Adeilad o Goed o Ddau Oes/ A Wooden Building from Two Ages

Ffwrdd a Ni! 
Chocks Away!

Hwre! Mae'r gem yn dechrau go iawn erbyn hyn, oherwydd mae'r cynlluniau i gyd wedi eu derbyn ac mae Rhys wedi bod yn gweithio'n galed iawn gydag adeilad gallwn ddim ond ei ddisgrifio fel lletchwith ar y gorau! Ond, mae popeth yn dechrau symud rŵan a'r gwahanol weithwyr wedi trefnu yn barod i ddechrau mor fuan â phosib. Felly, beth sydd angen i wneud? Wel, lot!

At last! We can begin the real work now that the planning permission is through and Rhys (the architect) has worked tirelessly on a building which I can only describe at best as awkward and interesting - and no, I don't appreciate the application of the same phrase when in reference to me husband dear! So, a variety of builders have now received instructions. So what's to do? A shedload of work, that's what!

Rhys Llwyd Davies, Pensaer/Architect - Bala

Y Coed/The Wood

Wrth chwilota, chwalu, thyllu a thaflu daeth yn amlwg bod yr adeilad yn lawer hyn nac yr oeddem wedi sylweddoli. Wrth dynnu plaster rhydd, roedd yn amlwg fod yr hen waliau pren yn ymestyn i fyny yn ogystal â thuag at flaen yr adeilad. Roedd rhaid yn gyntaf cael triniaeth i'r coed felly dyma alw ar Preservation Ltd a wnaeth job andros o dda yn socian y lle o dop i waelod i gael gwared â phry ayyb. 

Whilst smashing things up and digging it became apparent that the building is much older than we first supposed. Removing the loose plaster revealed more old wooden walls that date back to possibly Elizabethan or older. These extend upwards to the first floor and towards the front of the shop, about halfway. We needed to treat all of this wood quite urgently so we called in Preservation Ltd, who did a thorough job of the building.

Oedd angen paratoi trwy dynnu rhai o'r estyll iddo allu mynd at y distiau, felly dyma roi Dylan wrthi i wneud hyn (mae o'n andros o handi tu allan o'r gegin hefyd wyddoch chi!). Wrth godi'r coed yng nghefn yr adeilad, sylweddolodd na ddim distiau oedd o dan ond set arall o estyll. Dyma od! 


Beth oedd wedi digwydd? Yn syml iawn, roedd y gweithwyr 19eg ganrif wedi penderfynu peidio â thrafferthu i godi'r hen estyll a oedd yn dirywio ond rhoi'r estyll newydd ar ben yr hen rai. Cowboi bildars go iawn!

Preparation was needed for the treatment and floorboards had to be lifted to gain access to the joists so I set my trusty workman (he has uses that extend beyond the kitchen) to task. It was surprising to find underneath the floorboards, not joists, but another set of floorboards that looked pretty rotten. 

What had happened was that the 19th century builders decided to lay the new boards on top of the old crumbling ones. Cowboy builders or increasing the insulation of the property?

Coed llawn pry o dan yr estyll mwy diweddar/Woodworm infested wood under the newer floorboards

Hen hoelion yn yr astell wreiddiol/Old nails in the original floorboards.

Golyga hyn ein bod yn edrych ar adeilad mwy diddorol a hyn nac oeddent wedi dychmygu a gyda chymorth y Parc Cenedlaethol, cawsom archeolegydd i'r adeilad i ymchwilio ymhellach.


Daeth wedyn mwy o waith coed i'r golwg, sef y plank & muntin enwog erbyn hyn sy'n dyddio cefn yr adeilad ymhell yn ôl i 17eg neu'r 16eg ganrif. Felly, mae'n edrych yn debyg bod y tu blaen yn dyddio o gwmpas 1820 a'r cefn efallai 200 mlynedd gynt. Waw! Dwi'n ecseited!

This meant that we have a more interesting building than we originally anticipated and with the help of the National Park, we enlisted the help of an archaeologist to investigate further. More woodwork was exposed that showed the plank and muntin walling extending up to the top floor. This leads us to conclude that the front half of the building dates to somewhere around the 1820s and the back to the 17th or possibly 16th century. We await the full report with excitement!

Gobeithiwn allu cadw gymaint â phosib o'r hen waliau yn olwg ond mae'n fater o gydbwysedd o sawl peth. Yn gyntaf, mae diogelwch a rheolau tan, ond hefyd rhaid ystyried mae ei orchuddio gyda phlastr calch mae'n debyg fyddai wedi digwydd. Hmmm! Ond, mae'r diddordeb hanesyddol yn caniatáu i ni adael rhywfaint ohono i arddangos.

Hopefully, we can keep some of the old walls exposed but this is going to have to be balanced with fire regulations and what would have been done during that period: i.e. if the wooden walls were covered in lime plaster, then to restore the building, that is what we should do. However, we can compromise a bit in order to allow a glimpse of history to be on display to the public.

Llyfr Bwyd a Gwin/Food and Wine Book Dylanwad Da

Helo Eto! Back Again!

Wel mae hi di bod yn dawel yma yn tydi! Beth ar y ddaear maen nhw wedi bod yn gwneud clywaf chi'n dweud! Wel, dim llawer o symud ar yr adeilad ond llawer iawn o brosiectau eraill ac wrth gwrs, o'r Pasg tan ddiwedd Medi mae'r bwyty Dylanwad Da yn brysur iawn.

