your comments
Andrew Ball, Newport
I lived in St Mellons from 1959 until 1987 in Old St Mellons in a house on Began Road. This was an ideal lifestyle with the sound of sheep, cattle and gold coloured corn fields with combine harvesters piling up bales of hay. This was the rural scene overlooking my back garden onto Edwards Farm in the 1960s. I attended the Church school on the "Ton" and had many a good year there despite being frightened by a West Walian monster of a headmaster. I made many good friends there and played regular football, cricket and tennis at the village sports field near Druidstone Road before moving to Newport in 1987. I still visit the annual pantomime at the Church Hall and sometimes the local fete. It is nice to see our new friends from New St Mellons live nearby - I am only sorry to hear of recent anti-social behaviour there. I know by comparison how quiet it was in Old St Mellons before the network of roads like the by-pass and M4 link tended to detract from the serene atmostphere of country living there. But like everything else in life things move on and I am sure St Mellons, Old and New alike, has still something to offer the local and visitor even now.
Martin Ellis Jones, London, formerly St Mellons
One could cry for Old St Mellons 11 - as in Rocky 11. Re-read my letter - you probably thought it the ramblings of a nut case - well now do you believe me?
Lucy
I lived on the Heol Maes Eirwg estate in St Mellons for a few years and met some great people there. Yes, you have the odd idiot but the lads that hung round there were fine. I think that you have your bad parts and good - it doesn't matter where you live these days!
Martin Ellis Jones, London
In answer to John Raven's letter - the pub is, and was, The White Hart. The 'splendidly tolerant'proprietor was my maternal Grandmother Mrs Elvira Ellis-Roberts, who lived at Corners, which is now called Marliegh Lodge (combination Mary and Leighton Seager, later Lord Leighton of St Mellons)on the corner of the Druidstone and Began roads. Nana Roberts ran the pub with much style - drinking 'till all hours with total abandon - doormenn, car park attendants -the works - American officers driving hundreds of miles nightly from Glouctershire and Oxfordshire air bases. Nana was the young merry widow of Dr Robert Ellis-Roberts(St Thomas's trained), who had been a surgeon in the Boer War with The Scots Greys and The Blues and Royals (his father also a Doctor, Edinburgh trained, from Bangor) he had been the private doctor to the immediate Tredegar family and their relations the Forrestier-Walkers at Castleton and the Lindsay family in Cardiff (all inter related). His surgery ! had been at Cwmfelin fach, where he also looked after a Panel of three thousand miner workers families. He (twenty five years older than her)retired to St Mellons, where he died in shortly after in 1936. Nana Roberts , who went to Paris on her Honeymoon (including a visit to The Follies Bergere)before the First World War and is the maternal Great Grandmother of Rhydian the X Factor finalist. This might explain a lot! Nana drove, with great abandon, an enormous black Buick straight eight (reg BBO 1), made fashionable when Wallace Simpson persuaded the then Prince of Wales to buy two from Lendrum and Hartman in New Bond Street. Nana was splendid, and tolerant wouldn't cover it.
Pete from St Mellons
I have lived in St Mellons for over 10 years. The estate has got worse over the years with teenagers roaming about aimlessly and taking drugs. Drugs are all over this estate and the police do nothing about it. Children as young as 10 are out on the streets till after 10pm and are also taking drugs. Where are the parents? Probably in the houses also on drugs and not caring for their future. I cant wait to leave this dump but nobody wants to move here. Catch 22!! Get me out of here!!
martin ellis jones, Now London
One could cry for old St Mellons, it is the only dignified and practical thing to be donel was born in 1944 and brought up at The Vaindre (Actually Faendre Fawr Farm)In the seventies Cardiff was bankrupt and Labour in power. Callaghan played a dual role of Prime Minister and Member of Parliament for Cardiff (South) I believe.To get Cardiff out of trouble Callaghan arranged for the Glamorgan border to be changed from its natural line, the Rumney river to a new one encompassing our farm and neighbours like Wern Gethin etc. Then he organised the compulsory purchase of these heavenly ancient acres.Having tailor made a new tax for us; Development Land Tax at 85 percent on the meager proceeds, he proceeded to demolish this 'heaven' and replace it with what you now see.This is of course progress,but lessons must be learned from this because it is the future for us all. To sustain the unsustainable someone will have to pay like we did.Perhaps you could be next if you have something of true value, it really might be you next.
