Your user name on this forum?

[valleys caveman]

Rowan Way not too bad. There’s worst parts. I moved from estate when I was 6 but still spent most of my childhood and teenage years over there cos my nan lived there and I went to school there so was always out over there.

Thankfully I must have seen the light at some point because a lot of the kids I grew up with on the estate turned to crime and/or heroin and are in prison or the cemetery.

I remember drinking in the Matchstick Man a few times. There were a few characters in there to say the least. But I've always found if you treated people tidy, you'd get the respect back. If you thought you were something special you'd get taken down a peg or two also. Is the Matchstick Man still there?

[Former Labour leader]

As a nod to Jeremy Corbyn and John McDonnell you could have called yourself the Marxist Brothers.

😀

[Tuerto]

We lived in Curtis road in Ely (i'm sure it was Curtis road, just checking on google maps its now called Courtis Road) either there has been a name change, or i never knew the street name correctly it's off Wilson Road, some fond memories even though i was in infants (St Francis), I think the house in Ely had round pins for plugs, and may have been DC current not sure!! but remembering getting my 1st leccy shock in that house and it wasn't pleasant!!!

I went to st francis for a couple of years, i lived further up the avenue, Marcross rd. I know Courtis rd very well!

[jeepster]

In 1995 the winter was particuarly cold and bitter and about 3 AM one morning I walked home from the Royal Exchange in Llandaff north after the customery lock-in to find a stray tomcat sitting by my front door. It had belonged to a neighbour who had moved away and left it.
I walked up to the door and had to step around the cat which even in my happy state I spotted was unusal because you normally couldn't get with 50 yards of it. Then on th step I noticed a tiny ball of black flussh shivering, it was about -15 at the time.
It was a tiny kitten. I took it in and gave it milk and it fell asleep. the next morning the tom was back sitting outside the house. i put the kitten on the window sill and he saw it and left. this happened for a week.
Anyway the kitten adopted me and I named her snagglepuss after a pink lion cartoon character who's cartoon normally accompanied top cat on the Tv years before.
This obviously shortened to snaggle. The cat went everywhere with me, even happily sleeping in my car on the way to London. I've used snaggle on web sites ever since. The X is, (as someone else said) because she is now an X cat, shuffled off this mortal coil.
Xsnaggle!

If this is true that is so nice.

[delmbox]

Does Baker still post on here? I used to enjoy his wind up posts.
Didn't he play in a football match against a few other posters who didn't share his sense of humour

Yeah he did, I think he got some shit. Fair play to him for playing in that match because he was an expert at winding people up, even accidentally. It took balls to go

[light up the darkness]

It’s a Quote from Bob Marley

When darkness surrounds you, you might be tempted to look for a switch or hope that a light comes on to get rid of it all. But you have to remember that you are the light, and you have the power to overcome the darkness that exists in the world.

Light up the darkness

[insider]

I had browsed the site for a while before signing up.
When I signed up there was a big culture of some people being close to Hamman and being insiders of his inner sanctum
Fnaar Fnaar.
So I signed up as insider knowing absolutely fa of Hamman and his inner sanctum.

[insider]

Yeah he did, I think he got some shit. Fair play to him for playing in that match because he was an expert at winding people up, even accidentally. It took balls to go

He's on twitter or someone proclaiming to be him.

[valleys caveman]

Yeah he did, I think he got some shit. Fair play to him for playing in that match because he was an expert at winding people up, even accidentally. It took balls to go

Didn't he put a video on here from his bedroom, with a poster in the background mocking a member from this site?

[J R Hartley]

I remember drinking in the Matchstick Man a few times. There were a few characters in there to say the least. But I've always found if you treated people tidy, you'd get the respect back. If you thought you were something special you'd get taken down a peg or two also. Is the Matchstick Man still there?

No, that was knocked down in the 90s.
They’ve knocked a lot of the flats down too over that side. That side the “new” side over by the hospital was a lot worse than the old side. Crime and drug use over there was a lot worse.

[valleys caveman]

No, that was knocked down in the 90s.
They’ve knocked a lot of the flats down too over that side. That side the “new” side over by the hospital was a lot worse than the old side. Crime and drug use over there was a lot worse.

Are there any pubs left up the Gurnos? I'm sure I drank in another one called the social, or was it the anti social

[J R Hartley]

I remember drinking in the Matchstick Man a few times. There were a few characters in there to say the least. But I've always found if you treated people tidy, you'd get the respect back. If you thought you were something special you'd get taken down a peg or two also. Is the Matchstick Man still there?

There’s good and bad wherever you go. I mentioned about boys I grew up with going down the crime and drugs route but I’ve also got friends who have done well for themselves. My good friend from junior school is an architect, his brother went to London working in the media and their parents still live on the estate. Mark Pembridge and Jason Bowen both from the estate. Families still live there. Life is tough for some no doubt but it’s the same everywhere.

