your comments
Emlyn from Wrexham
Dear Elinor, I am the youngest member of the Foulkes family from Ffynnongroyw. We lived there until 1956 when the family moved on. I knew several Parry families at that time and the name Ron seems to ring a bell, maybe if you know where he lived if he was there in the forties and fifties.
Thu Oct 9 09:56:37 2008
Elinor from Rhewl
I just stumbled across this website, and remembered that my Nain and Taid lived in Ffynnongroyw, and also brought up my father (Nigel Parry), uncle (Phillip Parry) and two aunties (Carol and Wendy) there. My Taid's name is Ron Parry, and I am sure he would love to hear from anybody who knew him.
Fri Oct 3 08:06:06 2008
Emlyn from Wrexham
I visited the caravan park in Ffynnongroyw recently even though I lodged a complaint with Flintshire Council a long time ago about the drive to the caravan park as the original road up past the old vicarage was an ancient historic track laid by the Romans to collect the lead and other materiels from the mine. It was used also to deliver the flour from the mill in the Garth. Much later, however, the path was dug up and bushes planted making it a drive way to the caravan park blocking the then right of way. The people of Ffynongroyw every Sunday walked the route which was picturesque. Why the ramblers association or the historic trust of Wales have never questioned what I call pure vandalism of the road...
Thu Jul 10 08:23:58 2008
Glyn, Bagillt
I am from Wrexham and served my time as a bricklayer at Brymbo Steelworks before being called up and served in the Royal Air Force from 1956-61. After demob, moved to Gronant where I got work as a brickie at the Point of Ayr Collery, on land, not underground. I remember going to Gresford for a fortnight training underground, what an eye opener. I thought the trip in the cage was bad enough, but my first view of being underground was not a pleasant feeling, but this was nothing to the trip to the coalface. Everything looked OK at first, but, after going for a few minutes things were getting a little frightening (for me at least). The roof was getting lower and lower and the girders holding up everything together seemed to have been twisted like a piece of soft plastic, and I was very happy when I was on the way back to the pit bottom. Spent a few days in the classrooms and sfter going underground a couple of times, things didn't seem so bad, and after the fortnight was up, it was nice to be on the way back to Point of Ayr.
Mon Jun 23 15:13:38 2008
FREEL PAUL
We used to stay as a family at the Prices caravan park in Ffynongroew. I remember that a farm opposite the field and we made friends with a boy called Arafan. Having big family reunion in Bala end July and going to visit the old field and farm. Does anyone out there remember me or Chistine Veronica, Kathleen or Alison?
Tue Jun 17 08:28:44 2008
Emlyn from Wrexham
Hi there, with Christmas upon us again and the rush to find the right presents for our loved ones I stop awhile to recall those Christmases I spent in Ffynongroyw as a boy. The pace of life was much slower then leading to Christmas. No major supermarkets, just the village shops. Children then seem to know the limitations of spending money on presents but Christmas dinner was something to look forward to. I wonder where all the children of the village went after 1960? It would be nice to hear from them, including Julie Blythin.
Fri Nov 30 08:23:42 2007
Emlyn from Wrexham
Hi Jeff, just got my computer working again. I was reading your entry regarding your parents from Ffynnongrowy. The Blythins I remember had the farm as you entered the village from the Mostyn end. They were related to the Johnson family and the Spencer family. My cousin married one of the Spencers. I lived in the village for 16yrs 1940-1956 before joining the Merchant Navy. Both the Johnson and the Blythin families helped make the village a warm and friendly place to live in.
Mon Sep 24 09:08:27 2007
Jeff Blythin, Rhyl
My Grandparents William and Kate Blythin lived in Ffynongroyw as did my father Radcliffe Blythin (a Crosville bus driver) and his brother Auneurin Blythin - Point of Ayr miner. Does anyone recall them?
Thu Sep 20 08:38:27 2007
Emlyn from Wrexham
The cottage in the wood on well lane in Ffynnongroyw. My photo with members of my family on taken just after the war shows the little cottage in the wood in the background belonging to Mr Davis who lived on his own. One leg was artificial but it never stopped him tending his garden. He grew some of the finest veg in the village and always kept his cottage clean and painted white. Our back garden faced the front of the cottage. For some unknown reason it has now been demolished. Bye for now.
