| The
bulk of West Wales cottages which still survive were built
during the 18th and 19th century, in response to the demand
for additional housing between the middle of the eighteenth
and the middle of the nineteenth century. This put a lot of
pressure on the land which was available at the time. Use
of the common land by means of the famous tai unnos or "One
Night" became widespread.
The origins of tai unnos were; the dwelling
could be built on common land, the builder had to complete
the dwelling overnight. Smoke had to rise from the chimney
by the morning, the builder then threw an axe from the front
door of the cottage, and the distance he could throw the axe
determined the boundary of the property. The cottage dweller
then had time to build a more permanent dwelling to replace
the original turf and thatch dwelling.
Some north Pembrokeshire thatched cottage
have survived almost unchanged since the 19th century. It
was first built as a "ty unnos" in about 1800 and
later rebuilt in stone.
The house was built with whatever materials
were at hand. Turf was generally used for the walls and the
roof would typically have been roughly thatched.
Once the cottager had staked his claim on
the land and felt secure enough, he would have built a more
permanent dwelling on the site.
The original cottages would have small windows
these are still seen in many locations throughout Wales.Welsh
cottages have evolved and developed becoming larger, often
two stories.
Whether they originated as tai unnos or not,
most of the permanent cottages put up during the great phase
of cottage growth would have been homemade, built by the owners
with the help of friends and neighbours.
Age-old skills such as clay walling and thatching
were used, but subtle changes were slowly taking place as
a result of external influences.
Smallholdings were being swallowed up into
large estates and pattern-book designs filtered down to even
the smallest dwellings.
By the second half of the nineteenth century,
a superior breed of cottage was appearing, two-storeyed throughout
and luxurious compared to its predecessor. These were built,
not by the cottagers, but by builders employed by the large
estates or tenant farmers.
Better communications via the railways brought
sawn timber and good quality slates. Even small quantities
of brick, mainly for chimneys, reached the less remote areas.
Pretty cottage gardens which now enhance the
properties were originally cultivated for vegetables to sustain
the family throughout the winter months.
Newport
Pembrokeshire | Stone
Cottage | West
Wales Cottage - Cardigan |
West
Wales Cottage |
Gower
AONB | The
Dylan Thomas Trail | Cottage |
