Cwm Penmachno's population at the beginning of the century was 400. Every house was full of large families, families that would help each other in the close community. At one stage work was started to build a railway through Cwm Penmachno to Blaenau Ffestiniog instead of through Dolwyddelan. You can see where digging started in "Twll y Cwm".

Tan Rhiw Turn

We gain an idea of the importance of Bro Machno from the following paragraph in W.O. Pritchard's book, "Cwm Penmachno":

"The villages of Cwm and Penmachno raised more Ministers of Religion than any other comparatively sized village in the whole of Wales. A competition in an Eisteddfod held in 1912 was to name all the ministers born and bred in the parish during the past eighty years. The answer was that four had entered the Baptist Ministry; the Presbyterian fourteen; the Anglican Church seven; the Wesleyan Methodists thirteen; plus eleven lay preachers. Since then, many more have become Ministers of Religion, and it would be interesting if someone took the trouble to find out the correct number up to the present day."

The first shop in Cwm was in "Rhyd-y-Gro". Kitty Roberts kept a shop (in the first house on the left) that sold sweets, food and biscuits. The "Garibaldi" biscuits were especially recommended. Later on, Dei Jones used to live here. He was an excellent gardener, selling fruit, vegetables and flowers to the residents of Cwm. He returned to work in the quarry after a brief period away from home.

Rhyd-y-Gro

At the start of Beniarth street was a pub called the "Beniarth Arms". Next door to the establishment was John Roberts' shop which sold food and tobacco. Also, Pugh Jones and his son John Jones used to run a business repairing cars, selling petrol and hiring vehicles. Today, this is a residential home.

 
Beniarth

When the time came for a show or a carnival, the big lorry that Pugh Jones kept in Beniarth was very handy to carry goods, etc.

Beneath Beniarth was "Robart Williams' lake". Here Cwm's children would bathe on a hot day. Unfortunately, the 'lake' is named because Robart Williams drowned here in the river.

Below we see Carrog Terrace. In number 1, Margiad Hughes would sell oatcakes, which were very popular at the time. She would also visit houses to bake the oatcakes according to the recipe of the householders themselves.

Carrog Terrace

In number 3 Lisa Jones sold food and sweets. I have a childhood memory of walking from the top of Cwm (about half a mile away) to get Fish & Chips.

In this part of Cwm it is possible to go up "Hafod Dredwydd" hill to go on to Blaenau Ffestiniog and so on to the south.

Dyfnant is next on our tour around Cwm Penmachno. In Dolawen Kate Lewis sold food and sweets. She would also bake bread to sell. Kate Lewis' husband had an accident while coming home in the 1920's when he was hit by a motorbike. When I was a child passing here, I would pass quietly in case I upset the manager of the quarry who lived here.

R. M. Gwynant's shop also sold food, and also baked bread. He had an oven in the back garden, and the people of Cwm used to go there to bake their bread.

Dyfnant

This ex-shop was called "Siop Isa". This was one of the first shops to be built especially for use as a shop. Today, the building is known as "Dolwen". Grace Jones used to run the shop, selling practically everything.

There was a lot of travelling near this shop as the Chapel and the Church were nearby - this was very handy for the vicar to be able to buy sweets on Saturday night before going to the Chapel all through Sunday!

Siop Isa

Across the road from "Siop Isa" was the butcher's shop, "Jones y Cigydd". On one side of the shop was a shed that used to be called "cwt llwgu" (roughly translated as the 'famishing shed'). The cows were kept in this shed without food for a day before the cull.

The other side near the river the butcher used to keep his vehicles. Behind the shop in the field was the slaughter house. When the butcher moved to Penmachno, the shop closed. On the right hand side of the shop is "Ceunant Hafod Fraith" which ran down to meet the River Machno.

Jones y Cigydd

This is R.P. Roberts and his wife Mary Elin's shop, Isfryn today, selling food, clothes and medicine by the measure. Mrs. Roberts also used to sew, repair clothes and make school clothes for children. This is where the young people of Cwm used to meet at night. Everyone used to know this shop as "Siop Hen Bî".

R.P. Roberts' Shop

Further up the road from the shop was the coal merchant David Davies' house. He had a large shed in Swch which kept his lorry. Everyone knew him as "Dei Dei". He moved away to live in St. Helens to keep a Chip Shop. Seindorf Arian Machno, the local band, bought the hut from him when he moved. What you see is a fairly recent picture of the shed - the shed today has disintegrated and is busy rotting away.

Band Hut; Coal Hut

The owners of Cwm's Post Office was Charles Davies and his wife Catrin, and later on the Post Office was run by their daughter Nellie. As well as running the Post Office, the shop sold food, newspapers and paraffin. I remember while working in the quarry taking half a crown on occasions to the account in the Post Office.

Next door to the Post Office was Cwm Penmachno School. As little boys we would escape from the school to buy sweets in the Post Office. Sometimes we would be caught by the Headmaster, and we would lose our sweets until the end of the week!

Cwm Penmachno Post Office

Bryn Madog: This was Jane Jones and her daughter Catrin's shop, selling food, sweets and Ginger Beer. This shop was known as "London Steps", and was very handy for the pupils of the school. Later on, Robin and Nan Williams came to live here to keep cows and to sell milk. Robin worked in the quarry and he was the second man to drive the big machine in the quarry that used to shovel up the dirt.

Bryn Madog

The correct name for the next shop was "Glasfryn Stores" but everyone knew the shop as "Siop Ddôl". Thomas and Jane Rowlands used to keep the shop, and his sister Miss Thomas used to help out. Here they sold clothes, food, hats and materials. In a few years the Co-op took over the shop, and in later years, the last owner of the shop were Mr. & Mrs. Hughes, Hafod-y-Fraith. This was the last Co-op shop in Cwm.

Glasfryn Stores

We now come to the little shop in Ddôl. Here Lizzie and Elin Jones kept a shop in the parlour, selling clothes, handkerchiefs and lace. Further down from the shop was the joiner's workshop, and also Price Evans' shop which was known as the "Vimto" shop. He sold tobacco, cigarettes and soft drinks.

At one time Ddôl was a very busy place because there were a multitude of shops here. Also in one of the houses, the Urdd would meet every night. The branch of the Urdd in Cwm was one of the first to be established in the whole of Wales in 1926.

Ddôl