Oral History collection: Mrs Margaret Powell interviewed by E. C. Williams about Memories of growing up in Morriston.

Track 1. [00:00:20] Social: Margaret Powell on life in Morriston - born in Morris Street. [00:01:26] Community: Talks about neighbours and community spirit. [00:01:46] Community: Talks about the area and how it has changed - born in 1908, only child. [00:02:26] Community: Father died in 1931 age 74. Was a steel worker in Fforest works. [00:03:46] Community: All the men in the area were working either in Fforest, Dyffryn or Beaufort works. [00:04:30] Community: Horses pulling the coal barges on the canal - very narrow at The Duke. One horse pulled one barge. [00:05:45] Community: The railway in Morriston, train would stop in Morriston and stop at Copper Pit Halt, then onto Plasmarl and Landore. [00:06:20] Community: Describes getting to Glanmor school from Morriston on the train. Boys and girls were separated on the train - then engione would be in the middle. [00:08:20] Community: Passed scholarship and went to Glanmor when it first opened. [00:09:14] Community: Miss Shipton head teacher in Neath Road school, names the teachers. [00:11:20] Community: Describes the cost to her parents of buying books and school uniform. [00:11:45] Social: Most of the people in her street were Welsh speaking - first language. [00:12:30] Social: No need to be taught Welsh in school. [00:13:50] Community: Running down Glanmor Hill to Uplands to get the tram. Then got the train to Morriston. [00:14:45] Community: Nazareth Chapel in Morriston - near to Horeb Chapel. [00:15:13] Community: Nazareth Chapel became Ivor Sims memorial hall. [00:15:38] Community: Chapel three times on a Sunday, prayer meetings, Band of Hope in the evenings. [00:16:22] Community: Nazareth was a Calvanistic methodist chapel - family went there because Father was a Deacon there. [00:17:08] Community: Also went to Philadelphia Sunday School until she was ten yrs old. [00:17:50] Community: Other Chapels in Morriston - no rivalry, names all the Chapels. [00:19:31] Community: Nazareth was burnt down - it was closed due to low members of congregation. [00:20:32] Community: Sunday school in the Vestry and in the Chapel - very large numbers. [00:21:33] Community: Tabernacle Chapel had over a thousand members - looked up to it as it was called the Cathedral of Wales. [00:22:02] Social: Concert on Boxing day in Tabernacle, just like an Eisteddfod. Everyone went. [00:23:15] Community: The work of the Deacons in the Chapels. [00:23:43] Social: As a child, she went to Mumbles on the little train, the Mumbles Train.Went by Tram from the Duke to Swansea then got the train. [00:24:51] Social: Went to Llandrindod for 2 weeks holiday in the summer. Father loved the fresh air after the furnaces. [00:25:25] Social: In Llandrindod, we saw they were taking the horses away for the government and heard that 1st World War had been declared. [00:26:13] Social: Went to Llandrindod by train from Victoria Station, clothes went in advance in a tin trunk. [00:28:00] Social: Rations in the first world war, not as bad as rations in second world war. [00:29:01] Social: Trips to Parc Llewellyn for sports races and picnics. [00:29:46] Social: Trips to Parkmill on open air bus - came to rain and they all got soaked. [00:30:56] Social: Sunday school trips - never went on the barges. [00:31:35] Social: The Regal and The Gem cinemas in Morriston. [00:32:32] Social: Went to the Regal every Saturday afternoon. [00:33:25] Social: Always plenty of entertainment in the Chapels. [00:33:42] Community: Married 1933, week later we opened a shop, Greengrocers. Shop was in Woodfield Street. We were there for over 30 years . [00:35:04] Community: Had to do most of the packing and weighing themselves - butter, dried fruit, sugar, and then the War came with rationing. [00:35:58] Second World War: Ration books had a points system for buying. Half a pound of butter between 4 people. [00:36:54] Second World War: Inspectors would come and check the coupons. [00:37:32] Community: Had some bacon in, but it was awful. They could not sell it so they just gave a little bit away to each customer. [00:38:30] Community: Butter came from Butter merchant in Skewen. [00:38:59] Community: Lots of private shops in Woodfield Street at that time. [00:39:29] Community: Liptons were a company shop. [00:40:08] Community: Fishmongers, Fish and chips shop, L B Lewis clothes shop. [00:41:05] Social: James Jones shop owner committed suicide. [00:41:23] Community: The depression affected all the shops. The tin plate works 'came out' and it was difficult to get the money from them for goods. [00:42:26] Community: Sorry to see private grocers going - big companies took over. [00:43:20] Community: They used to deliver their goods - list in the shop in the morning, delivered at night. [00:43:50] Community: Woodfield Street is now a street of estate agents and solicitors. No food shops.