Beryl Jesse grew up in Splott during the 1930's
You see Cardiff to me will always be the docks and Cardiff Arms Park. I can remember going to Rugby matches at the Cardiff arms Park when Wales was a team. Town as well, town has gone out of all how I remember it. It is another city now. I can remember the market and James Howells. I used to work at David Morgan when I was young. The housing down there was amazing and the old buildings, the people that used to live down the docks, it was a unique place. St Mary Street is about the same as I remember it with Howells on the corner. Of course there used to be the Prince of Wales Theatre but now it is a pub. That has altered. I occasionally went to the Prince of Wales and the New Theatre. I remember going to the New Theatre with a friend of mine to see 'Jack The Ripper' on the Stage at the New Theatre. It was really good. I also went to The Prince Of Wales to See 'Lady Windermere's Fan'. The actual theatre was very, very small with beautiful plush seats, the stage, of course there was an upper circle and a dress circle and the gods. The usherettes use to come around with tea and coffee in the interval. They would all be dressed in black with white aprons. It was very nice to go there and in those days it wasn't very expensive because money wasn't like it is today. It was reasonable. You used to come out of the Prince of Wales into St. Mary Street and then go to the Pavilion Cinema. Now that was also very good. You would go in to Queen Street and there was the Empire, The Odeon and the Olympian. Cross the road, still on Queen Street, and there is the Queen's cinema and then there was the Capitol off Churchill way. That was all the cinemas. Not like today.
|