In the present century, small though it was, Ystradowen boasted a thriving saw mill, its own cattle market, two inns, a village store, kept by Mrs Sarah Gibon and a smithy. The smithy was the rendezvous for all the youth of the district who, under the watchful eye of Tom Griffith, would blow the fire, turn the grindstone and wield the sledge. Tom would make hoops for the children, who faced little or no traffic hazard on the main road, in an age untroubled, as yet, by the motor car.

His quaint way of swearing endeared him as ‘The Uddy Man’ and he was one of the last of the old characters.

After the 1939-45 wear, with the closure of the railway station and a restricted bus service, the social life of the village went into a decline until about fifteen years ago, when the Ystradowen Friendly Society was formed at The White Lion to bring a little fun and entertainment into village life by organising carnivals, sports meetings and historical expeditions.

Villagers owed a great debt to the friendly patronage of Mrs. Anne Phillips at this time. It is to be hoped that with the influx of new inhabitants in the last few years that Ystradowen will once again enjoy a vigorous social life!