Phil Parker,Taunton
George and Mabel Gerish were friends of my family. Mabel was the sister of my uncle Fred Williams who had Maes y Crochan Farm until 1947. Mabel and George lived at Tyn y Ffynon Farm down a lane by the Fox and Hounds. The farm was demolished in the 1970s to make way for the new estate. George had a butchers stall in Cardiff Market until the mid 1960s.
Roberta Williams
I have lived and worked voluntarily on the St Mellons estate for 20 plus years and I feel better the devil you know. I am respected by many of the younger genration on the estate mainly because instead of moaning about nothing for my kids to do I did it, along with my brother and a few people who believed in us we had the most succesful project to come out of the area, working with 1000's of kids over the years. St Mellons is like any other council/housing association estate in Cardiff only our troubles were brought to everyones attention after Mr John Redwood came to visit and slated us all over the world news (cheers mate, nice one). If you had a plant you would water it, if you had a pet you would feed it, so my point is, for every new generation we have let's nurture it, not crush it.
John Raven, Brussels
I cannot believe that St Mellons, in 1944 a rather select little village, has become a social plague spot. I remember the focal hotel/pub - the St Mellons Arms(?) on the main road between Cardiff and Newport with a splendidly tolerant female proprietor and an embarrasingly friendly chambermaid. I was courting - now dating - a nurse at the nearby Cefn Mably TB Hospital and the ease of overnight accommodation when I missed the last bus to Cardiff was much appreciated.
Brian Chamberlain, Moira, Leics
In response to Terry Morgan, I am that Brian Chamberlain, married to Angela. I well remember the Casablanca club etc and the nights we played there. £5 a night between us from 9 til 10am. I went on to play with Mood Indigo in Cardiff - Angela was one of our singers with Ian Cheverton, Paul Pottinger on lead guitar, Mike on organ and Ray on drums. We played Notown in Bakers Row, Harbour Club, Whisky a Go Go and many other clubs in Cardiff and the surrounding area. Great days, and I have also lost my hair.
Mr Taylor, St Mellons
I've lived here for over ten years, I know it has its problems but you go to any large estate and you will see the same or worse. It's getting better I feel, but I hope the young people will not fall into the housing/benefit trap that many of them have been brought up in. There seem to be a lot of able looking young people content to hang around and pick up benefits and free housing rather than get a job (no incentive?) My other gripe is when I moved here in the late eighties it was all just called St Mellons, not Estate or New or Old. Now I understand people on the other side of the A48 are trying to seperate themselves from the rest of us to presumably protect their house prices? But really If you go to other parts of Cardiff ,e.g. Llanishen you will find "nice" bits (expensive) and the council housing. But it is all called Llanishen with no prefixes. The same goes for Llandaff and Whitchurch. So dear near neighbours across the road please get real. I for one will continue to tell everyone I meet that I live in St Mellons not the estate or the old one.
Tony C Paulsen, Bunbury, W Australia
I was born in Rhiwbina but moved to Druidstone at 3 months. My dad was head gardener there until we eventually moved to old St Mellons. Reading about the Druid Stone, many times I have climbed up and sat on the top of the visible one that stands in the open but there is supposed to be another one built into the main fireplace of the original Druidstone House. Was a hive of activity for kids for sure. I was at Druidstone when the Big House was burned almost to the ground, and no it wasn't me that started it! There were some alterations being done and apparently some welding was done upstairs late in the day. Workers knocked off and later in the evening there was this great fire, ripping the heart out of the old house - sad day. During the war I remember the bombs dropping around the area, found plenty of shrapnel and odd bits and pieces. We were hosts to Italian prisoners for a while - the Yanks came in with their gum and fags, made myself sick on those fags, what else would a lad do??? Those were awesome days.
Karen Seager, Southampton
I lived in the St Mellons estate from 1991-1993. It seemed ok at first as they were brand new houses, but as they were building more and more houses and streets the estate grew larger and larger, that's when all the trouble began. We put our name down for housing exchange to ANYWHERE, that's how bad it had got!! Got an exchange to Southampton - best thing we ever did. We lived in Glos-gwern-y-mor, Maes Eirwg estate - bad. We miss Wales, but tend to try forget St Mellons. It was like an episode of The Bill, every night.