Mon Aug 20 11:28:41 2007
Emlyn from Wrexham
Dear Angela, thank you for the very informative and welcome reply. It's nice to know that my old teacher is still around. I have a photo of the class with him on it taken in 1948, he was a handsome gentleman in those days and an excellent teacher. I fell out with a classmate and we started fighting, he stood in between us to stop it then he said boys if you must fight at least be gentlemen about it now carry on. We were so taken back by his actions that we did not carry on the squabble. He then remarked see how silly you both look now shake hands, and I have always remembered it. The school photo I will put it on the web as soon as somebody shows me how as I am not into computers. Bye for now.
Tue Aug 7 09:50:56 2007
Angela from Prestatyn
Recently found this site and enjoying hearing about the many interesting facts and stories from this area of Flintshire where my family have lived for many years. I was brought up in Penyffordd. Rhys Jones, Emlyn's favourite teacher, is still alive and lives in Prestatyn. He has just celebrated his 80th birthday. He has contributed greatly to the musical life of this county and indeed across Wales. He has his own Sunday morning radio programme if anyone wants to listen in.
Fri Aug 3 07:36:17 2007
Emlyn from Wrexham
Since my last story on my childhood at Ffynnongroyew my dear sister Rita being the youngest sister has died recently. My recollections of her will always be of our childhood in Ffynnongroyew. She was always there for me when were out playing with other children and when it was time to go home she always made sure that I was with her. We would sit on the stone slab that formed part of the well and plan what games to play with our feet dangling in the cool water in the summertime - the friends who we played with would come and join us. The chapel where we attended Sunday school has long closed and the primary school we attended is now a nursery. The children of the village have grown up and left. The well kept gardens no longer exist. No harvest festival to collect for and no singing of carols at Christmas. The childhood memories I have of the village will always remain with me and my memories of dear late sister Rita sadly missed by the family - memories of our childhood will always be with me.
Mon Jun 25 09:21:18 2007
Emlyn from Wrexham
Life at 2 Abergele terrace Ffynnongroyw. As the youngest of eight children life wasn't easy in the 40s. As each sister became old enough to run the family home the eldest would leave to get married and have children of their own but each sister still kept coming back to clean and cook wash the clothes. Whilst the teenagers in the village were out having fun my sisters were looking after us and the house as our mother died when I was two years old. A photo taken from the rear garden at the house in 1946 shows the little white cottage. The woods belonged to Mr Davies. It's been demolished and no sign of it ever being there.
Thu Mar 15 08:37:37 2007
Emlyn from Wrexham
Looking back on my childhood in Ffynnongryw I believe that the children of today lack being held accountable for their actions. If you had done wrong you paid three times for it. One, the person you offended, then your parents, and last the head teacher at the school you attended who took a dim view of having the reputation of the school in disgrace. Perhaps returning to these practices would certainly make a difference.
Fri Jan 26 10:41:29 2007
Emlyn from Wrexham
Health visitor to our village school. Or the lady in black wearing a hat that resembled a flying saucer her skirt down to her ankles with boot like shoes on her feet. One by one we were made to sit on a chair scared to move an inch and without talking except to issue the odd instruction like lift your shirt up, bend your head forward, as she drew a fine comb through your hair to see if you had any nits in it, checking to see if you had any spots on you. After the scrutiny you were sent back to your class. We used to have our hair washed in liquid paraffin and rain water at least twice a week and of course the old carbolic soap. Letters would go out with children to their parents if anything was wrong. Just sitting there whilst you were given the once over by the nurse it was nerve racking for any youngster.
Fri Jan 19 10:39:59 2007
Emlyn from Wrexham
Going back to the late forties - early fifties. The village was at its best with all the shops, the village folk going about their business. One shop not mentioned was John Rogers the gents' tailors next to Harry Baccon Dda's the grocers. When my sister and I called at Mrs Jones Gregory to mow the lawn, as you entered the shop as the door opened it would trip the bell to let them know someone was in the shop. The long, dark, velvet curtains to the floor cut off any light to the shop and an oil lamp suspended from the ceiling along with another on the counter. In would walk a frail old lady, Mrs Gregory Jones. She was dressed in black with ankle boots, her dress down to her ankles. When she saw us she would take us through the shop to the house part where we waited for her daughter, Annie, to appear. She was middle aged and had an operatic voice as she was always singing. Her voice sounded like Patricia Routledge on 'Keeping up Appearances'. I mowed the lawn whilst my sister raked it. After using the mower it had to be oiled and cleaned for the next time, same with the shears. No the mower wasn't electric it was a cylinder mower. For the work we got a shilling.
