If you mitched school in days gone by, Mr Vowles would make you feel a bit of a fool

‘Cause he was aptly named the ‘Whipper in’ and would march you back to school

School days in the 1950s and 60s will remain at the back of the memory banks forever

When Miss Dinah Jones, Miss May Jenkins, Mr Sam Jones, Mr Reg Morgan and Mr Smith

all tried hard to make us clever

In the 70s and 80s Christmas and New Year at the Rugby Club was a must, having to arrive at 6pm for a seat

Because nearly all of Resolven Residents would turn out, creating an atmosphere that was hard to beat

There were the eagerly awaited Sunday School trips to maybe Tenby, Barry or Porthcawl

When armed with pop and sandwiches, you wanted it to last forever, and never end at all!

Back in the 30s and 40s, ice cream was made in large revolving drums by Hunkin, Powells and DP

And it depended on the colour of ice cream you fancied, which one you went to of the three

Ginger Beer was sold from back gardens, filling any vessel to hand, even jam jars were OK

In the 60s, Ribena Lollipops were made in Tristrams, ‘cool’, after school on a hot summer’s day

Law and Order was firmly in the hands of men like Sergeants Edwards, Cole and Totterdale

And if you saw them coming towards you, it made one feel uneasy and quite pale!

As you entered the village from ‘the other side road’ Len Gulley’s Garage came into view

And an Old Inn, which had sawdust on the floor, is still known to the locals as New

It was run by Mrs Jenkins ‘New Inn’ who was the ‘pint sized’ landlady for many a year

With hair tied up in a bun, wearing boots and long black dress, no-one would dare to cross her

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There was Danny Twm Mân’s farm which was down Commercial Road’s back lane

And nearby Cockle Alley was lit up, every time the annual fair came

Coopers had a posh Gown Shop for a short while, toward the bottom end of Commercial Road

And opposite was Garfield’s the grocers whose name is still displayed above the door of his abode

The Post Office was a very busy meeting point and still remains so to this day

And in the 60s, Mrs Evans ‘the post’ was almost a fixture, until she retired, after franking up more

hours than anyone could say

Four Streets off Commercial Road are named by bosses of nearby coal mines

And John Street with its 105 doors was the last and longest of the lines

Cory, Yeo and Company Streets were built in order of their name

Each one designed in the same way and looking almost exactly the same

 

Clydach Brook still separates the village from “over the site” and has bridges to pass over and through

Which made Resolven a much bigger place when the houses were built after World War 2

      

The original home for the Village Cenotaph was proudly centred on the Square

But in 1966, due to road traffic, was moved next to the Church Hall, making it much safer there!