Trenewydd Through the Years
There has been a farm here for a very long time.
Long before there were holiday cottages, hot tubs, swimming pools or families arriving for a week by the coast, this was a working farm, with generations of farmers, farm workers and their families making their lives here.
And Trenewydd has not always been called Trenewydd.
From Lookabout To Trenewydd
The earliest records we have found date back to 1685, when the property appeared in documents relating to the Noyadd Trefawr estate. It was then known by a rather brilliant collection of names: Gavel, Llain y Pârsed and Lookabout.
In 1771, the property was leased to Thomas John of St Dogmaels, who paid an annual rent of £3 13s 6d. By 1779, Thomas John was recorded as the tenant and farmer here.
The name Lookabout continued for many years. In 1793, farmer John Nicholas took on the property on a lease for three lives, and members of the Nicholas family continued to live and farm here into the early 1800s.
Then came the name change that gave us the Trenewydd we know today.
So Why Is It Called Trenewydd?
The story behind the name is rather lovely.
The property was eventually bought by the owners of Hendre, another local farm. David Phillips farmed Hendre, meaning Old Town, and apparently felt that if the father had the old farm, his son should have the new one.
His son, James Phillips, married Letitia Jones in 1829 and, when the tenancy became available, the couple made their home here.
James had previously farmed at Hendre, but following his father's death in 1831 he inherited the property. It was around this time that the name changed from Lookabout to Trenewydd, meaning New Town.
So, in a rather roundabout way, Trenewydd got its name because somebody decided that if there was an old farm, there ought to be a new one.
The name has been here ever since.
The 1834 map still called the property “Lookabout Farm”, but by the time of the St Dogmaels Tithe Map in 1838, it was recorded as Trenewydd, with 93 acres of land.
Lookabout, Sir
And then there is the story that may explain why “Lookabout” became such a memorable local name.
In the early 1860s, Reverend Henry James Vincent wrote about Trenewydd and recalled an incident that had apparently happened some sixty or seventy years earlier.
A surgeon named Davies, who lived in Cardigan, was passing the farm when he asked a woman sitting outside a cottage what the place was called.
“Lookabout, Sir,” she replied.
He asked again.
“Lookabout, Sir.”
Again.
“Lookabout, Sir.”
The surgeon became increasingly frustrated, apparently believing that the woman was simply refusing to answer his question. Eventually he left rather cross.
It was only later that he realised that Lookabout really was the name of the place.
According to Reverend Vincent's account, he was so embarrassed that he returned to apologise and, thereafter, whenever he passed that way, he would call at the cottage and leave the woman a little something as an act of kindness.
It is a wonderfully Welsh bit of local history, and perhaps one of the best stories attached to the farm.
A Working Farm Through The 1800s
By the middle of the 19th century, Trenewydd was home to several families. The 1851 Census records four separate dwellings on the property, occupied by farmers, farm labourers and their families.
In 1851, David Morgan was farming eight acres here. Other residents included farm labourer David Jenkins and several other local families. By 1871, William Davies was farming at Trenewydd, and by 1881 William James was recorded as the farmer of 93 acres.
The farm continued to be worked by successive families throughout the century. The 1891 Census records farmer David Lewis and his family living here, along with servants.
By the early 1900s, Daniel Morris was farming here. He and his wife Mary lived at Trenewydd with their daughters, and the 1911 Census records them living in nine rooms here. Daniel and Mary had been married for 46 years and had nine children, although only four were still living at the time.
For generations, Trenewydd was very much a home as well as a farm.
The Farm Changes Hands
The early 20th century brought considerable change. Trenewydd was advertised for sale several times during the 1920s. In 1922 there was a clear out sale for Morgan Jenkins, who was leaving after selling the farm.
In 1927, the funeral of Dan Owens of Trenewydd was held following his death at just 35 years old, leaving a widow and seven children.
The farm was sold again in 1932, this time to Mr Harcourt Davies of Eglwyswrw, who farmed here until the 1940s.
In 1945, Trenewydd was advertised for sale with 85 acres of land. It was bought by Henry Sykes, who moved here that November and lived here until 1947. The property was then sold again in 1948, this time for £5,500, to James Heseltine of Lancaster. The Heseltine family lived here during the 1950s, and Trenewydd continued to appear on Ordnance Survey maps of the period.
In 1968 and 1969, a Mr Grota lived here and ran a catering business.
From Farm To Holiday Destination
The biggest change in Trenewydd's story came in the 1970s. The farm was gradually transformed into a holiday complex by Hywel and Yvonne Davies. For the first time, people were coming here not to farm the land, but to enjoy it.
The property was sold to the Thomas family in the 1990s, and in 1998 Mrs Deborah Thomas was living here. It was Chris Thomas who installed the swimming pool in the 1980s. Since then it was owned by Tony and Linda Price, and in 2020 Andrew and Virginia Corbett took over the reins, adding the FootGolf course, the scalextric shack, and the huge garden railway.
And Now...
Trenewydd has changed enormously over the centuries, but the basic idea remains surprisingly similar. People still come here to enjoy the countryside, spend time together and make themselves at home.
The farm has evolved from a working agricultural holding into the holiday destination it is today, but traces of its past are still all around us.
The name Trenewydd, first used nearly two hundred years ago, is still here. The fields are still here, the barn, and the cattle grates. And although the people living here and the reasons for coming here have changed, Trenewydd is still, at heart, a place with a story.
