gas works house brecon

[ashtead]

My friend lives in the house with her partner and has extensively renovated over the last few years, when they first moved in it was virtually derelict.  The house is the first property leaving the canal basis on the river side of the canal and is before the first footbridge over the canal (this marks the end of the property).  I believe my friends uncle was one of the last gasworks managers and lived in the property.

[bellababy]

[Hi  Ashtead
Does your friend by any chance have any photos of the house in its original state when they bought it ??  Would love to see any photos of it .
Thanks for replying to the message .
Bellababy
color=Blue][/color]

[redrees]

Hi Mike4369.

Picked up your reference to the King George V Playing Ground still existing. Thank you so much. I have been trying to find that out. I am writing a book about Cecil Griffiths. He is one of only 4 Welsh track and field athletes to win an Olympic gold medal. He won his in the 4 x 400 metres at Antwerp in 1920. He was subsequently banned from international competition as an amateur because he had won five shillings at a race on the Pontardawe King George Playing field in 1916 (when he was just 16). I am coming to Pontardawe in the next few days to soak up the ground's atmosphere. Well done for saving it. I assume it is easy to recognise behind the canal terminus? Can you tell me anything about the athletics races held there during WW1? Presumably some kind of charity event, possibly for the Volunteer Training Corps who were tasked to defend the town if Germany invaded. Hope this link finds you. Thanks again for that elusive bit of information. 

[mazi]

hi redrees and welcome to rootschat 

Mike4369 has not ben back to us since 2010, when he kindly supplied this information about K G playing fields in Brecon, which is a long way from Pontardawe


there is some info on Wikipedia about Pontardawe which suggests that the King George playing ground there has been moved to a new site away from its original position.

mazi

[redrees]

Hi Mazi.

Thank you very much for responding. You have saved me going off on the wrong path. I initially did the search for Pontardawe K G playing field and stupidly didn't pick up that the posting was about Brecon. I got confused as the map I was looking at of the possible site of the old Pontardawe ground has a Brecon Road running alongside it.

I have found many references to the title of K G site being transferred in 2003 to land adjoining the leisure centre in Pontardawe but no references to where it was before. It could have been developed but the recreation ground shown on a 1920 map is still there(between canal and river) and I wonder if that is it. 

Your reply was much appreciated.

[redrees]

Hi again Mazi.

You are obviously interested in your Welsh history. I forgot to mention that the athlete C R Griffiths is my wife's grandfather. He tragically died in 1945 of a heart attack aged only 45.

[mazi]

Thanks for that info., have you traced his ancestors, if not you will get lots of help on this site