May Jenkins (nee Evans)

More edited extracts from 90 year-old May Jenkins of Glyncoli Rd, who is recording her memories for our website...(actual voice recordings will be appearing here at a later date)

Our fruit and veg came into the valley and when it first came, it was drawn by a horse.

In my time the shops appeared in the Rhondda and there were at least eleven family butchers in Treorchy alone.

I remember the cattle coming by train and being herded from the station to the two slaughterhouses in Treorchy – one down the lower end of Howard Street and the other one down in Regent Street.

The cows and sheep used to fill the roadway. I didn’t mind the sheep, although they made a real mess on some of the houses and shops with chewing of the cabbage and what have you - but I didn’t like the cows! When some of them were unruly, one of the men that were looking after them would be running with the staff here and the other men would run with the staff there – it was really comedy to watch them, but the poor things didn’t know they were going to the slaughterhouse.

MAY JENKINS

We had tailors living in Treorchy and their work was equal to any of the great ones today. Milliners were also living here and so hats were made - they were a MUST in those days, no woman could go anywhere without a hat. You certainly knew that when there was a Gymanfa or special preaching service anywhere – they used to work ALL the hours that God gave them just to keep up with the trade.

Treorchy had three barbershops, and the one on Bute Street, near the bank, had the candy-pole outside. The miners didn’t shave as men do now (very near every day) but they used to leave their beards grow until about Saturday, and then they’d have a shave with the open razor.

My brother worked there on a Saturday afternoon - becoming what they called a "wobbler", tending to the skin with a lot of soaking with soap and hot towels - and there was always a queue there.

Dressmakers were found in every street and if your parents could afford it – well, you were lucky - you were given what they call today "training", but in that time it was a TRADE. My sister was a dressmaker and of course she was never known as Nans Evans, she was called "Nans dressmaker", or "Nans Glyncoli Road".

Everybody did their own bread and there were quite a number of big bake-houses – we used to say "bacws".

There was one in Stuart Street and another in Herbert Street, one at the lower end of Senghenydd Street, and at the top end of Howard Street, one in Tynybedw Street and at the lower end of Regent Street. So you can see there was quite a lot of women doing their own bread at that time – they had to - and at Christmas time there was the special day for baking Christmas Cake – and the smells coming from those bake-houses was really delicious.

We watched the one in Howard Street as the flour was delivered there by crane as they had their own bakery as well going.

It was good to watch the flour going up on a little hand crane – going back and fore - yes we had a lot of things going for us then, just watching and waiting for things.

My mother used to say - with all these bakeries opening and cook houses - that it was because of the "COAL" rush.

 

"Pob bendith ei rai oddi cartref"

"Every blessing to those away from home"

May Jenkins, November 2002