A view of Dinas Powis Station which opened to passengers during December 1880. In the 1950's and early 60's the station platform had a lovely garden which always had pretty flowers being attended too by the station staff in the summer months, whereas, in the winter, the wood stove in the ticket office and coal fire in the waiting room glowed warm and inviting. Being a railway family, there was always a hot mug of tea complete with a large dessert spoon of Fussels Milk stirred in for good measure usually in the cosy ticket office. The signal box men also made a good cuppa and usually had time to tell me a story and they often teased me as a child. The station buildings, platforms and the passenger tunnel connecting the platforms were lit by gas lamps which I was told, burned natural gas from a nearby source; although I never knew if this was true or not. Then there were the GWR cast iron signs which shouted out 'Do Not Trespass on the Railway Line' for fear of a forty-shilling fine or in default, one months imprisonment - we always crossed the line anyway! [001]

I love enlarging and colourising old photos since they often reveal surprising detail about life at the time. Just behind the goods platform and shed is a horse and cart probably awaiting some sacks of coal for delivery to homes in the village. Coal was measured out and bagged in one hundredweight sacks, carried by one man. 1 cwt is 112 lbs in old money or 51 Kg in metric - far too heavy for a one-man lift thanks to the Health & Safety at Work Act 1974. The goods yard closed in 1963. The photograph has been taken from the road bridge adjacent to the station which according to the Great Western Railway Magazine [1348] [1351] of February 1939 under 'G.W.R. Contracts Let' states 'Demolition of existing bridge, and construction of a new bridge near Dinas Powis station, Glamorganshire : Messrs. E. C. Jordan & Son, Newport, Mon.' [001]

A hand coloured postcard view of Millbrook Road which commenced opposite the primary school which I attended. The Doctor's surgery was about half way along and the bespeckled elderly gentleman always had a kind, soft approach to riving my jaw open to look down my throat or sticking some oversized implement in my ear to inspect my brain cell!

My mother was an excellent pianist and she used to belong to a trio called the 'Country Cousins'. They practiced at a ladies house, I think the first on the right of the photo. She played the banjo and her daughter played the violin. A friend was an elocutionist and recited merry ditties and poems to entertain the old folk of Dinas Powis, Penarth, Cardiff and Barry. I often went along to make the old folk's ears bleed with my trumpet playing!

This postcard from the Penarth Dock Collection is from Hannie to her Auntie and allows us to accurately date the postdate to just after the death of King Edward VII and prior to his funeral on Friday 27th May 1910. This date, however, is incorrect since on 10th May, Edward suffered a series of heart attacks and died and was buried at Windsor Castle on 20th May 1910.

The postcard was published by F. John at the Post Office, Dinas Powis. [001] I wonder if F. John was any relation to my school friend Robert John whom shared Dinas Powys Primary School, Cadoxton Secondary Modern School and the Barry College of Further Education with me?