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Post by chloe7 on Nov 25, 2009 21:03:19 GMT 1
I wonder if Graham Simons still looks in here.
I would love to ask you Graham if you have anything on the houshold when your gr grandfather lived there.
Chloe
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Post by merthyrlad on Nov 26, 2009 10:40:46 GMT 1
It must be Grove (off the dangerous hill) as Gwaunfarren Close is in Penydarren where we used to live.
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Post by allythedog12 on Nov 30, 2009 0:01:28 GMT 1
i had my son in 1970 at st. tyfil's hospital ,then after 2 days most of the mums +baby were sent to gwaunfarren to rest for a couple of days.there was a cleaner there i think her name was gwen, every day she would come around the to see if we needed anything in the shop which was just across the road. she never wrote anyones order down,even though was getting 12 items +she always remembered who wanted what .she was amazing.
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Post by mai on Dec 4, 2013 4:08:11 GMT 1
Does anyone know what happened to the birth records for Gwaunfarran?
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Post by grahamsimons on Dec 16, 2013 23:09:43 GMT 1
I wonder if Graham Simons still looks in here. I would love to ask you Graham if you have anything on the houshold when your gr grandfather lived there. Chloe I'm so sorry! I do look in to this forum from time to time and yet somehow missed this request. Great-grandfather William Simons lived in Gwaunfarren from about 1862 to 1888. He was a solicitor in Castle Street; his son F.D.Sydney Simons followed him into the business - and into the Freemasons. William and his wife Clara Maria Evans had ten children. Two sons became doctors, one being Charles Simons who followed Dr Dyke as Medical Officer of Health in Merthyr, and his brother Robert practised in Bridgend and then Wiltshire. Two sons became solicitors, Sydney and Vazie - the latter practised in Pontypridd. Six daughters, of whom only one married. One of those was Phoebe, who was born in 1873 when her father was already 60 years of age, and who wrote her memoirs in the 1960s. Here are three excerpts: "Gwaunfarren was a very old house. Legend said there was a red dragon and a white dragon asleep under the library and each night they woke and fought until daybreak and the curious thing was in certain winds there was a loud moaning noise just outside the windows – the hurt dragon. But as there was a sycamore one side of the house – guard against fairies and an ash the other to ward off witches, things were all right. The walls were about 4ft wide and the doorways from the hall each was in a recess 4ft deep. Library and drawing room had a connecting door as well, dining room had 2 doors the ‘social’ door out of the hall, the service door the other side of the ‘green baize door’ that cut off the schoolroom, girls sitting room, cloakrooms, backstairs, kitchens. 18 fires to be lit every day in winter, more if there were guests and there usually were." "In 1863 my parents moved to Gwaunfarren on a lease of 25 years from Morgan of Bolgood, and enlarged the house, and started to make the gardens. How the work of the house was done with only 4 maids, the sewing maid, and laundress I can’t imagine. In the winter 17 fires — if cold 19 — as the passage fires were only lit in really cold weather. Always 12 people in the dining room, and frequently any number more for a ‘party’ and the place always ran on a buttered slide." "Christmas was a gay old time — It began before Christmas. “The Hope Chapell will wait on Mr. Simons on Tues. 10th.” Tues. 10th the big school room would have tables packed into the huge bay windows, rows of chairs at the bottom of the room a few chairs at the top. Cakes and tea on the table. Hope Choir arrives, seats itself, family all of us, no-one allowed not to appear. Staff group around door. Choir sings, I’m told, superbly — I wasn’t impressed — speeches, cakes, an envelope as the choir master shook hands at leaving — and the Salem choir perhaps tomorrow. My brother Bert always vowed that the moment the ‘choirs entered the house they started up, buy me cake and buy me wine bring me [ ] you and I tonight will dine in Mr. Simons schoolroom. Then there were the courtesy gifts between big houses, we always got 2 half sheep — they travelled in a wickerwork hamper with their tail hanging out. A Stilton cheese, barrel of oysters — this from my father’s London agent —various lots of hothouse fruits — including pineapple — and braces of pheasants. After old Robert Crawshay’s death his heir William who was a miser sent one hen pheasant and a rabbit to my mother’s huge joy –“Oh Do we say thank for the little hen — and the vermin?” And the grocer always sent a lot of Spanish grapes and sweets — excellent loot — ‘for the children’."
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Post by Trevor on Feb 26, 2014 23:19:59 GMT 1
I was in Merthyr about a year ago and wish I had at least visited the site of Gwaunfarren House. I was born there in 1955. Not sure when I'll ever go back again now but I'll be sure to visit if I do. It was great to find the photo's on here as my wife will be pleased to update her genealogy file with the information.
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