Thu Jan 18 13:49:10 2007
Emlyn from Wrexham
The bridge over the railway lines at Ffynnongroyw. In the forties and fifties we would sit for what seemed hours with pencil and paper in hand collecting train numbers as the trains roared by the bridge was filled with smoke and steam. As you walk onto the sand on the right hand side nr the wall are two 3ft square concrete plinths. Each plinth has a stud at each corner to secure an anti aircraft gun and under the bridge were the lookout posts made of brick. They were demolished to stop them being used as a loo. The plinths are covered by the sand now.
Mon Jan 15 09:40:31 2007
Emlyn from Wrexham
Ffynnongroyw our mid week treat: pictures in the chapel annexe one evening a week showing Dick Barton Strikes Back, Three Stooges or Tarzan and the Apes. It cost 6d in old money or if you were good and polite to the proprietor at Barnetts the grocer he would let you have the poster this would let you in for free. The lights out the film show began, twenty minutes into the film the lights back on the film had snapped, the kids would start shouting until the lights went off and the film started rolling again. The films we saw in those days and the films children are subjected to today it makes you wonder. How about a nice ice cream in the summer from Arthur Askey. He would turn up in the village on a motorcycle and sidecar, the sidecar being a steel freezer box on wheels, the logo on the side said often licked but never beaten. Super ice cream.
Mon Jan 15 09:18:29 2007
Emlyn from Wrexham
Re. shopping in the village. Today we go into a supermarket we buy our fruit and veg, displayed is the sign ORGANIC GROWN. Forget your organic veg etc. In the village shops was the magic words HOME GROWN and HOME MADE products. You would take your groceries home in a basket or cardbord box or yes that famous paper carrier bag. No fancy packaging as the product sold itself. No disgarded plastic bags dangling from trees or littering the countryside. The carriers were folded and used time and time again as long as it didn't rain. Recycling was nothing new, in fact, the village folk were streets ahead of us today. The ashes from your fire made a good cinder path. That tin can ended up with a handle and used to scoop water out of the bucket. We carried our drinking water from the village tap to the house except on Sundays as it was the l'ords day. In our house, like most, we had our bible stand. Each of us had a bible starting with my dad's which was slightly larger down to me and my youngest sister who had the small ones - they had biblical pictures in colour all leather backed with goldleaf writing on the front. Monday was wash day, the clothes lines were full of sheets etc and real nappies and the usual washday clothes.
Fri Jan 12 08:14:58 2007
Emlyn from Wrexham
Winter time in Ffynnongroyw when the snow came. The children in the village loved the snow as it was time to prepare your sledge and join the children of Pen-y-Ffordd as we would drag our sledges two miles up the hill onto the top field the slope was just right. Wrapped up and in wellies down the field we go reaching speeds of up to 30mph. I wonder how the children of today would cope being out in the snow walking miles pulling a sledge. It was school as usual the kids then would have laughed to hear on the radio sorry no school today as the central heating has broken down. The little round stoves were fired by coke. At breaktime we would collect our little bottle of milk with the cardboard top and place it on the stove for a few moments to defrost otherwise you put your finger in and pull out some of the ice. There was no massive parking problem during bring and collecting children from school as parents walked or got the bus. The most outstanding teacher for me was Rhys Jones from Tanlan. I am pictured with him in a class photo I wonder if he is still alive today. A village without TV ariels or cars except business. The oil tycoons would have been very poor had they been around in those days. With the snow gone it did not stop there as it was time to bring out the go cart. It consisted of a long piece of plank with a wooden seat one end, in front was the steering piece of wood with a bolt through the middle. The wheels came off a pram, a piece of rope tied or nailed to the steering in order to pull and steer the cart. The slope leading off Llynigre hill was the ideal place. Sometimes you would forget to turn at the bottom, to stop you was the corrugated fence which was the back of the doctor's surgery. Well it's time to go again, bye for now.
