A Story from old Blaenavon

[@rosiew1952]

loved watching this video, Im Blaenavon born and bred , unfortunately in 1980 ,we moved to Bargoed .I was only young then ,my dad, nan & gramps were still living up there . I miss Blaenavon terribly ,but now and again, I come up and stay for a couple of days and enjoy and remember the good times. unfortunately my Dad and Nan&Gramps have passed now. My late dad Mike Waite, his ashes are scattered down the mountain( a few hundred yards down from Foxhunter ) .me and my sister go there sometimes and sprinkle his favourite tipple Bells Whisky where his ashes were scattered and we have a laugh about the good times 😊

[@sandranovakovich688]

My great grandparents were from Blaenavon and Ebbwvale, Samuel Harvey, Moria Morgan.

[@annagallego7302]

Great story

[@davidyoungwrexham]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@gingerhipszky228]

My 5th Gr Grandparents lived in Blaenavon, Robert was a Blacksmith. Their 3 kids were baptized at St. Peters in 1830. Robert and Sophia moved to Brooklyn, NY in 1837 I wonder if my 5th Great Grandfather worked with your grandfather. His name was Robert Osborn. Do you know of a way to find any records of the forge?

[@davidyoungwrexham]

I haven't come across any, but it is not something I had thought of looking for. They may exist

[@gingerhipszky228]

@@davidyoungwrexham I would really love to know and I would really love to know about what Robert Osborn's life would have been like there.

[@rosiew1952]

I did try and search for the Forge Blaenavon, but the results came up of pubs etc. sorry . in what year did they work at the forge? and was it directly in Blaenavon? I will try and find out some more info for you, I will tell you though, have you ever seen the" Blaenavon Through The Years In Photographs volume 1, 2 and 3. they are absolutely great, there are so many photos and history stories , education, mining , Iron works and steel and many more. as I got a lot older I didnt realise Blaenavon had so much history , so I then bought those 3 books (as I mentioned from ebay (second hand is cheaper , as they can be a bit expensive ) believe me try and get them or they are probably in the local library. youl be amazed at what you can find out. hope this helps you . Rosie waite

[@rosiew1952]

I was just going through my Blaenavon through the years in photographs volume 3 and Mr Bert Witchell was a boot and shoe retailer , but was also landlord to The Forge Hammer ( which is pictured in the video at 2.22) during the start of the 19th century . vol 3 has a lot of information& his history dating from the 1800,s to early 1900,s .

[@gingerhipszky228]

@@rosiew1952 Hi Rosie, it was my understanding that the Great Forge at Blaenavon was the first of its kind in the Industrial Revolution in Wales.That is where Robert worked. I love that the families of the men who worked at the forge lived in houses that were attached , so those families could be community.