coal allowance just delivered.

On the right hand side just before the steps is the entance to West Lane. Mary Coleman (known by

everyone as Nana Coleman) is seen leaving her daughter's house, with her Alsatian "Duke".

(Thanks to Paul Coleman for the information about his grandmother)

Howell Street - V.E. Day Tea Party

West Lane. off Howell Street. They were the backs of John Street -below road level and classified as

cellar houses. The authorities considered them as unfit for human habitation because

there was no through flow of air and damp was a serious problem. Whilst transfer to

new local authority housing removed these health and hygiene problems many tenants

were faced with a 4,5 or even sixfold increase in their rents.

Michael Neal who spent many a summer holiday at his grandparents in John Street, has sent some detail on how life was in Georgetown in the 60's.

West Lane ran off Howell Street between Iron Lane and John Street. The houses in the picture are the backs of the John Street houses. The Iron Lane houses actually had back gardens. The second house from the end, just past the street lamp, was my grandparents house.

The cellar consisted of three rooms. There was a tiny room where the water tap was. There was another room, a bit bigger, which was used as a coal store. The main room was used as a laundry room. There was a washing machine which was also used to heat the water for the bath. When the water was hot enough, it would be pumped from the washing machine into the zinc bath. The cellar floor was made of large flag stones and could be very uneven in places. Most 4-legged pieces of furniture would need a wedge under one of the legs if they were to stand firm.

The toilet was across the lane. When nature called, there was a dash down the stairs to the cellar, unbolt the cellar door, grab a meat skewer, run across the lane then use the meat skewer to lift the latch on the inside of the toilet door. If it was dark, you would have to light a candle in the cellar and take that with you. The meat skewer was used in order to stop all-and-sundry from using the toilet.

The window above the cellar was the scullery window. It was really the living room as the "real" living room at the front of the house was for show only, and was only used on special occasions. There was an open coal fire in the scullery which, when I was small, was lit every morning of the year. All cooking was done on this. There was an iron baking oven on one side of the hearth which would bake some lovely cakes. Even the irons for pressing clothes were heated by the coal fire.

Howell Street, from the bottom end. Showing on the the left Arthur Parkers betting shop, the O.A.P. Hut

Nantygwenith Lane. It ran around the western edge of Georgetown up to the Cyfarthfa Church

Vicarage on Aberdare Road. You can make out Cyfarthfa Church roof at the top of the picture.

Cyfarthfa Lane is shown at the No Entry sign. Out of picture on the right is Georgetown School

which was built on the site of Crawshays Stables.

Nantygwenith Lane also known as Gregory's Lane

Crawshays stables.

A very old photograph of Georgetown taken from the tip at the bottom of Swansea Road.

In the distance you can see the chimneys of the blast engine houses at Ynysfach Ironworks.

The stables later became the Corona 'Pop' Depot and it shown following it's closure in the 1970's.

Merthyr Tydfil Transport Ltd Office, Nantygwenith Street - 1970s.

the Bus Garage

Nantygwenith Street 1972. ( Photograph courtesy of Mr Clive Bevan)

Nantygwenith Street. The Prince of Wales Inn, and the Cyfarthfa Brewery Behind - later Standard

Upholstery (Dai the up).

Prince of Wales Inn, Nantygwenith Street.

Nantygwenith Street in the 1960's.

(Photograph courtesy of Val Griffiths)

	To Georgetown Map page

	Click Here To Visit