Officer appointed to explore next chapter for National Trust Cymru site in Conwy

NTC aims to engage people from “every corner of Wales – and the world” with Tŷ Mawr Wybrnant to define how the birthplace of Bishop William Morgan operates into the future.

Tŷ Mawr Wybrnant is, by today’s standards, a small and modest 16th-century farmhouse tucked away in Cwm Wybrnant near Penmachno.

Yet as birthplace to Bishop William Morgan, who translated the Bible into Welsh, it’s a place that holds huge cultural importance.

NTC has restored and looked after this place since 1951, welcoming visitors from far and wide.

But as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the charity had to temporarily close its doors and move the Bible collection for safekeeping.

The conservation charity is committed to opening the doors of Tŷ Mawr Wybrnant again, but this may take a variety of forms such as through open days, workshops, pilgrimages, educational visits, outreach activities within communities and online content.

Trystan Edwards, general manager for Snowdonia at NTC, said: “We’re thrilled to appoint Lois Jones as our senior programming and partnership officer at Tŷ Mawr Wybrnant to work with partners and the community to explore options of how we best use and engage with this special place moving forward so that we have the right model and community support in place for it to flourish.

“We recognise that Tŷ Mawr Wybrnant is a place of primary importance and we’re committed to celebrating its special story.

“We’ll use the next 18 months to define how it operates into the future and engage people from every corner of Wales – and the world.”

Lois Jones has worked within community heritage in North Wales for 12 years, including the Slate Museum in Llanberis, and Storiel - Gwynedd Museum and Art Gallery.

Most recently, Lois was the senior programming and partnership officer at Penrhyn Castle and Garden, where she played a key role in connecting the local community in Bethesda with the Penrhyn story, and supported with the UNESCO Slate Landscape of Northwest Wales bid.

Lois said: “One of my earliest memories of Tŷ Mawr Wybrnant was visiting as a child, where my mother stressed how important the place was and bought me a Kyffin Williams poster.

“I remember it being a quiet, peaceful place, where you could almost sense the presence of the people who lived there before, and I still feel that sense of connection now.

“I enjoy seeing the contribution communities can have in the work of heritage organisations and the deep understanding and connection this creates, empowering local communities to feel a sense of ownership, and how they can play their part in the future of heritage in Wales.

“Whilst Tŷ Mawr Wybrnant will forever be cared for by National Trust Cymru, there’s huge potential to explore what the next chapter is through the eyes of the community, partners and other organisations.

“I’m looking forward to hearing ideas and getting to know Tŷ Mawr and the surrounding community better so that together we can shape the future of this iconic place.”

As part of the charity’s ambition to engage people with the story of Tŷ Mawr Wybrnant, it has been working behind the scenes to develop its first Welsh and English podcast about this significant site and its history.

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Presented in Welsh by Betsan Powys, and in English by Lowri Morgan, the conservation charity wanted to create something that would resonate with both audiences, exploring different angles of the story and through different perspectives.

Betsan Powys, journalist and broadcaster, said: "I have memories as child and a teenager visiting Tŷ Mawr Wybrnant and realised then why it was so important in the history of Wales.

“I am delighted to be able to present the National Trust's first Welsh podcast which will spread the message about the importance of Tŷ Mawr Wybrnant and Bishop William Morgan who lived here.

“In the podcast, we get to hear Dr Dylan Foster Evans reading out passages from the 1588 Bible, and it took me back how readable it was.

“Over 400 years, later we’re still conversing in the same language, and it goes to show how pivotal William Morgan’s translation was to the survival of the Welsh language that so many of us speak and cherish today.”

Lowri Morgan, TV and podcast presenter, added: “Listeners can expect to go on a wonderful and interesting journey.

“I certainly did, learning about the history of the genius and his patrons who were responsible for introducing the Welsh bible to the people.

“I really didn't know how important the Bible was at the time to the development of the Welsh language and how influential it was in preserving and maintaining our language, our identity and our culture today.

"I enjoyed seeing Bibles from all over the world in the collection which showed that Tŷ Mawr is not only a significant place for us in Wales, but many people from across the world has a connection with the site.

“I hope by producing a podcast that is accessible digitally that people across the world can engage and resonate with William Morgan’s legacy.”

The conservation charity have released a trailer today (July 29) to tease what to expect from both podcasts, before releasing them on Thursday, August 4, during the National Eisteddfod in Tregaron.

You can listen to the teaser of “Tŷ Mawr Wybrnant – Cartref y cyfieithydd” and “Not Lost in Translation”, and subscribe ahead of August 4, at: audioboom.com/channels/4957126.