12 Monk Street

About the building

Separated from No 10 Monk Street by the alleyway leading to Magnolia Terrace, running behind.

Between 2009 and 2011 the building was completely refurbished, the front elevation having to be rebuilt as it was bowing forward and in danger of collapsing into the street. The weakening was probably due to the traffic and the rotting of a beam under the front elevation. The appearance replicates what was there before.However the original upper frontage may have been cantilevered out on posts with the shop front set back under the first floor.

To the rear, an old two storey extension with a roof structure of old ship’s timber was demolished. The upper floor of timber had been built on top of an old stone outbuilding. This was demolished under the supervision of archaeologists and a three storey extension erected in its place.

The flat above the shop had been accessed through the door on the left of the house , where a flag-stoned floor and passageway led to the rear courtyard. With the refurbishment, the internal corridor made from old doors, panelling and brickwork was removed to widen the house.access to the flat was relocated to the alleyway between this property and No 10.

The left elevation is partly connected to no 10 and wattle and daub walls were uncovered at the front sides of the shop and have been retained.The rest of the building is constructed of stone.    (thank you for this information from the current occupier).

 

Recent history

1998-1999: Monmouthshire County Council leased the property from Mr Glover. A grant was given to refurbish the property and extensive alterations were carried out to the interior.After renovation, it became The Tube Cafe, run and used by teenagers, but did not stay open for long closing its doors within a year. Mr Glover sold the property in 2000. (information from current occupier)

1995-1996: Brown’s Electricals, retailing domestic appliances.

1979, 1989 to 1995: Ron Glover and family: PM Fishing Tackle & Guns

1974: R Glover, Heating Specialist

1970, 1971: Heating Specialist, oil/solid fuel/gas – maintenance of boilers.

1969: Plumbing & Heating, Heating Specialists, NCB Housewarming Plan

1962, 1964, 1968: advertisement Plumbing & Heating Engineers (Oct 19)

Around 1958: Antique shop. 1958 – 1983: Mr Glover, owner & proprietor,  other floors residential.

1937- 1958 M Gwyther, Boot & shoe maker

 

 

 

 

 

 

Previous occupiers

Other information

Mr Brown, husband of Mrs E E Brown, tobacconist a this address in 1906, was a GPO linesman.

Information from Paula Middleton:

My great grandfather was Henry Gwyther, boot and shoe maker. My grandfather, James, known as Jim, moved to Knighton to open a shop in 1922 and Mr D Berrington was his sister’s son. I thought I ought to let you know that therefore Davy’s father worked for his father in law, not his brother in law,as stated on the website.

My grandfather took me to Abergavenny when I was a child, in the 1960s. We used to visit his sister, Mary, who then lived out her old age in an almshouse in Trinity Square. Mary had been born with a club foot and her leg was amputated when she was one month old. Mr Berrington had his shoe shop, but unfortunately I never met him.

Moving on to no.12 Monk Street, shown as their residence after 1914 and to 1958, it appears that Mary lived there with her mother, who was Martha. Mary was a dressmaker. I believe that at one time, probably the 1930s, she was housekeeper for her widowed brother, Fred and their niece, who was brought up by them.

When we went to Abergavenny in the late 1960s, my grandfather took me to see their old shop, which was then a fishing tackle shop.

Something else that intrigued me and I’ve failed to get much info before my father died, was that his grandfather, Henry Gwyther, had once employed two Indian bookmakers – they were soldiers stationed nearby. One was called Hookum Dah, the other Farozi Dinn, though my spelling could be wrong. I think they were Sikh. It accounted, perhaps, for my grandfathers habit of using Indian words for certain things; I can only think of “Puja “ at the moment.

 

If you have any further information about this property please email alhs@live.co.uk