"I remember a fishpond full of goldfish"

In the late 1920s and early 1930s, my mother would take me into Cardiff on the tram, which stopped outside Principality on Queen Street. We would always pop in. I remember that inside that branch was a fish pond full of goldfish – passers by could see this through the window.

When I was about 12 or 13, I had a Principality savings box. It was a polished silver, oval shaped money box about four inches deep which had slots just big enough for shillings, sixpences, thrupenny bits and the like. Pound notes had to be rolled up and forced through a round hole in the bottom. But once the money had gone into the box, that was it – the box could only be opened by Principality staff who would transfer the contents into a savings account.

I kept the savings box in its dark maroon, stiff cardboard packaging. It’s a pity that I no longer have it. I think I must have handed it in.

Posted by: Mrs Goodwin, Cardiff