Novelist EP Morgan's family shop, Corwen

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The husband of novelist Elena Puw Morgan (1900-1973) ran a tailor’s shop in this building, now home to a café called Caffi Treferwyn. The property now belongs to the family of the singer Trebor Edwards.

The Morgan & Davies business sold clothes on the ground floor which were made by tailors in the rooms above the shop. In 1919 the business advertised for experienced tailors and “Lady Skirt Hands”. It’s likely that proprietor John Morgan was assisted in the shop at times by his wife Elena.

Portrait of novelist Elena Puw MorganShe was the first woman to win the National Eisteddfod’s prose medal. It was awarded for her novel Y Graith (The Scar) in 1938, when the Eisteddfod was in Cardiff (it is held at a different site each year). The book was later adapted for television. Her writing often reflected her experiences of country life and her insights into the lives of Romany families.

Perhaps her greatest contribution to Welsh literature was her writing for children in the inter-war decades, when there was a dearth of attractive reading material in Welsh for children. Her work in the magazine Cymru’r Plant and her other stories helped to inspire the next generation of Welsh-language writers.

She lived in Corwen throughout her life. Initially she lived with her parents Lewis and Kate Davies at her childhood home, called Islwyn. Lewis was a minister at the Independent chapel in Corwen. After her marriage, Elena lived at Annedd Wen. Both houses are close to Caffi Treferwyn.

Trebor Edwards was born in 1939 and lives on the family farm in Betws Gwerful Goch, near Corwen. His renditions of ballads and traditional Welsh songs have entertained several generations. Since he began recording in the 1970s, he has sold more than 250,000 albums – a significant feat for a Welsh-language artist.

With thanks to Angharad Puw Davies

Postcode: LL21 0AB    View Location Map

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