David Thomas
1938-

Born in 1938 on Yr Allt, David served in the Royal Signals and later worked in various firms, servicing television sets. In 1963 he became self-employed and for more than thirty years ran his own shop on the Bull Ring. Immortalised as “Dai Telly” he took the shop over from the former Lloyds Bank and used their sign for some tongue-in-cheek humour by saying his premises was “Ye Olde Television Shoppe”.  His sister Marina emigrated to USA after marrying the colonel in charge of Airforce One. David served on Llantrisant Town Trust and played for Llantrisant RFC.

Ivor Morgan James
1907-1994

Ivor was the son of Walter James (1872-1958), a church warden and his wife Ceridwen (1877-1932), organist at Penuel Chapel.

Walter’s brother, Harry ran the shop at Southgate, while Walter ran the hugely popular Gwalia Stores, a grocery and provision merchant. 

It was inherited by his son, Ivor who married Rachel Williams (1909-1994) of Cardiff in 1934. They had one son who later became Canon Godfrey James.

John David
1868-1949

His mother was Mary Ann, landlady of the White Hart pub which was demolished in 1912. He married Mary Louisa Williams (1878-1910)  of The Bear. John David built a shop and two cottages on the corner of Swan Street and Heol y Sarn where he opened his butcher’s business. 

It soon became obvious that the sun shone in the direction of the new shop, ruining the produce. In 1914 he bought a shop on the opposite side of the Bull Ring from Hannah Watkins, the local seamstress and it was later run by his daughter Mary David until 1970.

Guiseppe di Monaco
1929-1998

Born in Bellona, southern Italy on 25 May, 1929, he was one of 16 children. In 1956 he married Maria Caruso and they left for Wales where he joined fellow Italians as the new workfore of the Iron Ore at Mwyndy.

In 1978 he opened a gentlemen’s hairdressers on High Street in Casey Kendall’s old grocery shop and was better known as “Joe the Barber” until his retirement in 1994.

Mervyn Collins
1930-2008

In 1942 Mervyn worked for Harry James at Southgate before taking over the milk round with his older brother Leighton in 1943. 

Following his brother’s premature death, Mervyn moved the business to Cross Inn Road and during the next 50 years Collins Diaries prospered, allowing “Collins the Milk” to open new dairies in Cross Inn for his fleet of 20 milk floats.

Isaiah Griffiths
1881-1962

Isaiah owned a fish and chip shop in 27 Newbridge Road during the 1930s.

His wife was Jennie (1887-67) and they had seven boys and four girls.

They were called Megan, David (later known as “Dai Fat”), Ivor, Eileen, Tudor, Muriel, Myra, Vivian, Thomas, William and Howell.

Mary Tintar
1931-2015

Better known as “Mary Chips”, she was born Mary Thomas in 1931 in Greenfield House on Heol y Sarn and was one of the five children to Stanley and his wife Mary Thomas (formerly Evans). 

Stanley was a well known Freeman and held the post of Clerk to Llantrisant Town Trust.

Mary  worked in the nearby pencil factory but from 1963 to 1976 was said to have made the best fish and chips in town at her shop on the Bull Ring. 

She married Milan Tintar and settled in a cottage on Heol y Sarn where the couple had two children. 

Collwyn Davies
1916-1991

Better known as Collwyn Lloyd (after his grandmother’s maiden name), he followed his parents’ footsteps by running the grocery shop on the Bull Ring. 

After serving in the army in Singapore during World War II he married Margaret Eleanor Griffiths and the couple had three children. 

Collwyn occupied County Stores and opened a bookmaker’s nearby before occupying the former Silkstone’s drapery at Bradford House, followed by Crown Stores on High Street.