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Saturday Mornings in the Fifties by Carol Powell

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Saturday Mornings in the Fifties

By Carol Powell (née Symmons)

I remember some Saturday mornings of my childhood, when my Dad would take my sister and me down to The Mumbles. We would often walk along the beach or along the side of the railway track and would paraphrase the song,‘ The Happy Wanderer’ as we went:

We love to go a-wandering along the railway track

And as we go, we love to sing, our knapsacks on our backs.

When we reached The Mumbles, we would first go to the library, where, if we were lucky, we might be in time to ‘bag’ a Famous Five before anyone else did! Miss Nash would stamp our books and then we would go and explore the village.

We might cross the road and buy a three-penny cornet from Forte’s ice-cream parlour in The Dunns or sometimes go in and sit at the blue wickerwork tables and have an ice-cream topped with raspberry sauce in a silvery dish. Very occasionally we might lash out and have a 2/6d knickerbocker glory instead!

Then, on past the Old Garage, once a Livery stable, housing Peachey’s horses, on past Sanders, the Greengrocer on the corner and into Newton Road, where there were two other greengrocers—Withy’s, approximately where the Optician is today, Rosser where the ‘Choice is Yours’ is now. There was also a Butcher, named Rosser further up on the left.

Then we would come to Cowley’s the newsagent and toy shop (later Lewis News & now W.H. Smith) where I could, if I was allowed, spend hours choosing cardboard cut-out dressing-up dolls or buying the School Friend paper. Further up was the wool shop, owned by two Ladies, where I once bought wool for the gloves, which we had to make in the knitting class in school.

Today, I only have to smell coffee to remember the wonderful aroma of ground coffee beans and freshly cut bacon emanating from Turgoose (Cheers Shop)

Mumbles News, January 1970

The Turgoose sign was revealed during changes to the shopfront, in June 2021

When we were home, we loved to climb the trees in the ‘cutting’ at West Cross, to wave to the upstairs passengers on the Mumbles train. But on other occasions, it was peaceful and private, just to sit on a branch hidden by leaves, absorbed in my Enid Blyton Famous Five book. I could day-dream, look out across the bay and imagine that our lighthouse island was ‘Kirren Island’ and that I was able to row out to it in my very own boat, just as ‘George’ did in the stories.

But changes were afoot! In 1960 the Mumbles Railway ceased operations and in 1970 half the shops in The Dunns were demolished (photo below). Yet, thirty years on, the Mumbles still retains a distinct villagey hustle and bustle amongst which, time permitting, I love to stand, stare and enjoy—especially on a Saturday morning.

Ah! Happy Days!