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Fern Hill Farm

Llangain is a small village between Carmarthen and Llansteffan in South Wales. Dylan Thomas's mother came from here. During the school holidays young Dylan would sometimes go and stay with his aunt Annie at her farm in Llangain, called Fern Hill. Fern Hill is remembered fondly in the wonderful poem of that name :

 

And when I was green and carefree, famous among the barns

About the happy yard and singing as the farm was home,

In the sun which is young once only,

Time let me play and be

Golden in the mercy of his means

 

Sometimes Dylan Thomas has been criticised for not being "Welsh" enough in his poetry. This poem shows how silly such suggestions are. A poet might be famous amongst the barns of a small part of Wales, or he might be famous globally. But that globe might only be a small planet in a big galaxy, where the sun is like a barn, just another part of a boy's world. Somehow all "localities" become relative in the end. Localities are part of a bigger picture, and the sun over Fern Hill farm becomes young like the boy who plays there. He is prince of the world, even in only being a prince of the apple towns and honoured among the wagons.

Fern Hill farm is not open to visitors, but can be viewed from the road.

Directions: Driving down from the A48 on the B4312, go through the village and after roughly half a mile turn right at the sign for Llangynog and Glog Farm. A quarter of a mile ahead on the right is the entrance to Fern Hill Farm. Click here for an interactive map centred on Llangain.