Dylan Thomas Boathouse

Historic house museum in Carmarthenshire, Wales

Dylan Thomas Boathouse

The Boathouse, Laugharne

Location within Carmarthenshire

Location| Laugharne, Carmarthenshire, Wales
Coordinates| 51°46′20″N 4°27′22″W﻿ / ﻿51.7722°N 4.4562°W﻿ / 51.7722; -4.4562
Type| Historic house museum
Owner| Carmarthenshire County Council
Website| Dylan Thomas Boathouse

The Boathouse in Laugharne, Wales, was where Dylan Thomas lived with his family during his last four years between 1949 and 1953. The house is set in a cliff overlooking the Tâf estuary and is where he wrote many of his major pieces. It has been suggested that he wrote Under Milk Wood here but more recent research suggests that fewer than 300 lines of the play were written in Laugharne.[1][2]

## History

[edit]

The writing shed used by Dylan Thomas, close to The Boathouse, overlooking the estuary of the River Taf

There are no records of the house being in existence prior to 1834, when it was leased by the local authority to a family named Scourfield.[3] The road in which it stands was originally called Cliff Road, but has been renamed to Dylan's Walk.[4]

Thomas first visited the village of Laugharne with a friend, the poet Glyn Jones, in 1934 and was attracted to it. He moved there four years later with his wife Caitlin, and the Boat House was later bought for him by Margaret Taylor, first wife of the historian A. J. P. Taylor. Dylan and Caitlin brought up their three children, Aeronwy, Llewellyn and Colm. For his parents, Thomas rented "Pelican House" in the town, and they lived there from 1949 until his father's death in 1953.[5] After Dylan's own death in 1953, Caitlin Thomas was keen to leave Laugharne because of its painful memories.[6]

Thomas used a shed a little further along Cliff Road as his retreat, and did most of his writing there while he lived at the Boathouse. His poem, "Over Sir John's Hill", celebrated the view of the estuary it gave him, Sir John's Hill being located across the bay.[7]

The Boathouse viewed from the south across the foreshore

Thomas's shed inspired Roald Dahl to create his own writing hut at his Gipsy House, his home in Buckinghamshire.[8]

## Museum

[edit]

The house is now owned by the Carmarthenshire County Council and serves as a museum,[3] open to the public for most of the year. It contains Thomas memorabilia and some of the original furniture, including Dylan's father's desk. The house receives about 15,000 visitors a year. The interior has been returned to its 1950s appearance, with a recording of Thomas's voice playing in the background. Close to the main house is a clifftop "writing shed" where Thomas spent much of his time.[9] The interior of the shed is reconstructed with a writing table littered with discarded papers as though Thomas were in the process of working on a book.[10][11]

The exhibits include a bust of Dylan Thomas, formerly owned by Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor, a letter from former US President Jimmy Carter, and a 1936 photograph of Thomas, notable for having been taken into space on board the Space Shuttle Columbia in 1998.[12]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ D N Thomas (2004). Dylan Remembered. Volume Two, 1935-53. Seren. p. 285-313. ISBN 9781854113634.
2. ^ Published articles collected at https://sites.google.com/site/dylanthomasandnewquay/birth-of-under-milk-wood
3. ^ a b "Dylan Thomas' Boathouse, Laugharne". History Points. Retrieved 27 April 2016.
4. ^ James A. Davies (15 February 2014). Dylan Thomas's Swansea, Gower and Laugharne. University of Wales Press. pp. 5–. ISBN 978-1-78316-133-1.
5. ^ ""The life of Dylan Thomas" at newquay-westwales.co.uk". Archived from the original on 20 August 2013. Retrieved 19 July 2012.
6. ^ Ferris, Paul (1993). Caitlin: The Life of Caitlin Thomas. London: Pimlico. ISBN 0-7126-6290-1. pg 151.
7. ^ William Christie (20 November 2014). Dylan Thomas: A Literary Life. Springer. pp. 109–. ISBN 978-1-137-32257-9.
8. ^ "How Dylan Thomas's writing shed inspired Roald Dahl". BBC News. 14 September 2016. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
9. ^ "Dylan Thomas in Carmarthenshire". Discovering Carmarthenshire. Archived from the original on 27 April 2016. Retrieved 27 April 2016.
10. ^ David Atkinson; Neil Wilson (2007). Wales. Lonely Planet. p. 161\. ISBN 978-1-74104-538-3.
11. ^ Peacock, Charlotte (25 January 2021). "Where writers write: Dylan Thomas's writing shed". www.charlottepeacock.co.uk. Retrieved 25 June 2021.
12. ^ Shirley Hoover Biggers (23 September 2002). British Author House Museums and Other Memorials: A Guide to Sites in England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. McFarland. p. 351\. ISBN 978-0-7864-1268-6.

