Laugharne Castle

The sleepy, timeless town of Laugharne was not always the tranquil place it is today. This placid place, immortalised by its most celebrated inhabitant, the writer Dylan Thomas, has a far more turbulent past.

Laugharne Castle is testament to the town’s troubled history, standing foursquare on the waterfront overlooking the Taf estuary.

Laugharne was probably founded in the early 12th Century as an earth and timber fortification but was later adapted to provide stylish living accommodation.

In the 13th and 14th Centuries, Laugharne was the home of the de Brian family and much of their stone castle survives including two large towers and a gatehouse. The transformation into a grand mansion was the work of Sir John Perrot in the 16th Century.

The castle saw active service during the Civil War, after which it declined into a romantic ruin and became the subject of a dramatic watercolour by JMW Turner.

Dylan Thomas described Laugharne Castle as 'brown as owls' - a phrase he may have coined during the many hours he spent writing in a gazebo there while the guest of his friend Richard Hughes, also a writer and owner of the castle for a time during the 1940s.

This gazebo, which can be described as a garden summerhouse built over the base of a medieval tower, commands splendid views of the Taf estuary.

Soak up some more of what inspired Dylan Thomas to write Under Milk Wood here in Laugharne with a visit to his Boathouse which is just a stone’s throw away.
More information at: cadw.wales.gov.uk

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