Some absolutely fantastic photos & videos of yesteryear Taff. Town centre seemed full of character. It's quite a desperate place now, a real shame..
I'm sure that this poem will bring back many memories to many people who grew up in Morriston in the 50's and 60's. " I don't know when I found it But it was in my second decade, That I followed previous generations, And began The Monkey Parade. We'd start at the Top by St. John's Church And walk down Woodfield Street, We'd try to look smart and interesting, With stilettos and winkle pickers on our feet. We'd look in all the windows, And study all the range, We'd start at Woolworth and end at Kitty Jones, And were quick to spot any change. And as we walked down during the daytime, Those shops looked a wonderful sight, Maybe we were going shopping then, But we only thought of the night And as I stand here reminiscing, My thoughts return to my young days, I think of the shops that were in Woodfield Street, And the places for Songs of Praise. The wooden floors in Woolworth, That made your shoes clip clop, And further down there was Woodleys, Where you'd buy your joint or a chop. Remember Hunts the bakers, And the lovely smell of his pies, And the lofty spire of Tabernacle, That seemed to reach for the skies. And opposite there was the department store, To buy stockings, or material straight off the loom And when you gave your cash to pay for your things, It went whizzing around the room. Led Davies for Cycles, Broken biscuits at John Bull And I remember the Forward Movement, There were times when that was full. Cinemas, now that's another thing, Our Town had two of them, I saw Seven Brides for Seven Brothers at the Regal, And the Student Prince at the Gem. Evan Glyn the Paper shop, Now his window was always full, And if you were fond of knitting, You went to Llewellyns for wool. Now pubs there were loads of them, Always one near and handy, I remember going for my very first drink, Twas the Lamb & Flag and a ginger beer shandy Now we didn't have a Supermarket, We had small shops for all our nices, We had Maypole, Lipton, and Harry Stores, And we shopped round for all the best prices There were many bargains at Sayers, And Greeps for a pot or a pan, And Bakers had plenty of vegetables, Not forgetting Ces the Milk Man You could get your furniture in Albany, The Dorchester for lovely flowers Baby clothes at London Hosiery, I could keep going here for hours Now our clothes were a different thing, But you could buy you shoes at Penhale, But for anything really fashionable, T'was to Town for the C. & A. Sale. At the Cross there was Pompas Café, You could buy sweets or a box of Chocs, But what I remember most of all, Was the coffee and the old Juke Box. You could make a coke last for hours, We had so many small joys, We'd listen to 60's music, And share our time with the boys As a youngster I had a talent, Which my parents used to Inspire, Those were the days I used to sing, And was a Soloist in the Ladies Choir Yes I remember Morriston, In those days not so long ago, What happened to all those people, Where did those old friends go So I joined the Guild to look for them, And now I've a request you see, Cos I'm happy since I've been here, Do you think the Drama group has room for me "
please log in to view this image Morriston Cross about 1929. These old buildings were demolished in 1956 and the present block of offices and shops erected in their place. Other reminders of the Old Cross are the tramlines, the traffic signals in the middle of the road and on the left, a popular meeting place, Pompa's Cafe which still existed into the 70's