ollowing the opening of a new surgery in Trellech last month, Beacon reader Mrs Richards decided to share her memories of doctors and surgeries that have served the village over the years.

'The Trellech area has been served by many wonderful doctors for a large number of years. We have indeed been fortunate.

My first real knowledge of Trellech came at the end of 1936 when we returned to live at my father's home at Ceciliford. I think Dr Nanda was at the head of the practice, based at St Briavels. Dr Miller was our doctor based at Trellech.

The room used by the doctor for consultations was the small lean-to building at the extreme end of Holly Tree House. It is still there in position on the right as you look up from the car park.

Those waiting to be seen for consultation by the doctor waited in the open shed next to the lean-to room.

Laura and Ralph Davies (brother and sister) lived in Holly Tree where they had the Post Office and the Telephone Exchange.

At that time it was more usual for the doctor to visit his patients in their own homes.

The next consulting room for the Trellech doctor was a small building opposite Cross Farm. The roof and walls of the building are still there and a car is usually parked there as it forms an entrance to a house recently built behind it.

This consulting room was slightly larger as the first room had two side benches where you waited to see the doctor in the small room beyond.

At the bottom of Trellech town, the chapel and the blacksmith's property were either side of an old stone cottage without a roof with trees growing up between the remainder of the building and the wall on the road-side. At the end of the 1930s, bicycles were often left there by folk catching the bus to Monmouth or Chepstow. This old cottage became position for the new building put up by the local authority, serving the new Monmouth Rural District Council Water Scheme in 1948/50.

After a few years this building became the Trellech Surgery and this has served the community well for many years with Dr Machere in the 1970s and Dr Calland later. A very fortunate community.

We now have a new surgery and we all hope that all will go well as we enjoy all the care from our medical services in this wonderful new building'.