Canal Memories From Ron Gronow

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Canal Memories - from Ron Gronow – 3rd March 2011 Last week I met Ron Gronow, now aged 88 years, who has some fascinating recollections of the Glamorganshire Canal. Ron was born in 1923 at Phillip Street in the Graig, Pontypridd. His family moved to Ebenezer Street, Rhydyfelin in 1930 and he remained there until his marriage to Irene Foxley from Pwllgwaun in 1947. From the age of 7 years until the demise of the Glamorganshire Canal in 1942 he lived within a stone’s throw of the canal at the east end of Ebenezer Street which led to the stone bridge at Lock Lewis. Furthermore, the west end of Ebenezer Street met the road that was the filled-in Doctor’s Canal that had closed before 1918. He recalls that this road was on an embankment high above Cardiff Road and was referred to as the “canal bank”. In his early days there were two farms near to the canal owned by the Jones and Davies families. These farms were later to disappear with the building of housing and the Technical College. In the early 1930’s there were few streets in that part of Rhydyfelin – just Ebenezer Street and Ynys Terrace. Just to the south, near to the canal were the Round Houses – a circular building comprising six dwellings, sadly demolished in 1938.
He recalls that for much of his childhood there were generally about two boats a day passing through Lock Lewis. The lock keeper was Mr John Powell, a P.U.D.C. employee. For much of the time Mrs Powell operated the locks. Ron says that he and his friends were discouraged from playing near the lock and were often chased away by Mr and Mrs Powell. The operation of the lock always held Ron’s attention, particularly when the boat was released allowing the horse to go around. He recalls fishing in the canal - there were gudgeons in those days as well as the smaller fish. One vivid memory is of the ‘bathing’ parties when groups of boys would swim from Lock Lewis to the warm water outfall near the P.U.D.C. gas works at Glyntaff. They’d take soap and have a good wash down – but get really mucky again when swimming back! There were on number of very cold winters at that time and Ron recalls ‘skating’ down the canal to beyond Dynea – avoiding the bridges where the ice would be thin – and skating back.

This memory donated by William Hockey on behalf of Ron Gronow ''Used with permission of the Pontypridd Canal Conservation Group