Laugharne, Carmarthenshire

Wales - the Rough Guide, 1997. - The village of Laugharne, on the other side of the Taf estuary from Llansteffan, is being increasingly taken over by the legend of Dylan Thomas, the nearest thing Wales has to a national poet. Along an excruciatingly narrow lane (not suitable for cars) bumping along the estuary, you'll stumble across the Dylan Thomas boathouse, the simple home of Thomas, his wife Caitlin and their three children from 1949 until he died from 'a massive insult to the brain' (spurred by numerous whiskies) on a lecture tour in New York four years later. It's an enchanting museum with a feeling of inspirational peace above the ever-changing water and light of the estuary and its 'heron-priested shore'. The poet is buried in the graveyard of the parish church in the village centre, marked by a simple white cross. Laugharne is probably the closest to the original of 'Llareggub', Thomas' fictional town of darkly rich characters in Under Milk Wood - an honour, it is claimed, that is shared with New Quay in Cardiganshire. The main street courses down to the ornate ruins of Laugharne Castle. Built in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, most of the original buildings were obliterated in Tudor times when Sir John Perrot transformed it into a splendid gentleman's mansion. The mix of medieval might and Tudor finery is an intriguing one, especially in the impressive Inner Ward, dominated by two original towers, one of which you can climb for some good interpretive displays and, from the domed roof, sublime views over the huddled town. Opposite the castle entrance is the tiny toytown Town Hall, topped by a white-washed Italianate bell tower, which served as a one-cell prison.

Ward Lock Red Guide, 1965. - Laugharne, an old borough teeming with interest for those with antiquarian tastes. It is situated on the coast between Llanstephan and Pendine (scene of earlier motor-racing records), about 12 miles from Carmarthen, from which it can be approached via St. Clears, on the main road between Carmarthen and Pembroke. It has a castle of which the keep and a gate named after Henry II are in a good state of preservation. The church dates from the thirteenth century and Dylan Thomas is buried in the churchyard. Several old customs linger on in the town, among them being the ceremony of 'beating the bounds'.

Pigot's Trade Directory, 1830. - Laugharne, or Lacharne, commonly called Larne, is a village and township, in the parish of its name, about three miles from St. Clears, in the same hundred and county as that town; containing, in the year 1821, 1,953 inhabitants. St. Clears, or St. Clare (so called from its founder, Lady Santa Clara, in the sixth century), is now an inconsiderable market and borough town, in the parish of its name, hundred of Derllys, and county of Carmarthen; situate on the river Tavy, which is navigable for vessels up to 250 tons burthen, and by which means it carries on a trade in agricultural and dairy produce.

POST OFFICE, John Harry, Post Master. - Letters from all parts arrive every morning at ten, and are despatched every afternoon at four.