Discovering Turner's Laugharne Connection

Joseph Mallord William Turner 1775 – 1851, famously known as the "painter of light," and having a love for the dramatic, found all the drama he yearned for in the architecture of some of Wales most iconic and famous castles. He travelled around Wales in the late 18th and early 19th centuries and found himself confronted by these monumental structures, with memories of past dramas running through his mind. Armed with sketchbooks and canvases he set about recording his feelings and impressions of these often-crumbling ruins amidst the backdrop of wild and rugged landscapes. His sketches from this period show a transition from precise architectural drawing to a more atmospheric and emotive style that would later define Romanticism.

Amongst the many subjects he sketched and painted, Laugharne Castle stood proud, sitting where the River Taf meets the sea. The castle was already a ruin, its fixed broken and jagged sandstone walls nestling beneath ever-changing skies. Turner was also fascinated by the tidal nature of the Taf Estuary, its high tides and the wildlife that ebbed and flowed with it. He loved the way the morning sun reflected its eminence across the everchanging water.

Today in Laugharne, explorers can experience the same breathtaking views that inspired Turner by exploring the Laugharne Walks. The most famous of these is the Dylan Thomas Birthday Walk, which climbs up Sir John’s Hill overlooking the castle and the estuary and the heron-priested shore. You will also be able to see Dylan’s Writing Shed where he penned some of his most iconic works, and a little further along the shore you will see The Boathouse. While Turner captured Laugharne’s essence in pictures, Thomas captured it with words, with works such as ‘Over Sir John’s Hill’, ‘On His Birthday’ and his radio play ‘Under Milk Wood’.

If you are interested in art and the works of Turner, or whether you are more of a literary person, the walk around Laugharne Castle remains one of the most evocative experiences in Wales—a place where the light still dances on the water exactly as it did on Turner’s canvas.