[J R Hartley]

Are there any pubs left up the Gurnos? I'm sure I drank in another one called the social, or was it the anti social

Yeah the Social is still there. I haven’t been in there for years and years. They used to put good boxing shows on there when I was a kid.

[J R Hartley]

Ely is way bigger than Gurnos, Ely/Caerau has a combined population of about 26,000.

Is it classed as one big council housing estate?

Ely was around before the war and it’s usually these purpose built estates post war that get described as “council housing estates”

Gurnos estate also covers a vast area

[insider]

Is it classed as one big council housing estate?

Ely was around before the war and it’s usually these purpose built estates post war that get described as “council housing estates”

Gurnos estate also covers a vast area

Ely and Caerau are both 95% originally council estates

[valleys caveman]

There’s good and bad wherever you go. I mentioned about boys I grew up with going down the crime and drugs route but I’ve also got friends who have done well for themselves. My good friend from junior school is an architect, his brother went to London working in the media and their parents still live on the estate. Mark Pembridge and Jason Bowen both from the estate. Families still live there. Life is tough for some no doubt but it’s the same everywhere.

While we're on the Merthyr theme, I had some of my best nights out over there. Charbonnias nightclub being one of my favourites. I remember there was a faggots and peas van just down the road where Lloyds bank is. Many a time after kicking out, I'd absolutely ruin my shirt with green and brown stains that Cillit Bang couldn't even budge. Last time I looked there was a tree growing through the middle of it.
Coolers was also tidy. We used to start off in a pub just up the road from there by the roundabout. Last time I looked it was a funeral home? Also the Brandy Bridge. That could get a little spicy to say the least

[Tuerto]

Is it classed as one big council housing estate?

Ely was around before the war and it’s usually these purpose built estates post war that get described as “council housing estates”

Gurnos estate also covers a vast area

Ely and caerau is nearly all Council houses.

[delmbox]

Didn't he put a video on here from his bedroom, with a poster in the background mocking a member from this site?

No idea but it sounds quite on brand

[splott parker]

While we're on the Merthyr theme, I had some of my best nights out over there. Charbonnias nightclub being one of my favourites. I remember there was a faggots and peas van just down the road where Lloyds bank is. Many a time after kicking out, I'd absolutely ruin my shirt with green and brown stains that Cillit Bang couldn't even budge. Last time I looked there was a tree growing through the middle of it.
Coolers was also tidy. We used to start off in a pub just up the road from there by the roundabout. Last time I looked it was a funeral home? Also the Brandy Bridge. That could get a little spicy to say the least

A tree growing out of the middle of your shirt

[valleys caveman]

A tree growing out of the middle of your shirt

Its more of a mountain these days

[J R Hartley]

Ely and Caerau are both 95% originally council estates

All built at the same time or different estates within Ely? I’ve never heard it called the Ely Estate tbh but then I’m not from Cardiff. Sometimes villages or districts are made up of different estates.

The sort of houses you see on Grand Avenue would be considered mansions up the Gurnos Estate.

[J R Hartley]

While we're on the Merthyr theme, I had some of my best nights out over there. Charbonnias nightclub being one of my favourites. I remember there was a faggots and peas van just down the road where Lloyds bank is. Many a time after kicking out, I'd absolutely ruin my shirt with green and brown stains that Cillit Bang couldn't even budge. Last time I looked there was a tree growing through the middle of it.
Coolers was also tidy. We used to start off in a pub just up the road from there by the roundabout. Last time I looked it was a funeral home? Also the Brandy Bridge. That could get a little spicy to say the least

Charbonniers burned down early 90s and has all sorts growing out of it but because it’s a listed building they can’t/won’t knock it down.

Brandy Bridge was before my time but I heard it was like the Wild West

Great Escape is the pub you’re thinking of by the roundabout near Kooler. Another rough pub back in the day.

[insider]

All built at the same time or different estates within Ely? I’ve never heard it called the Ely Estate tbh but then I’m not from Cardiff. Sometimes villages or districts are made up of different estates.

The sort of houses you see on Grand Avenue would be considered mansions up the Gurnos Estate.

Ely is 1 big council estate built after the 1st World war. Homes for heroes
Caerau was built after the second World War.
They used to call it old side and new side of Ely.
I've lived at the top of Ely for 50 years like anywhere good and bad people.
Most are honest genuine hard working people some of my best mates from there.

[J R Hartley]

Ely is 1 big council estate built after the 1st World war. Homes for heroes
Caerau was built after the second World War.
They used to call it old side and new side of Ely.
I've lived at the top of Ely for 50 years like anywhere good and bad people.
Most are honest genuine hard working people some of my best mates from there.

[lardy]

Didn't he put a video on here from his bedroom, with a poster in the background mocking a member from this site?

He was dancing holding a sign that said "Ann*s is a c**t"