Rhostyllen

A history through pictures

1905 - High Street Shop (later became Mrs Goodwin’s Shop)

1905 - Bob Jones outside his shop in High Street

1922 - Owen Roberts outside of the old post office

Frank the butcher

Mrs Gallanders

Barry Vaughan

Godfrey outside of his Shop

Motty’s orange transit van, Goff’s red Ford Capri and Bill Humphries in his Opel

Henry Hughes on his rounds

Megan the “Chemist”

Mr Alli’s or was it Mr & Mrs Sparkes?

Mr Rogers (the old post office). This is now my living room!

All photographs below are circa early 1980’s

Shops and Businesses

The “Village” used to have numerous shops and businesses. To find out even more about them please consult the information section under “Directories”.

Mrs Goodwin

Edith and Ted Lloyd - Lloyds “Chippy” (now Man Lee House - Chinese take away)

1920’s - Mr and Mrs Luke (High Street)

1920’s - Albert the Barber with son Dennis

1980’s - Ted Humphreys (Oldest Paper Boy in Wrexham! As described by the Wrexham Leader when he retired) Great little shop on the corner of Church Street and Spring Road. Ted also played for the Esclusham White Stars in his youth

1930’s - Albert The Barbers Shop

Left to right: Unknown, Albert Evans, Dennis Evans and Godfrey Evans

1987 Old Post Office - Mrs Rogers great niece Penny (age 16)

1987 Old Post Office Dining Room - Mrs Megan Rogers and Mrs Olwen Lloyd

1982 Old Post Office - Mrs Olwen Lloyd, Mr & Mrs Mervyn Rogers and Mrs Lloyds grandchildren Alexandra and Catriona Basey

H.Bradford’s Tanker (which was usually parked on Esless Lane)

The Botanic and Mineral Water Company was in business on Wrexham Road, Rhostyllen in 1910

Above a Botanic and Mineral Water Company soda siphon depicting an etching of the Maelor Works on Wrexham Road. Below more bottles from the company.

Many thanks must go to Ian Pritchard for allowing his bottle collection to be photographed.

Home made farm beer was made by George Thomas of Esless

Circa late 1960’s - Roy ‘The Farm’ (G.L.Williams & Son, Esless Farm)

Botanic and Mineral Water Company Marble Bottles

Henry Hughes’ Lorry - Signage on the vehicle by Ian Pritchard (note the 5 digit telephone number)

1936/37 - North Wales Power advertisement in the “Lillies of the Field” play programme. These items are from Ian Pritchard’s Sign and Advertisement Collection.

1937 - North Wales Power Sports & Social Club (Old Manweb Buildings, Pentrebychan)

This membership card/booklet belonged to Miss Valerie A Wilkins of Wrexham Road, Rhostyllen (the house in which she lived has been demolished and is now the site of OAP bungalows)

1961 - Sid Diggory Motors Ltd (Imperial Garage) - Wrexham Road, Rhostyllen (Where Griffiths Tool Hire is today)

The telephone number on this advertisement is Rhos 66!

The car and Greenwood were both badly damaged, when stationary on its trailer in June of 1962, the car, trailer and Greenwood were struck by another vehicle.

In 1969 Les again was commissioned to design and build a further sports racing car , this time on behalf of John Lepp , the RAC British Sports car champion. The first two photographs feature Henblas Road in the background. The third shows the Spectre FVC on completion.

Pye-Franklin Furniture (was situated to the rear of where Griffiths Tool Hire is today)

1969 - Les Redmond Motors, Wrexham Road, Rhostyllen (where the MG garage is today)

Above - Helping Les in the construction were three of his mechanics, Jack Kelly, Eyton Challenor and Don Rider who all worked at the Rhostyllen garage.

For more information please visit the Les Redmond website URL: http://www.hrscc.co.nz/gemini2.html

Many thanks to Elaine Dean for supplying the above photographs

1960’s - Black Lion Inn Beer Mat

These items are from Ian Pritchard’s Sign and Advertisement Collection.

1920’s - Bersham Foundry (Welding & Forge Department)

This was located just off Station Road (on the right as you walk towards the 46 steps to Bersham) where the grassed area is,  bordering on Esless Park Estate. The photograph was taken from the old railway line side of the grassed area. The foundry was located very close to the old railway line. Amongst other things it made manhole covers. You will see that there is a ladder in the photograph. I have been told that local children would climb this once the foundry closed for the evening and play on the roof and that it was even known that bikes would be taken up the ladder to enable cycling on the roof! Well there was not much to do in those days! Once demolished the land was left contaminated and there were pools of red waste which children were allowed to play in and it was not unheard of for straying cows to be found dead in the field after they had drank the water!

Photograph kindly supplied by Phil Mark Jones

Rhostyllen Foundry

This was located off Hill Street and Mount Street and was recently demolished. Photograph kindly supplied by Paul Williams.

Britannia Depot (and the boys from the yard!)

I worked here between 1986 and 1990 and had some great laughs with this lot! All this has now been demolished for a new housing estate just off Trinity Street. If only I could find the photographs of Phil Meyers and Peter Davies!

Check out the directories section of the website for more information on shops and businesses in the Village.

Photographs above kindly supplied by Vic Jones

Photographs below from my own personal collection!

Davy Herbert, Phil Lowe, Alan Stevenson, Gerry Jones, Donny ‘All night burner’ Jones, Geoff Owen?, Dai Rees, Tommy ?, Kenny Pritchard, guy from the joiners shop and Gordon from Pugh’s (with ‘our’ Alan taking materials off his van)

Bersham Foundry Manhole Cover (located in Rhostyllen)

Photograph kindly supplied by James Hennessey

1974 - Jones Shop (Mount Street)

Photograph kindly supplied by Brian Badwick. This shop was once part of his house. The shop front faced the Swan Pub

Mid to late 1970’s - Inside Gallanders Shop

The lady behind the Post Office counter is Iona? (who was originally from North West Wales) and the lady in the shop itself is Susan ‘Dolly’ Steen (originally from Scotland) who lived at the bottom of Henry Street.

Many thanks go to John Gallanders for giving me access to his Father’s slide collection.

Memories of Gallanders Shop

“Lovely memories of Mr and Mrs Gallanders he always wore a brown overall and the lovely Dolly Steen we always called it the cafe my mum who is 98 lived in Henblas Road as a girl and told me they used to have a lot of cycle clubs back in the day and they would stop in the cafe for refreshments” – Gill Griffiths

“I believe that the cafe was in place from when the house and shop was first built until about 1952. I think is was cafe when the Queen came through Rhostyllen during her Coronation tour” – John Gallanders

“Does anyone remember the drinks machine outside ? You could get a carton of milk or Suki Suncap orange .... all chilled !  happy days of going here with my mum after we had been for a walk across the fields” – Michael Jones.

Village Shops Generally

“Other shops were the one by 'Blacky Row' where the bungalows are now-, another on the main road between Black Lion and the Church - the first CoOp in the village was Trinity Street- as well as CoOp laundry in Britannia Depot” – John Gallanders.

“Like my sister Barbara Hignett I remember the old post office at the top of Church Street also the shop opposite the Swan Pub I think it was Jones's. There was a shop owned by a Mrs Richards (Fish) at the bottom of Trinity Street opposite the Church. Also the fish and chip shop owned by LLoyds next to the butchers shop. Brenda and Vince Rowlands my sister and brother in law. The shop at the top of Trinity Street which became Sparks was previously owned by Trevor Williams” – Marion Madden