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Boathouse At Laugharne, Wales

Dylan Thomas moved to the Boathouse at Laugharne in 1949. The house was purchased for the Thomas family by Margaret Taylor, wife of the famous Oxford historian A.J.P. Taylor. The Thomas's had been living in a cabin at the bottom of A.J.P. Taylor's garden. The noise of children, and arguments between Dylan and his wife Caitlin eventually exhausted Taylor's patience. Margaret Taylor, however, inspite of rows with Caitlin, remained sympathetic, and used her own money to buy the Boathouse for the poet.

The Boathouse today is preserved as a museum to Dylan Thomas, and appears as it would have done when he and his family lived there. A short film tells the story of his life. Recordings of his poems, spoken by Dylan himself, play in the living room. There is a small shop, and a tea room. Close to the Boathouse, on the lane running above, the study shed where Dylan worked has also been preserved.

When I visited the Boathouse I sat on the terrace, looking out over the beautiful Taf estuary, and read the following lines from Poem On His Birthday:

 

 

 

 

 

In the mustardseed sun,

By full tilt river and switchback sea

Where the cormorants scud,

In his house on stilts high above beaks

And palavers of birds

This sandgrain day in the bent bay's grave

He celebrates and spurns

His driftwood thirty-fifth wind turned age;

Herons spire and spear.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Study Shed

Opening Times: Open daily. From May to October and Easter weekend, 10am - 5.30pm, last admission 5pm.

From November to April 10.30am - 3.30pm, last admission 3pm. Closed over Christmas.

Please telephone ahead if bringing a large party.

Address: Dylan Thomas Boathouse, Dylan's Walk, Laugharne, Carmarthenshire SA33 4SD

Directions: Take the M4 and then the A40 to St Clears, and then take the A4066 to Laugharne. I suggest parking on the sea front next to the castle, and then walking along the coast path to the Boathouse. This path would, for short sections, be difficult for those with mobility problems. Click here for an interactive map centred on Laugharne.

Access: the Boathouse can only be reached via steep steps and is not suitable for wheelchair users. The study shed can only be reached via a sloping path, which once again might be difficult for those in wheelchairs.

Contact:

telephone: 01994 427420

fax: 01994 427420

e-mail: boathouse@carmarthenshire.gov.uk

web site: http://www.dylanthomasboathouse.com/english/index_e.html

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