Thu Jan 11 11:05:45 2007
Emlyn from Wrexham
Sunday in Ffynongroyw as a boy - Sunday School sometimes twice at least. Once the village folk attended three times that day. It was always considered to be a day of rest. All the pubs were closed also the shops, except for papers. Everyone in Sunday best. My two younger brothers took turns at pumping the organ. I believe the organ is now in the Catholic church in Flint. Sunday walks would take some of the locals from Blythins farm past the old vicarage through Lord Mostyn's estate into the field - closing the gate behind you. If you look back you would see the most stunning view of the Dee estuary and the Wirral peninsular. Back in the village the men folk would like to show off their handy work in the garden to relatives and friends and my dad was no exception. We would walk two miles to Mostyn to collect the news papers. We would have been approx 10 and 11yrs old. On our way back from the village of Halenddu (now demolished) we stopped at the iron works where there were the water sprays for cooling the water from the furnace. In the water were dozens of golden carp - we would watch them for a few minutes then cross over the foot bridge by Mostyn Arms so we could see all the levers in the box and the signal man opperating them, the steam trains thundering by. Back home having delivered the papers it was time for dinner then to Sunday School. If you did not attend at least once when you attended school the next day the teacher would want to know as she would, in most cases, be the Sunday School teacher. One thing about that village which I was never to see again was the community spirit -everyone being there for everyone. I lost my mother at the age of two years. The help from the village folk was fantastic to say the least.
Wed Jan 10 08:14:52 2007
Emlyn from Wrexham
When I was a boy in Ffynongroew through the forties and fifties the village was a busy place. One of the shops in the village was the Co-op, my brother worked there on weekends in the bakery. Moving into the village on the left was Annie Jones Gregory shop - they were sisters, the shop was spooky as it was lit by oil lamps, the gardens were large with large connifers. They sold materials. Further along was Willliams the garage. Mr Williams proudly paraded his rolls in front of the pump. I don't think it ever went far. On the other side of the road was the Crown pub - still there. Across from there was the chemist and Ike the butcher. My father always got his pound of flesh from there. Those sausages were lovely. I would eat several before I got them home. Across the road was Harry baccan dda grocers, he had the best bacon. The Railway pub, then Barnetts the grocers, then Bells the grocers. One place which I loved most of all was Davis the bakery down the lane. For an old penny you could get a bag of broken merangues with a caramel filling. The people in the village lived for their gardens. They were all filled with veg etc and the women, every morning, would clean the brass and rubbing stone on the front step. When a funeral took place all the curtains were drawn as a mark of respect until it had gone by. I have more interesting times to share next time - bye for now.
Tue Jan 9 08:26:54 2007
Emlyn from Wrexham
Dear Julie, further to my last entry was your mother's name Vera Blythin? My cousin Dorothy married a Spencer and lived in Halkyn they are related to the Johnson family who must be related to you. In the early years Oswyn left the farm and took to hiring cars and then started the coach business. I helped on the farm during the hay season as a boy. When I see the trouble in the middle east I often think of Mair.
Fri Dec 29 09:21:49 2006
Emlyn from Wrexham
Dear Julie, I am the youngest of eight children of the Foulkes family. We lived two doors from Ty Mawr, the Johnson family home. Mair was brought up by the Johnson family, we played together as kids. Mair refered to Mrs Johnson as mam Johnson. At 17yrs I left the village to join the merchant navy. I met Mair again when I was in the Royal infirmary having a minor opp, she visited me and I was supprised to see her as a nurse. I had returned from the middle east and knew the tension that was growing there. I tried to explain to her not to go to Jorden she replied her duty was to be with her Jordanian husband who was a doctor. I later heard that they had been killed. Love to your family. Emlyn
Thu Dec 28 10:29:59 2006
Ian Macpherson, Adelaide, S Aust
A few more names remembered from shcool days in the village: Wendy Hughes, her Dad ran the pub. Gary Cooper lived near us also David and Alan Frith. Edie and Sonny Thomas who also lived in Mitford Bungalows. Be nice to hear some news about the people mentioned.
Fri Oct 13 08:15:51 2006
Ian Macpherson
I attended the local school with my brother Hugh in the 50s, we used to sing about Davvy the mare and Winny the witch after the head master Mr Davies and Miss Wynn. We lived at Tyn y Morfa in Mitford bungalows. Remember the names Gordon Thorns, Bernard Lee. Would love to hear from someone who was there at the same time.
Thu Oct 5 15:01:35 2006
Glyn, Bagillt
Knew Oswyn Blythin when I lived in the area. I and many local people used to drive the coaches from Ffynnongroew, schools during the week and Holidaymakers weekend.
I remember once going sea fishing out of Rhyl with Oswyn.
Wed Apr 26 14:39:52 2006
Julie Blythin from Abergele
sorry incorrect advice.
Oswyn Blythin (Mair's father)
Tue Apr 19 01:04:57 2005
Julie Blythin from Abergele
Oswyn Blythin (Mair's brother) will celebrate his 80th birthday next month. I am his daughter Julie and would love to learn more about Mair who I met only once when very young on a return visit.
Sat Mar 12 01:25:13 2005
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