This Valley was Ours

This Valley was Ours depicts life in the quarrying village of Nant Gwrtheyrn leading up to the Second World War and the devastating impact the war had on its future.

Review :
How sad that Eileen Webb, such a gifted raconteur, is no longer with us. The reader discovers this in Part 3 of the new edition of This Valley was Ours, in a poignant and edifying biography written by Webbs devoted husband. In Part 1, we learn of the history of this unique valley from 450 AD, when the first recorded occupier was supposedly the dispossessed King of Wessex, Vortigern, who took refuge there. In these early beginnings three curses were put on the valley, and at one time it looked as though the prophecy might come true. However, despite its chequered history, Nant Gwrtheyrn became first farmland and then a thriving quarry, which ceased to exist after the Second World War. The valley then became vandalised, but this was not to be the end. Today the village has been rebuilt in sympathy with the original as an educational hub for the Welsh language and culture and, with thousands of students passing through, it is forever growing. There is so much I as the reviewer of this engaging and well-written book would like to share with you: every page gives a unique insight into the life of this captivating village, seen through the eyes of a child to whom it was utopia and whose roots remained forever entrenched there. Webb was not alone in feeling the strange and unexpected mystique of the valley, the emotional pull of Nant Gwrtheyrn; others felt the same, as we learn from the foreword by Tom Alun Roberts, who knew nothing of Nant Gwrtheyrn until his marriage to Phyllis who, despite spending only two years of her childhood there, was held in its magnetic grasp. A school photograph was published in the press, a reunion took place, and a visit back to Nant Gwrtheyrn was decided upon. What next but a book telling the world of the valley and its strange power over its people? Thanks to Webb, who possessed a rare memory and sensitivity for place and people, this valuable piece of social history has been written an impressive and charming memoir, a remarkable and enthralling tale. Norma Penfold It is possible to use this review for promotional purposes, but the following acknowledgment should be included: A review from www.gwales.com, with the permission of the Welsh Books Council. Gellir defnyddio'r adolygiad hwn at bwrpas hybu, ond gofynnir i chi gynnwys y gydnabyddiaeth ganlynol: Adolygiad oddi ar www.gwales.com, trwy ganiatd Cyngor Llyfrau Cymru. -- Welsh Books Council