One that started with a farm called Lookabout.
Long before there were holiday cottages, hot tubs, swimming pools or families arriving for a week by the coast, this was a working farm, with generations of farmers, farm workers and their families making their lives here.
And Trenewydd has not always been called Trenewydd.
From Lookabout To Trenewydd
The earliest records we have found date back to 1685, when the property appeared in documents relating to the Noyadd Trefawr estate. It was then known by a rather brilliant collection of names: Gavel, Llain y Pârsed and Lookabout.
In 1771, the property was leased to Thomas John of St Dogmaels, who paid an annual rent of £3 13s 6d. By 1779, Thomas John was recorded as the tenant and farmer here.
The name Lookabout continued for many years. In 1793, farmer John Nicholas took on the property on a lease for three lives, and members of the Nicholas family continued to live and farm here into the early 1800s.
Then came the name change that gave us the Trenewydd we know today.
So Why Is It Called Trenewydd?
The story behind the name is rather lovely.
The property was eventually bought by the owners of Hendre, another local farm. David Phillips farmed Hendre, meaning Old Town, and apparently felt that if the father had the old farm, his son should have the new one.
His son, James Phillips, married Letitia Jones in 1829 and, when the tenancy became available, the couple made their home here.
James had previously farmed at Hendre, but following his father's death in 1831 he inherited the property. It was around this time that the name changed from Lookabout to Trenewydd, meaning New Town.
So, in a rather roundabout way, Trenewydd got its name because somebody decided that if there was an old farm, there ought to be a new one.
The name has been here ever since.
The 1834 map still called the property “Lookabout Farm”, but by the time of the St Dogmaels Tithe Map in 1838, it was recorded as Trenewydd, with 93 acres of land.
Lookabout, Sir
And then there is the story that may explain why “Lookabout” became such a memorable local name.
In the early 1860s, Reverend Henry James Vincent wrote about Trenewydd and recalled an incident that had apparently happened some sixty or seventy years earlier.
A surgeon named Davies, who lived in Cardigan, was passing the farm when he asked a woman sitting outside a cottage what the place was called.
“Lookabout, Sir,” she replied.
He asked again.
“Lookabout, Sir.”
Again.
“Lookabout, Sir.”
The surgeon became increasingly frustrated, apparently believing that the woman was simply refusing to answer his question. Eventually he left rather cross.
It was only later that he realised that Lookabout really was the name of the place.
According to Reverend Vincent's account, he was so embarrassed that he returned to apologise and, thereafter, whenever he passed that way, he would call at the cottage and leave the woman a little something as an act of kindness.
It is a wonderfully Welsh bit of local history, and perhaps one of the best stories attached to the farm.
A Working Farm Through The 1800s
By the middle of the 19th century, Trenewydd was home to several families. The 1851 Census records four separate dwellings on the property, occupied by farmers, farm labourers and their families.
In 1851, David Morgan was farming eight acres here. Other residents included farm labourer David Jenkins and several other local families. By 1871, William Davies was farming at Trenewydd, and by 1881 William James was recorded as the farmer of 93 acres.
The farm continued to be worked by successive families throughout the century. The 1891 Census records farmer David Lewis and his family living here, along with servants.
By the early 1900s, Daniel Morris was farming here. He and his wife Mary lived at Trenewydd with their daughters, and the 1911 Census records them living in nine rooms here. Daniel and Mary had been married for 46 years and had nine children, although only four were still living at the time.
For generations, Trenewydd was very much a home as well as a farm.
The Farm Changes Hands
The early 20th century brought considerable change. Trenewydd was advertised for sale several times during the 1920s. In 1922 there was a clear out sale for Morgan Jenkins, who was leaving after selling the farm.
In 1927, the funeral of Dan Owens of Trenewydd was held following his death at just 35 years old, leaving a widow and seven children.
The farm was sold again in 1932, this time to Mr Harcourt Davies of Eglwyswrw, who farmed here until the 1940s.
In 1945, Trenewydd was advertised for sale with 85 acres of land. It was bought by Henry Sykes, who moved here that November and lived here until 1947. The property was then sold again in 1948, this time for £5,500, to James Heseltine of Lancaster. The Heseltine family lived here during the 1950s, and Trenewydd continued to appear on Ordnance Survey maps of the period.
In 1968 and 1969, a Mr Grota lived here and ran a catering business.
From Farm To Holiday Destination
The biggest change in Trenewydd's story came in the 1970s. The farm was gradually transformed into a holiday complex by Hywel and Yvonne Davies. For the first time, people were coming here not to farm the land, but to enjoy it.
The property was sold to the Thomas family in the 1990s, and in 1998 Mrs Deborah Thomas was living here. It was Chris Thomas who installed the swimming pool in the 1980s. Since then it was owned by Tony and Linda Price, and in 2020 Andrew and Virginia Corbett took over the reins, adding the FootGolf course, the scalextric shack, and the huge garden railway.
And Now...
Trenewydd has changed enormously over the centuries, but the basic idea remains surprisingly similar. People still come here to enjoy the countryside, spend time together and make themselves at home.
The farm has evolved from a working agricultural holding into the holiday destination it is today, but traces of its past are still all around us.
The name Trenewydd, first used nearly two hundred years ago, is still here. The fields are still here, the barn, and the cattle grates. And although the people living here and the reasons for coming here have changed, Trenewydd is still, at heart, a place with a story.
One that started with a farm called Lookabout.
