"I would describe Abercraf as a peaceful, quiet and rural village. People like to come and live here. Abercrave used to have 18 or 19 shops - including ironmonger, sweet shop, cobblers, barber, betting shop and a bakehouse on Pant y Cwrt. We also used to have a good fish and chip shop here. The fryers used to be coal operated - and the food was beautiful. People came from all over the area to get some chips!
Next to the post office there was a café and a bank but now only the post office stands. It was a busy village at one time - it was all happening and all going on. With the village shops gone and the supermarkets taken over, it's now very quiet. If you want to do any shopping now, you have to go to Pontardawe, Neath or Swansea.
We've got a Miners Welfare Hall in Abercraf. This is still ongoing and is the location for senior citizens meetings, WI meetings, discos for the youngsters, and a social place for families to go and have a drink if they want. Occasionally, we also have concerts in the hall.
During the war years, the Welfare Hall was the place to go. As there were so many local lads in the forces, they used to make up concerts with local artists in the hall. There was always something at the Welfare Hall for the youngsters when they came back from war and before returning.
Years ago, they used to use the canal to transport coal, limestone and possibly iron-ore. They shipped that down to Swansea. It was quite a busy area. Dick Burke, who lived in Abercraf, was the canal cleaner and it was spotless with him.
Abercraf Rugby Club is very important to us and is still going strong. The club was formed during the late 1890s. It was at Abercraf Rugby Club that Clive Rowlands started his rugby career as a youngster before going on to play for Wales. Adam Jones current Wales (no 3) started off with Abercraf as well as Eddy Morgan the Swansea prop. We can say that all these players were given a good grounding!
As well as the Rugby Club, Abercraf used to have a good cricket club. It was located on Old Gilbertson church field, but they've now turned it to a ground for the Abercraf Seconds and Youth Rugby Team. The cricket club finished about 1982. I was a captain for the team for 3 years during the late 1970s. We played friendly matches - not in a league - the lads didn't like competitiveness, they wouldn't join any leagues. We came together to have a laugh.
I remember one incident when we were playing Ystalyfera, and I happened to be the captain on that day. Ystalyfera had a good batsman and I really wanted to get him out as he was doing a lot of damage. I told this young boy who was our bowler and didn't bowl very often, and was there really just to make the numbers up; "I'll give you one over and then I'll have to take you off" (as I wanted to get this chap out). This must have given the boy a new lease of life because he bowled a better over. I was fielding leg slip, the batsman hit his shot and I caught him out!"
By Ken Cooke from Abercraf.
your comments
Norma Knight nee jones
Referance to Kathleen Parsons I was born in Tanyrallt many years ago and knew your great grandad and your grandad Bernard your dad must be Elvin I have some wonderful memories of Abercrave going to the picturs down the front wooden seats on a friday night your grandad was very popular I can tast the fish and chips now we used to three penny worth of chips and eat them on the metal table covered in vinegar s o the paper stuck to the table I always called there when I visited never had fish and chips like them since.I often tell my children and grandchildren about my childhood in Abercrave climbing Cribarth%2! 0and learning to swimm down the river so many memories they all seem so good now.
Wed Jul 8 11:07:40 2009
Sybil Williams nee Jones, Llanspyddid
I was born in Alma House Abercraf in 1937 and spent 22 years of my life in the village, I would like to correct a couple of errors made already on the site. The first one is the first film shown in the miners welfare hall was my brother Jonathan, not The Robe, secondly Wil Moc Bach who was my great uncle lived in No 20 Brooklands Terrace not NO.1. We lived in NO,14.he won the Military Medal (M.M). in the first world war for bravery which he kept a secret, which no one knew until after his death in the fifties. Finally the correct name for where I spent a very happy childhood is Brooklands Terrace, not Spanish Row, which is a nickname given to the street, because of the number of Spanish and Portugese families who also lived there, happily I may say one of my best friends was Portugese.
Mon Oct 1 14:38:54 2007
brian battenbough living now in seven sisters
I was born in Aber,in a small cottage opposite the copper beech in 1943 i worked in the old abercrave colliery in 1959 as did my father and the rest of my uncles on my mothers side who was a lewis, the lewis family had family members who was the cobbler in abercrave and also one of the sisters was a seamstress. The cottage was built in 1853 by my family who once owned all the houses in this little street of penybanc,not much has changed its still quiet but dont we all like a quiet place now and again to rest our weary head,i loved the cribarth mountain, my passtime was rabbiting with dog and gun and spent most of my free time walking this lovely mountain, my uncle Will, found a roman coin after digging out a rabbit while ferreting on this mountain.In 1947 i can just remember the snow that came up to the top of the cottage doorway, just in front of the cottage ran the river tawe which i used to catch trout by nightline, many was caught and eaten with relish my father used to shoot the pheasants owned by gilbason in the woods behind the abercrave farm, the church at aber, was my grandmothers church and i can remember she was so proud becaus i became a boy member of the choir. Ha well thats enough for now.
Fri Feb 16 11:43:49 2007
Kathleen Parsons
I live in abercrave for 5 years and i think it boring and it was ok when my grandad used to own the the fish shop and after that it is boring as there nothing for us.
Mon Nov 6 15:40:02 2006
Do you have any memories of Abercraf? What do you like best about the place? Add your comments below:
Ken Cooke a lifelong resident of Abercraf remembers what life was like in the now peaceful and quiet village that he calls home.
