A pint of something nourishing and frothy please barman! Here's a Goldie oldie for you. It's a picture of Lloyd and Mary Wilce who used to own The Old Engine Inn in Steam Mills.Yet Lloyd wasn't just your bog-standard landlord, he was a veteran town councillor who made headlines in 2015 as Britain’s longest-serving councillor with 66 years of service.All that civic duty definitely calls for something refreshing to keep you on your toes. The Wilces sold the boozer in 1989 and Lloyd who was first elected as a Labour Party candidate in 1949 passed away on February 20, 2018, aged 89.

In 1957 civic planners gave the green light to wholesale slum clearances which systematically destroyed much of the old part of Abergavenny and changed it beyond recognition.In gung-ho fashion, many fine Elizabethan buildings, and more importantly, people’s homes were bulldozed to make way for the sharp-edged utilitarianism and banal box designs of modernity.The historic dwellings and public houses in Tudor Street and St John’s Square were replaced with a Police Station, a Magistrates Court, a Job Centre, and a Post Office. Suffice to say, the unique character of the area had been somewhat diminished. Here's a shot of the empty space in St John's Square that lay somewhere in that murky point between destruction and creation!

Take a look at these dapper dandies folks. They’re suited booted and immaculately groomed. There’s no flies on these gentlemen but who are they and what do they want? Well, the chaps in suits may look like they’re auditioning for a job opportunity in Cosa Nostra’s Monmouthshire branch but they are in fact all committed members of Mardy AFC. Standards were a lot higher in those distant days when everything was a little bit more black and white. There was no such thing as a tracksuit or leisure wear for committee members to let the team down in. What there was, was the full monty! Which in plain speak translates to a well-cut suit courtesy of everybody’s favourite high street tailor of taste - Montague Burton. The serious-looking fellas in shorts who kick the ball around, score the goals, save the day, and give the fans something to shout about are the Mardy squad during the 1928-29 season.Here’s the line-up so please pay attention. From left to right in the back we have J. Reynolds, W. Higgs, G. Cowley, T. Parker, and W. Price.In the second row, we have L. Powell, T. Adams, A. Exton, H. Young, W. Bull, and W. Savager.In the third row, we have J. Jenkins, H. Evans, L. Edmonds, I. Morgan (Capt.), L. Anstey, B. Kirby and F. Weavin.Sitting in the front row we have F. Higgs and T. Jones. And that’s your lot!