CILFACH COTTAGE - Key Persons

Joseph Jones was brought up at Ketch, the farm at the bottom of our lane and married Mary, the maid living in the manse next door. By 1920, he was a butcher, living with his family over the shop in 38 High Street. This is Tomlinson's which is still a butcher's shop. The land around Cilfach all belonged to Ketch and, in the autumn of 1922, Villa Norge was moved by horse and cart from Bodfach Park to its present site by Huw Evans the Carter of Gwasted (just outside Llanfyllin), a journey of about two miles. His gandson Huwie lives next door and was regaled the story of the move by his mother. By 1950, both Joseph and Mary had died, and Villa Norge was acquired by Dr Llewellyn Jones, their grandson who was also the local GP. Llewellyn's younger brother Geraint was just starting out in farming and Cilfach became his first farm building. Geraint took over both the building and the stock from Huw Huws, much to Huw's relief as the stock included one difficult black cow. To avoid getting kicked, Geraint had to keep the cow's head high while she was being milked. If you can imagine a cow in what is now the kitchen its head would have been over the Esse cooker tied to a joist of what is now the bathroom floor above. That cow did not last long and Geraint started to bring in his own stock starting with two Jersey cows - Topsy and Mary - belonging to his parents. Other cows were brought from a farm near Llanfechain.