When we first visited Laugharne in 2001, the closest
I came to Dylan Thomas's Boat House was a few hundred yards away
along the Taf estuary as can be seen in the view above. So when
we paid a return visit two years later, we parked in the same
place below the castle (the picture below left is from 2001)
but this time I walked through Laugharne, by the Town Clock (below
right) to follow a footpath along the cliffs.
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The path is well signed but it is worth pausing from time to
time to take in the views over the estuary before reaching the
garage belonging to the Boat House. An information board outside
contains an extract from a poem by Dylan Thomas and identifies
the building as "The Writing Shed". Originally it had
been constructed as a garage in 1923.
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It was here that Thomas wrote much of his later work including
"Under Milkwood". A glass panel in one of the doors
allows visitors to see the inside of the shed which has been
preserved to give an impression of what it was like when Thomas
was here.
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A little further along the path, the Boat House itself
comes into view.
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Continuing beyond
the Boat House the path reaches a flight of steps. At the top
of the steps is another information board. This tells us that
Dylan and his wife Caitlin Thomas lived in the Boat House with
their three children, Llewellyn, Aeronwy and Colm between 1949
and 1952. The Boat House has now been preserved as a heritage
centre and contains audio visual presentations, original furnishings
and memorabilia as well as a themed bookshop and tea room.
Descending the steps leads to a small terrace and garden and
it is easy to imagine Dylan Thomas standing here among the flowers,
admiring the views and pondering his next work.
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We summer boys in this four-winded spinning,
Green of the seaweeds iron,
Hold up the noisy sea and drop her birds,
Pick the worlds ball of wave and froth
To choke the deserts with her tides,
And comb the country gardens for a wreath.
From "I See The Boys Of Summer" by Dylan Thomas
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From here it is but a short walk down to the beach
and back along the estuary to the car park in the centre of Laugharne
but a backward glance or two reveals those familiar views of
the Boat House.
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