Rhiwbina Living Issue 57

"We'd often know who was ill
based on whether their bedroom
fires were lit, which didn't happen
that often because of the shortage
of coal. We once had a telegram
that was passed down the street to
Mrs Jones and we were all worried
as telegrams were only ever sent
in the event of a marriage but more
often than not, bad news from the
frontline.
"We were allowed to pick
bluebells and primroses back
then so neighbours would often
bring some to your house from the
Wenallt.
"Christmas was pure magic. I
had my first taste of peaches and
pineapples one year. They had
come from tins that the American
soldiers had handed to the villagers
as they marched down Heol-y-Deri.
My mum had put them away for
Christmas."
Dianne's parents eventually moved
away from the Garden Village to a
house near the Butchers Arms.
"Everything past the Butchers
Arms was just all fields. Ty Gwyn
Road and Heol Iscoed weren't built
and near the pub; where there are
now bungalows, there was a little
cottage with a small duck pond
outside."
The fields stretched all the way up
to Wenallt Road in the north, and
Rhiwbina Hill in the west.
"The Deri pub was still a farm
back then, run by Farmer George.
My husband’s parents owned the
Deri Stores opposite; it was a tiny
little shop and they just sold a few
things. After the war had ended,
they did start selling ice-cream.
"I remember people used to come
down from the Wenallt and you
could see them with sticks. They’d
pick primroses and tie them to
these sticks, and they’d come past
the shop, happy and laughing."
Village life back then was a world
away from the hustle and bustle of
today.
"I remember the
shops. There was
Beads the Chemist;
Miss Llewellyn had
a tiny shop selling
children’s clothing
and wool. There
was Rayboulds and
there was Lloyds the
sweet shop. Then
we had Grooms the
greengrocers.
"On Heol-y-Deri, there
was a bungalow that
was Tanner's Dairy and
it had an entrance on
the side. They sold
cream, eggs and milk. Then on
Beulah Road, there was Jones the
Chemist and Goochs.
"The village also had memorable
characters. There was Arthur Davies
who ran Wilsons and he was quite
formidable. Then there was 'Copper
Lewis', the local policeman who
lived on Heol-y-Deri. If we saw him,
we'd all respect him."
As Dianne grew into a young adult,
her life would change too.
"There were two main hubs in
the village when I was younger
- Beulah Church and the Scouts.
Beulah Church thrived back in
those days - it was bursting at the
seams. My parents were Church
of England but I went to Beulah
because my friends went there and
I was also a Sunday School teacher."
The Scouts were the other major
force in the village, based at the
Scouts Hall on Heol-y-Bont.
"I met my future husband when I
was in Girl Guides. I must have been
around the age of 11 or 12 when
they decided to do a pageant. He
was 7 years older than I was. I was
dressed as Pocahontas and he was
dressed up as Capt. John Smith and
we were put together. The other
girls were envious of me because I
was the only one to be set up with
a boy."
The Scout Hall quickly became
one of the main focuses of the
village.
"My husband was a Scout Master
and pantomimes became the big
event in the village. We had a Scout
Master who’d come over from
Yeovil. He had a wonderful singing
voice and he produced the first
panto and brought in these girls
with beautiful voices. He even hired
costumes from London.
"He eventually went to Africa so
my husband and his brother took
over running the pantomimes. I
became a Fairy Queen around the
age of 16 and we thought that we
were chocolate because we were
chosen to go
with all the
boys.
"These shows
went on for
years, and
always took
place the
week before
Christmas. They
were so much
fun. We were
eventually
asked to go to
the Prince of
Wales Theatre
to perform.
"Beulah had
a youth club
and a Sunday
School too at
that time and
as there were
no TVs, that
is what we
did. That was
my life until I
got married
in 1957 at
the age of
20. Out of
the Scout
group, seven
couples got married – five in one
year, and two the following year."
But as in all aspects of life, the
incessant march of time and
change began to shape Rhiwbina.
"By Beulah Church, you used to
be able to see the stream. And as
children, we used to put leaves in
there and watch them come out
the other side of the bridge. It’s now
built up beyond measure so you
can't do that anymore.
"The village started to spread. Heol
Llanishen Fach got built and it was
all different from then on. Peny-Dre
was extended and people
complained when the half-made
footwalks on Heol-y-Deri were
covered in tarmac and made into
proper pavements.
"I can remember distinctly when
Pantmawr Estate was built - there
was uproar! Manor Road at that
point was hardly a road at all."
Dianne left the village ten years
ago when she downsized:
"My husband died and I stayed in
Rhiwbina for five more years but the
house was too big for me. I’m cosy
where I am now.
"I have such fond memories of
Rhiwbina as it used to be; but I also
find it hard - if I sit down and think
too much, I feel really sad.
"I think back to the times when
we'd run to the bridge on Pantbach
Road and breathe in the smoke
coming from the steam trains as
they passed underneath. And the
times we'd go to the Monico on
weekends. They were wonderful
times."
Having produced two children,
five grandchildren, and two greatgrand
children, Dianne's performing
legacy still lives on through her
daughter Debbie, who runs Debbie
Chapman Dancers - in the same
Rhiwbina Scout Hall in which
Dianne used to perform.
"The place has hardly changed in
all these years," says Dianne. "It's
nice to know that some things stay
the same."
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