Allan Jones - Maindy Heating

Born in William Street, Tynewydd, in 1941, Allan Jones left Treorchy Secondary Modern in the 1950s and secured an apprenticeship as a plumber and heating engineer in Cardiff. This led to work in Bridgend and Bristol, before Allan set up a business of his own. It was the difficult economic climate of the period which led Allan and his wife, Janice, to an unexpected branching point in their working lives.

Listen to 'Allan Jones - Maindy Heating'

Transcript

“1974 was the first miners’ strike when Ted Heath was put out of power. We had, I don't know, it was about a year’s strike I think? The ‘winter of discontent’ and things weren't that good... We were struggling with the business... So my partner came up with a brilliant idea. He said, ‘Let's open an ironmongers shop.’ I said, ‘We’re not Ironmongers we’re Plumbers!’ And he said, ‘Doesn't matter, at least we'll have a cash turnover.’ So okay, that's what we did. But we opened it first of all in 7 High Street. And then we needed a bigger premises, so we moved to 106 where we are at the moment... So, Jan went in the shop and made a sterling success of it fair play to her, and spent... probably 25 to 30 years there. And that’s how the shop established itself and it became developed as an ironmongers shop.”