Welsh Journals

Social gatherings. The cart had to stand rather a long time near the two village shops, near Swan Terrace, while the houses on the right and left, to the north and to the south, were dealt with. This spot was known as 'Lavender Junction'. There are still recalled today many stories of unfortunate accidents when the sanitary orderly stumbled and fell We are also told that when the Onneu brook was in flood, on dark evenings the buckets would often be emptied over the Onneu Bridge, in the village, into the brook, to save room in the cart. The first contractor was Mr. W. Ralph. He is remembered ringing a bell to warn folk that his cart was about. This bell is still preserved at Court Farm. The contents of the cart were emptied at Court Farm and spread out over the fields. He was followed by Mr. Arthur Morgan, and then by Mr. Jack Watkins, Ty Phillip. Mr. Watkins was followed by Mr. Reg Smith, who was the last such contractor. LIFE ON THE FFAWYDDOG IN 1900 The Ffawyddog (Welsh for Beech Woods), is situated on what was a thickly wooded mountain slope, overlooking the village of Llangattock, facing south-east, and commanding a glorious view of the river Usk, with its old bridge, and the market town of Crickhowell built on the other side of the valley. The cottages of 1900 were largely of the two bed-roomed type, with a lean-to back kitchen. There was always a pig cot built at the pine end. Every cottage kept a pig until well into the 1920s, provid- ing bacon for the family. These pigs were slaughtered at different times during the winter and, there was an interchange of pig meat, faggots, black puddings, and sausages. They also kept about 30 to 40 hens in a plot adjoining the garden. Each cottage stood in its own garden. The cottages received an annual colour wash, white, blue, pink or yellow, according to the owner's taste. The roads were very rough, dusty, and, in wet weather, covered in mud. The men wore leggings and putties to protect their trousers from the mud. When out at night they carried an old carriage lamp, or candle lamp, to light their way. Stones carried by horse and cart, were left in heaps on the side of the road, where workmen broke them up with sledge hammers. They were then spread over the surface of the road and rolled by the steam-roller. The smooth surfaces which we have today, would not have been practical 60 years ago, when heavy loads were carried by horse and cart. On such a surface, horses negotiating the steep climb up to the Ffawyddog, would slip and fall.