New book tells fresh tales of growing up in a Welsh valley

The Tredegar valley with a rich history that cannot be easily rivalled is full to burst with many untold stories.

For anyone fortunate to step foot in this captivating vicinity will see history written all over it; from the now defunct iron furnaces which ensured Tredegar’s prominent role in the Industrial Revolution to the former Tredegar General Hospital.

The Sirhowy Valley at Tredegar will leave a lasting impression on everybody.

And for the late Derek Southall, who was born in the valley, the area’s enchantment lasted a life time.

This year the author posthumously, alongside nephew Robert Southall, published The Street At The Top Of The Mountain: A Memoir Of a Welsh Childhood.

Mr Southall takes the reader on a journey through his childhood spent in Tredegar.

Born in September 1936, he spent the first twelve years of his life living with his family in Upper Mount Pleasant, on the mountain above the Georgetown area of the town.

Although daily life was strenuous it was clearly a period that he cherished.

The book is crammed with untold and warm anecdotes surrounding Mr Southall’s childhood.

Nephew Robert Southall said the book took several years to compile.

He said: “Uncle Derek wrote a number of books –about films, cinemas and the local history of the north west of England where he settled after finding work teaching Latin in a girl’s grammar school in a place called Dukinfield.

“The book is largely a memoir of life in Tredegar in the 1930s and ‘50s and more particularly about his time living in this former street at the top of the mountain. It is also very much a book on my family because it is based around them.

“I was tasked with researching the history of our family and of the town of Tredegar to include in an introduction.”

He added: “Sadly my uncle passed away in March 2015 while the book was still in draft form and it was left to me to finish it off and get it printed and published. After almost three years of hard work I have now achieved this.

“It was always my uncle’s ambition to write a book about Tredegar, the town of his birth.”

Mr Southall said that, despite his uncle having left his hometown at 19 and starting a new life in Manchester, it always remained his “home”.

He said: “The houses at Mount Pleasant lacked running water and electricity and often accommodated several families. However the community was a strong one held together by bonds of kinship, friendship and shared experience.

“Everyone knew one another. Perhaps that was one of the bonds that my uncle loved.

“I think deep down he always wanted to return to Tredegar. But sadly he never had the opportunity to do so.

“It was always home to him. When he and his wife would come back to visit they would always think of coming back home.”

The Coleg Gwent lecturer also said that the book contains many untold stories of Tredegar and stressed that people need to become aware of these.

“There are various things in domestic lives which have been untold,” he said. “The fact that penicillin was not around so people became ill.

“Also there was a fever hospital in Tredegar. A lot of people in Tredegar had illnesses like scarlet fever.

“Lots of generations in Tredegar would have gone there.

“But not many people know about these things. All of these things are included in the book.”

Mr Southall stressed that people should read the book to ensure the area’s local history is never forgotten.

He said: “This part of history is disappearing. The older generation is dying and with this history is being lost.

“People should not forget about it.

“They should buy the book to see how life has changed. The book encapsulates it. By reading the book, you will learn how life was in a relatively recent time.”

For those who wish to learn what life was like in a Welsh valley through the eyes of one its residents, then this work is certainly worth a read.

The book is available to buy for £9.99.

You can buy it from bookshops in Tredegar and Chepstow, and also on Amazon.