Oral History collection: George Webborn (born 1921, Village Lane, Mumbles, carpenter) interviewed by Aneurin Davies about early life in Mumbles. Includes related papers.

Track 1. [00:00:03] Introduction: 25th July 1995, Mr George Webborn, Westcross. [00:00:15] Residence: Born 1921, Fisherman's Cottages, Mumbles 8 Village Lane. [00:00:30] Location of Interest: Mumbles Little Theatre, 1929-1936, Old Church School. [00:01:05] Location of Interest: Mumbles Little Theatre, 'Southend Academy'. [00:01:35] Location of Interest: Oystermouth Public Hall - Church hall, opposite the bowling green. [00:01:53] Location of Interest: Oystermouth Church School. [00:02:03] Location of Interest: Mumbles Yachting club, Southend. [00:02:15] Location of Interest: Mumbles Fishing & Boating Club, once a school. [00:02:24] Location of Interest: Church hall, opposite bowling green, Mumbles. [00:02:34] Clothing: Watching party goers, Mumbles Little Theatre. [00:03:06] Clothing: Dressing in evening dress for performances. [00:03:47] Performances: Mumbles Little Theatre. [00:04:12] Performances: Mumbles Little Theatre, Christmas Show. [00:04:27] Audience: People who went to Mumbles Little Theatre. [00:04:40] Residences: Big houses of Langland and Caswell. [00:04:58] Transport: Few cars around. [00:05:08] Transport: Come on the Mumbles Train to the Theatre, get on at stations in either Southend or Oystermouth. [00:05:35] Travel: Steep climb to Mumbles Little Theatre, The Drangways. [00:05:56] Theatre: Hall had a stage, auditorium, dressing rooms. [00:06:18] Theatre: Basement. [00:06:30] Theatre: Relocation to centre of town. [00:06:37] Travel: People living in Sketty, Uplands, Brynmill, Morriston - Little Theatre patrons thought Mumbles was too far. [00:07:00] Relocation: 1936, St Gabriel's Avenue. [00:07:15] Theatre: Location 1929. [00:07:47] Transport: Old Mumbles Train. [00:07:56] Transport: Old Mumbles Train, Steam Train. [00:08:15] Transport: Film of Old Mumbles Train. [00:08:22] Childhood: Building grottos on the Promenade, collecting pennies from the train. [00:08:47] Transport: Train running between Oystermouth and Southend - Village Lane. [00:09:05] Entertainment: Concerts in Mumbles - dancing on the village green. [00:09:19] Location of Interest: Village Green was where the crazy golf is now. [00:09:47] Entertainment: Village carnivals in Mumbles. [00:10:04] Food: Oyster shops, Southend. [00:10:11] Occupation: Stalls along Mumbles road selling oysters. [00:10:37] Crime: Oyster boxes never broken into. [00:10:44] Transport: Steel bridge, Southend, Fishermen's boats. [00:10:58] Food: Oysters came from the bay - brother was the last oyster dredger. [00:11:10] Occupation: Dredging oysters. [00:11:40] Occupation: Selling fresh oysters. [00:11:55] Occupation: Oyster stalls at Southend, & at Big Apple (top of the pier). [00:12:08] Food: Eating oysters. [00:12:20] Competitions: Gala's - swimming races - Village Lane to Southend. [00:12:30] Competitions: Rowing races, Southend to Village Lane. [00:12:45] Competitions: Sculling races. [00:12:52] Competitions: Trying to catch a wild duck. [00:13:08] Competitions: Climbing the greasy pole with the shoulder of ham on top. [00:13:52] Travel: Mumbles crowded with visitors - used to walk from Swansea. [00:14:06] Travel: Mumbles road would be busy. [00:14:30] Occupation: Carrying peoples luggage from the train who were staying in Mumbles, Langland, Caswell. [00:14:57] Transport: Horse and cart/pony and trap. [00:15:14] Location of Interest: Blacksmiths shop, Mumbles where the garage is. [00:15:27] Transport: Gower bus - Bishopston was still pony and trap. [00:15:44] Occupation: Errand boy. [00:15:50] Location of Interest: Southend Butchers shop, Grocer's, Kemp's, Thomas the Draper's, Repairer's shop, Baker's shop, ice cream parlour. [00:17:07] Transport: Rowing boats to Langland, Caswell, Lighthouse. [00:18:35] Location of Interest: Pier, people coming down on the Mumbles train. [00:18:50] Entertainment: Band stand on Mumbles Pier - concert, dancing, artists - Les Black. [00:19:15] Entertainment: Shows, bumper cars, leisure steamers, sailing ships. [00:19:30] Entertainment: Glass pavilion where the carpark is now - roller-skating. [00:19:49] Entertainment: Dancing, Dances. [00:20:10] Crime: No trouble. [00:20:40] Entertainment: Limeslade and Bracelet? Entertainment, band, Nazareth House Boys?. [00:21:13] Entertainment: Photographer taking pictures Paul Holland?. [00:21:23] Food: Tea rooms in Limeslade, Bracelet. [00:22:19] Entertainment: Mari Lwyd - Pubs in Southend and Langland. [00:23:00] Entertainment: Singing songs under the horses head?. [00:24:02] Entertainment: Orange for New Year's Eve, knocking on doors in Langland and Caswell New Year's Day. [00:24:44] Entertainment: Singing - Horses Head. [00:25:40] Entertainment: Mari Llwyd - taking place in Mumbles. [00:25:44] History: Horses Head, dress it up with tinsel - relic - Mumbles History. [00:27:22] Locations of Interest: