Cities, towns, and villages are living things. They do not stand still and stagnate. They evolve and adapt to new tribes, trends, technologies, and times.

Over the centuries much is gained and much is lost.

Yet all that is lost must one day be recovered and brought back to life in splendid technicolor!

If you’ve ever wondered what the streets of Abergavenny once looked like before the slum clearance of the 1950s and 60s changed the face of the town, wonder no more!

Here is the past dragged back to life, colorised, and presented in a digital format for a digital generation.

Come visit the houses that once stood ramshackle and proud, like grand old ladies whose faded glamour spoke of better times.

Stroll leisurely through the winding alleyways twisting and turning with the tides of time, and pass the boozers full of shadows and solace.

All of human life is here albeit under a different sun and a different sky.

So take a gander around Tudor, Mill, and Flannel Street before the wrecking ball swung and the way it used to be disappeared into dust and memory.

While you’re at it, why not have a virtual walk around St. John’s Square and down Byfield Lane, but be careful to avoid the horse dung!

Most of the featured pictures of old Abergavenny are from the Albert Lyons collection. Mr. Lyons was a well-known character around town and played a massively important role in documenting Abergavenny through the camera lens during a time of great social and physical upheaval for the area.

The founder member of Abergavenny Camera club captured for posterity the old Tudor Street and Byfield Lane areas, and as well as bring a talented lensman in his own right, Mr. Lyons was a keen collector of old photographs and postcards of Abergavenny and published two hugely popular books of pictorial histories on the town.