“It’s like a ghost village now,” says Jeff Webb, peering out of his window as he does most mornings, waving at the odd passerby. “All we have left is the garage, the village hall and the post office, once they go it really is finished. I’m glad you’ve come today. Not many people come and knock on my door these days.”
Jeff, 85, who was born in the village schoolhouse in 1937 and has spent more time than anyone in Peterston-super-Ely just outside Cardiff in the Vale of Glamorgan, is discussing the impact of the loss of the two local pubs. In October the Three Horseshoes, directly opposite his home, closed. A couple of weeks later the other pub about 500 yards down the road, the Sportman’s Rest, also shut down. They sighted “escalating energy bills and overheads”.
“They have been a big part of my life, yes,” Jeff continued, showing us a picture of the Three Horseshoes in 1950 when he said it was in its pomp. “I went there on a Friday night, a Saturday night, and I would then call into the Sportsman's on a Sunday each week and I’d sometimes go in the week one evening as well. In the night now it’s so quiet around here. No-one even passes the house.”
