Oak Street Cafés and Refreshment Rooms. In the latter part of the 19th century quite a few coffee houses and refreshment rooms were being established in Abertillery. The area of Oak Street (as seen to the left on the featured image above) close to the railway station was ideal for these establishments. Mr Jordan’s Coffee Tavern. In the 1880s Mr William …
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Cafés and Refreshment Rooms in Town
Cafes and Refreshment Rooms in Town. Mr Smith’s Coffee House. In 1891 Mr Thomas Smith had a coffee house at Market Street, Abertillery. It was advertised as Smith’s Coffee House. The Arcade Cafe. In the late 1890’s the Italians come to the valley and in 1899 Messrs Antonio and Louis Bracchi came to Abertillery and opened a cafe ice cream parlour …
Read More »Church Street Cafés and Refreshment Rooms
Church Street Cafés and Refreshment Rooms. The Tillery Restaurant. In 1894 the Tillery Restaurant was opened by Mrs A. Challenger at 30 Church Street, Abertillery. The Tillery Restaurant was in the building next door to where Hectors Cafe, Church Street is today. The Waverley Hotel. In 1910 the Waverley Hotel, was advertised as being in Church Street, Abertillery. The proprietors were …
Read More »The Limes – Abertillery
The Limes House, Abertillery House – Abertillery. The Limes House (as seen middle left on the featured images above surrounded by trees and just behind the railway lines) was originally called Abertillery House. It was one of the oldest premises in the area. Abertillery House. In Mr Edmund Jones first book written in 1779 called “The History of Aberystruth” he …
Read More »Briggs Boot & Shoe Company – Somerset Street
Messrs Briggs & Co Boot and Shoe Manufacturers. Messrs Briggs & Co were Mr William Edwin Briggs and his son Mr Arthur Edwin Briggs, a family of boot and shoe manufacturers from Leicestershire. Messrs Briggs had stores in all major towns with many in South Wales, including, Brynmawr, Risca, Blackwood, Abercarn, Ebbw Vale and Newbridge. In the early 1900’s the …
Read More »The Ebenezer Church & Lecture Hall – Abertillery
The Ebenezer Baptist Church – Abertillery. The organisation originated in a split at the King Street Baptist Church when on Sunday 3rd December 1876 the Rev Llewellyn Jones left his ministerial post at King Street and took eighty-two members with him, with the intention of founding a new cause. The Ebenezer Church Site. Their new church was to be situated …
Read More »The Gaen Brothers – Building Contractors
The Gaen Brothers, Building Contractors. The Gaen Brothers comprised Mr Thomas Gaen, born 1862, Mr Charles Gaen, born 1864 and Mr Frederick Gaen, born 1869. The family were from Langton Matravers, Dorset, the sons of Mr John Thomas Gaen and Ellen Jane Gaen nee Brown. Their father was a stone mason and all three sons entered the trade at an early age …
Read More »The Foundry Bridge Abertillery – A Brief History
The Foundry Bridge Abertillery. In the 1830’s Abertillery was divided by the River Tyleri, to the east was Cwmtillery and to the west Abertillery. In the 1850’s the lane leading up past the British School to where Alma Street would later be, was called the Parish Road, this was the official dividing line. In the mid to late 19th century …
Read More »The F. W. Woolworth Store – Abertillery (1931-2009)
The F. W. Woolworth Stores. The Woolworth empire was started by Mr Frank Winfield Woolworth aided by his brother Mr Charles Sumner Woolworth in 1879 trading under Woolworth Bros. His first store at Utica, New York was started but with limited success, he relocated to Lancaster, Pennsylvania and later to Harrisburg, Reading and Scranton. These stores were called the “Five …
Read More »Lower Glandwr Street and the King’s Head Area 1960
Lower Glandwr Street and the King’s Head Area 1960. A map showing the area of the King’s Head and lower Glandwr Street 1960. This is the same area as seen on the photographic image from 1902-03 but with the Black Bridge now moved further north as mentioned. Following is a Link to – An image of this area from 1902-03.
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