NEWS

First Minister of Wales, Carwyn Jones, was given a very warm welcome on the hearth of Yr Ysgwrn yesterday, when he came to see plans for the future of this remarkable home.

Yesterday (Thursday, July 9th) the First Minister of Wales visited Yr Ysgwrn, one of Wales’ most famous homes. This visit marks a new era in the history Yr Ysgwrn, as works to conserve and develop the site commence at the end of the summer. During the visit, the First Minister spoke with Hedd Wyn’s nephew, Mr Gerald Williams, who continues to welcome visitors to Yr Ysgwrn. The First Minister also had the opportunity to discuss the development of Yr Ysgwrn with project officers and to see some of the plans.

First Minister of Wales, Carwyn Jones said:

“It’s fitting that on the centenary of the First World War I’ve been able to visit Yr Ysgwrn, home to the famous Welsh poet Hedd Wyn. It’s important that we preserve our iconic buildings for future generations, that’s why we’ve taken action to preserve this site which is an important part of Welsh cultural heritage.”

Chairman of the Snowdonia National Park Authority, Councillor Caerwyn Roberts said:

“The development of Yr Ysgwrn will provide a lasting memorial to Hedd Wyn and a generation of Welshmen lost during the First World War. It is both fitting and poignant that the First Minister visits us today and the Authority is grateful for his personal commitment to the Yr Ysgwrn project from its earlier days.”

• Opening the farmhouse to the public, including the buttery, the pantry and the bedrooms with interpretation in these rooms focusing on the life and work of Hedd Wyn.
• Converting Beudy Llwyd (an old cow house) to a welcome building which will include a reception, cafe, education room, study room and an exhibition room.
• Restoring Beudy Tŷ (an old barn) to include film interpretation about the Great War, rural life and culture of the period, and adapting the building to enable events to be held there.
• Turn the Pigsty to a Bat House.
• Demolish the existing agricultural shed and build a new environmentally friendly shed (with grass roof), in its place.
• In addition, there will be a specific car park for visitors and a biomass boiler will be built next to the pigsty.

The major work of developing Yr Ysgwrn will begin this summer and continue until the spring of 2017. Yr Ysgwrn will be open as usual through appointment during the summer and autumn but won’t be open to the public from the end of the year. Open Days will be held during the development phase which will focus on particular aspects of the work. In the meantime, a temporary exhibition of Yr Ysgwrn will be located at Plas Tan y Bwlch (about 7 miles away) and will include a replica of Y Gadair Ddu (the Black Chair).