Pubs; The George, the Burnley?, The Prince, Social Club?, Waterloo, The Marine, The White Rose, The Nag's Head, The West Cross, Newton - Rock & Fountain. [00:28:20] History: Mari Lwyd Welsh Tradition. [00:28:30] Location: Mumbles part of the Gower - Mumbles slang. [00:29:36] History: Families from West Country, Devon, Cornwall. [00:29:50] History: Mari Lwyd tradition in English. [00:30:06] Entertainment: Young boys imitating this with the rams head - songs. [00:30:49] Upbringing: Young boy taking his cap off to go in the shop. [00:31:04] Occupation: Following the fishermen - fishing - getting any that were not collected by the horse and cart. [00:32:34] Occupation: Selling oysters - dredging down the Gower coast. [00:34:10] Occupation: Between the pier and Knabb Rock, Oyster beds. [00:34:37] Occupation: Beach off West Cross, Cockle beds. [00:35:17] Entertainment: Games - Two teams outings? Tins? 'Old man kicked the tin'. [00:36:26] Entertainment: 'Weak Horses' game. [00:37:04] Entertainment: Games - 'Cats and Dogs', 'Hide and Seek', 'Hopscotch', Bobbies. [00:38:10] Location of Interest: Summer on Mumbles Hill. [00:38:30] Location of Interest: Farm on Thistleboon - camping on Mumbles Hill. [00:38:47] Food: Fishing - take the fish up Mumbles Hill - pinch spuds from the allotment. [00:39:05] Location of Interest: Overlooking the theatre at Mumbles Hill. Track 2. [00:00:03] Entertainment: Building grottoes with oyster shells, seaweed & candles. [00:00:49] Entertainment: Grotto competitions. [00:01:34] Entertainment: Councillor judge grotto competitions. [00:01:45] Occupation: Mumbles Press, first job while in school. [00:02:20] Location of Interest: Tucker, printing Mumbles press. [00:02:30] Salary: Shilling a week while in school. [00:02:36] Entertainment: Reading comics. [00:02:40] Occupation: Evening Post. [00:02:55] Entertainment: Reports of the little theatre. [00:03:08] Occupation: Basement press with iron grid. [00:03:40] Person of Interest: 2 Daughters of Mr Tucker. [00:03:49] Person of Interest: Son of Mr Tucker, Desmond Tucker & friend Edward Beynon. [00:03:56] Entertainment: Out in canoes by the lighthouse, Swansea private pier beach. [00:04:10] Person of Interest: Edward Beynon brought his canoe in, Desmond Tucker and his canoe were not seen again. [00:04:28] Location of Interest: Mumbles tides and currents, watch from Limeslade. [00:04:53] Person of Interest: Desmond Tucker missing. [00:05:30] Location of Interest: Standing on Mumbles pier watching the speed of the water. [00:05:47] Person of Interest: Dai Elbow, nicknames 'Dai Tie'. [00:06:10] Person of Interest: Walley Joe. [00:06:20] History: 10-12 old boys standing on the corner, pub. [00:06:58] Person of Interest: Talking about brother/father. [00:07:30] Transport: Mumbles Train/road made called 'the cutting'. [00:07:56] Transport: Mumbles Train went onto the pier. [00:08:04] Transport: Mumbles Train used to stop at Oystermouth before being extended. [00:08:11] Entertainment: On bikes with brother and sister. [00:08:20] Transport: Mumbles steam train would stop at the pit. [00:08:28] History: Jumping into the Mumbles train pit to take the red hot cinders home for the fire. [00:09:00] Location of Interest: Road going up Mumbles, belonged to house which is Mumbles British Legion. [00:09:46] Entertainment: 20 singing down the road [00:sings]. [00:10:24] Location of Interest: Castle, with lime kilns opposite. [00:10:45] Occupation: Lime kilns biggest trade in Mumbles. [00:10:54] Location of Interest: Quarry car park. [00:11:02] Location of Interest: Lime Kilns based on the one way street behind the castle. [00:11:06] History: Remembering workers go to the lime kilns. [00:11:40] History: Taking lime up the allotment. [00:12:00] Occupation: Whitewash the cottages. [00:12:10] Location of Interest: Convent, wall. [00:12:24] Location of Interest: Millers lane was so white after whitewashing. [00:12:30] Location of Interest: Convent & nuns, where St Ann's is now. [00:12:40] Location of Interest: Gardens belonged to the convent. [00:12:47] Occupation: Guards used to sell produce. [00:12:53] Location of Interest: 'The George', out of Southend, 'George Hotel'. [00:12:59] Location of Interest: Pubs, 'The Mermaid' for the elite. [00:13:14] Person of Interest: Dylan Thomas acting at the Little Theatre. [00:14:00] Person of Interest: Benny Cheese's?, Prince of Wales, pub Dylan Thomas frequented. [00:14:13] Location of Interest: Dylan Thomas and the Little Theatre. [00:14:45] Person of Interest: Producer getting annoyed with Dylan Thomas for going to the pub during plays. [00:15:09] Location of Interest: Two doors from 'The Drangway'. [00:15:24] Person of Interest: Benny Cheese, Prince of Wales, sold the finest beer in Mumbles. [00:16:12] Person of Interest: Dylan Thomas possibly gaining influence from Mumbles characters. [00:16:40] History: The snug, old boys in the bar. [00:17:02] Person of Interest: Dylan Thomas characters, Laugharne, Mumbles.