Terry Morgan, Penmaen, Gwent
Reading Angela Chamberlain's piece I recall Brian Chamberlain who lived in Greenway Road Rumney around 1962 and played bass guitar in a band with Kenny on drums and myself as singer. We were always looking for somewhere to practice - and ended up in a church in Tiger Bay. That church still stands. We played in Caer Castell school, and the long demolished Casablanca club in Tiger Bay. I recall just green fields where Caer Castell school now stands. If Brian is her husband he had really dark curly hair. Mine is just about all gone now!
Sophie Noctor
I live in St Mellons and I think that it is pretty boring. Being a teenager I unnderstand why all of my peers are getting into so much trouble. We definitely need more facilities. Come on St Mellons people, let's work together.
Elaine Woodberry, Scotland
I was born on Wern Gethin Farm, Old St Mellons back in 1948 and recently went back to try and find it but was shocked at the development that has taken place and didn't recognize anything. Does anyone remember the farm or the Sydmonds or Gerishes who ran a farm and a stall in the Cardiff Market selling meat? Wern Gethin was owned by my grandparents, Watkin and Bronwen Thomas.
Angela Chamberlain, Ashby de la Zouch, Leicestersh
I was married in St Mellons in 1969. We used to cycle the leafy lanes from Rumney to St Mellons in the 1960's when the top of Greenway Road was the limit of development and St Mellons really was a village. We have childhood memories of blackberrying along the field boundaries and fishing in the reans. I was saddened when, after a long absence I visited the area. Progress? I wonder.......
Rhys Gregory
Hi there, my name is Rhys Gregory and I'm 16 years of age, and I'm in the middle of setting up a community website. I hope that this site can be used to tackle people being 'anti-social'. If I do happen to see anybody out on an illegal scrambler or motor cycle I'm planning to capture a shot with my camera and place it on the site. If they want their photo taken off the site, they'll have to come forward and basically admit it's them on the bike. I have to admit there are a lot of teenagers that do cause trouble in the area, but my friends and I aren't them, and using this site I'm building I plan to help try and pull the community together. If you have anything to contribute to the site then contact me by www.stmellons.org.uk
Gillian King, St Mellons
I have lived in St Mellons for the last 15 years. It has received a lot of bad press, but negativity breeds negativity! It is actually an attractive looking estate and as it ages it has the possibility to improve as long as people take a pride in their homes and gardens and report any anti-social behaviour to the appropriate authorities. People have to be prepared to act to improve their lot - leaving it to someone else all the time usually results in little or no result. Have faith that you and like-minded people can make a difference and you will see a difference. The majority of St Mellons residents have known what it is like to struggle, so why not use that experience and strength to turn around the bad press we get and make our estate the best we can. After all it's not about the buildings, but the people in them that makes a place. I have seen this happen in other places, so why not St Mellons.
Jo, Old St Mellons
Practically all of St Mellons is a dump, full of teenagers running about causing trouble, scrambler bikes everywhere. Every foot of St Mellons you walk you're bound to see graffiti, a burnt out car, junk dumped and a gang of kids.
Tony, St Mellons (tenant 5yrs)
I would like to point out that the area has large amount of hoodies, who seem to thrive on attacking individuals whilst in large numbers themselves. Attacks and robberies occur pretty much daily on the estate. There are also a lot of people whom deal in hard drugs, which I think is the main source of the problems on the estate. The police seem to have the attitude that we are all scum. I have seen one man get beaten by 5 men with bats and sticks and the police did nothing, didn't even get out their car. I know of another occasion when the police were called because two men had been attacked and the police did not turn up until the following afternoon.
Vicky, Trowbridge
It is nice in an ideal world but not when you have burnt out cars every weekend and scramblers up and down the estate every night. The summer is the worse time to see this estate.
Laura Davies, Rumney, Cardiff
I'm currently on the waiting list to be housed on the Heol Maes Eirwig estate and I have to say, it looks really nice. I can't wait to be housed here! It looks like a huge estate!
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