## External links

[edit]

* Official site

* v
* t
* e

Dylan Thomas (works)

Works|

* A Child's Christmas in Wales
* Portrait of the Artist as a Young Dog
* Under Milk Wood (radio play)
* Rebecca's Daughters (screenplay)

Poems|

* 18 Poems
* Deaths and Entrances
* "And death shall have no dominion"
* "Do not go gentle into that good night"
* "Fern Hill"
* "In my craft or sullen art"
* "The force that through the green fuse drives the flower"

Related|

* Caitlin Thomas (wife)
* Aeronwy Thomas (daughter)
* Gwilym Marles (paternal granduncle)
* The Kardomah Gang
* Cultural depictions
* The Boathouse
* Dylan Thomas Centre
* Dylan Thomas Theatre
* Dylan Thomas Trail
* Laugharne
* Dylan Thomas (1962 documentary)
* Dylan (1964 play)
* The Edge of Love (2008 film)
* Set Fire to the Stars (2014 film)
* A Poet in New York (2014 television film)
* Dominion (2016 film)

* v
* t
* e

Museums and art galleries in Wales

List of museums in Wales

Amgueddfa Cymru –
Museum Wales|

| Current museums|

* National Museum Cardiff
* St Fagans National Museum of History
* Big Pit National Coal Museum
* National Wool Museum
* National Roman Legion Museum
* National Slate Museum
* National Waterfront Museum

|

Former museums|

* Welsh Industrial and Maritime Museum
* Turner House Gallery

Natural history|

* National Museum Cardiff
* Swansea Museum
* Tenby Museum and Art Gallery
* Newport Museum and Art Gallery

Ancient history|

* Roman Baths Museum

Galleries and art|

* Dylan Thomas Boathouse
* Dylan Thomas Centre
* Glynn Vivian Art Gallery
* Llantarnam Grange Arts Centre
* MOMA, Wales
* Mostyn
* Oriel Ynys Môn
* Turner House Gallery
* Tŷ Pawb

Industry|

* Bersham Ironworks
* Blaenavon Ironworks
* Cefn Coed Colliery Museum
* Internal Fire – Museum of Power
* Kidwelly Industrial Museum
* Llechwedd Slate Caverns
* Pierhead Building
* South Wales Miners' Museum
* Sygun Copper Mine

Military|

* Caernarfon Airworld Aviation Museum
* South Wales Aviation Museum
* Monmouth Museum
* Regimental Museum of The Royal Welsh
* Museum of the Welsh Soldier

Local history|

* Abergavenny Museum
* Cardiff Story Museum
* Carmarthenshire County Museum
* Ceredigion Museum
* Chepstow Museum
* Haverfordwest Town Museum
* Judge's Lodging, Presteigne
* Lampeter Museum
* Llancaiach Fawr
* Menai Heritage Bridges Exhibition
* Milford Haven Museum
* National Coracle Centre
* Newport Museum
* Parc Howard Museum
* Pontypool Museum
* Scolton Manor
* Swansea Museum
* Tenby Museum and Art Gallery
* Wrexham County Borough Museum
* Y Gaer

Bus and motoring|

* Llangollen Motor Museum
* Pembrokeshire Motor Museum
* Pendine Museum of Speed

Railways|

* Borth railway museum
* Conwy Valley Railway Museum
* Narrow Gauge Railway Museum
* Penrhyn Castle Railway Museum

Maritime|

* Holyhead Maritime Museum

Other|

* National Cycle Museum
* Welsh Sports Hall of Fame
* Football Museum for Wales
* Proposed National Contemporary Art Gallery

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template