Un darn o newyddion yw ein bod wedi ysgrifennu llyfr! Llyfr Cymraeg am fwyd a gwin. Mae hanesion Dylan ynddo yn mynd i chwilio am winoedd yn Ewrop ac yn sôn am rhai o'r gwinllanoedd teuluol rydym wedi bod yn prynu gan dros y blynyddoedd. A hefyd, mae 'na ryseitiau o Ddylanwad Da. Dechreusom ysgrifennu ym mis Mawrth ac roedd angen gorffen erbyn Gorffennaf yn cynnwys tynnu lluniau. Ar ôl y profiad yma, tyfodd fy mharch at bobl sy'n ysgrifennu llyfrau yn eithriadol. Stress neu be!! Cofiaf ffrind yn mynd i gerdded y GR20 yng Nghorsica flynyddoedd yn ôl ac yn dweud dan chwerthin ei fod yn llwybr enwog am dorri priodasau. Wel, mae cyd-weithio efo gwr anghofus i ysgrifennu llyfr yn dod yn agos iawn hefyd. Peidiwch â sôn dim bo fi'n dweud!

Gwelwch y llun o'r gwahoddiad i'r lansiad yn Nolgellau, tydi Branwen o Lolfa wedi gwneud joban ffantastig? Dwi wedi plesio'n fawr efo'r clawr hefyd. Pan ofynnodd Meinir oedd syniadau gennym i'r clawr, rhaid i mi ddweud, doeddwn heb roi eiliad o ystyriaeth i'r peth (na chant a mil o bethau eraill i ddweud y gwir) ond mae clawr mor bwysig! Wel, diolch i'r tîm yn y Lolfa, mae hwnna hefyd yn edrych yn grêt. Phew!

Cynhelir yr ail lansiad yng Nghaerdydd ar y 8fed o Dachwedd yn y Clwb Cameo, Pontcanna. Bydd cyfle i griw o ffrindiau a cyn-staff yn ogystal â theulu ddod i'r un yn y de ac mae dipyn o ffrindiau sy'n trydar ar 'Yr Awr Gymraeg' am ymuno hefyd. Mae Branwen o'r Lolfa yn brysur yn llenwi ein dyddiadur efo digwyddiadau yn wahanol drefydd i hybu'r llyfr, felly amser prysur iawn ond hwyl ar y gorwel. 

Am y tro, dwi'n addo byddaf yn ôl gyda newyddion am y Tŷ Blasu Gwin yn yr wythnosau nesaf!

How quiet we have been over the summer months, I'm sure you thought we'd given up, but no, we're back! Not a lot has been happening in the wine shop (we'll get to that in the next post) and as well as the busy summer season we have had other projects to occupy our time.

One of these projects was writing a Welsh language book about food and wine. It has stories of Dylan's travels to small wineries in Europe to buy wine and recipes from our Dylanwad Da restaurant. We started writing in March and needed it to be finished by July, photographs and all. My respect for writers has grown enormously I have to say. A friend who years ago was about to go to walk the famous GR20 trail in Corsica joked about it being a marriage breaker - co-operating to write a book came close at times! But we survived! I'm sure he realises how wrong he was looking back.

Anyway, it's all very exciting, the Dolgellau launch is on the 1st November in Dylanwad Da and the Cardiff launch in the Cameo Club, Pontcanna on the 8th November. Here's the invite to the Dolgellau launch, I thought the Lolfa publishers had made a very nice job of this. As they have the book cover, which I have to admit, we hadn't given a second thought as to what it should look like. Actually  there were a million things we hadn't thought about, but the book cover is a pretty important one - Lolfa team to the rescue again! So I have been busy delivering invitations today. Very difficult because we can only accommodate about 40 people for that evening in Dylanwad but we'll also be promoting it during Dolgellau Late Night Shopping on the 28th November.

For now, I promise to be back very soon with news from the Wine Tasting House!

Dolgellau Book Launch Invitation

Darganfod Rhyw Bethau Od! Peculiar Discoveries!

Hen bryd i gael post arall ar y blog gweld bod fy ffrind Jane wedi rhoi hwb bach i mi ac atgoffa mod yn araf braidd gyda'r nesaf! Diolch Jane, mae hwn i ti! Hefyd mae Dylan wedi mynd i Ffrainc i chwilio am win (mond newydd ddod yn ol o'r Eidal mae o! Da chi'n medru gweld pwy di'r Cinderella o'r bartneriaeth yma mae'n siwr!)

Erbyn hyn, rydym wedi chwalu popeth sy'n bosib i'w gael gwared ohonno ac yn aros i gynlluniau gyrraedd a cael eu trafod gyda'r Parc Cenedlaethol. Cawsom sgwrs fuddiol iawn rhyw bythefnos yn ol gyda dau aelod o'r Parc ac mae'n edrych yn debyg ein bod yn meddwl yr un ffordd am beth dyle fod yn digwydd i'r adeilad, sy'n newyddion da!

Mae'r lle yn ddiddorol dros ben gyda rhai darnau hen iawn yn y cefn ond mae na bethau wedi cuddio hefyd. Gwelwch y llun cyntaf, dyma ble roedd cegin fach i staff wneud te ac yn y blaen. Dechreuodd Dylan a minnau dynu'r cypyrddau ffwrdd a sylwais gyntaf ar y llawr bod llechen yno. 'Mae hwn fel stepen ddrws,' dwedais wrth Dylan yn meddwl dim ohonno.

About time for a new post as my dear and attentive friend Jane pointed out! Also, Dylan has gone (having only just arrived back from Italy I hasten to add, you can see who the Cinderella of this partnership is can't you?) on a French wine finding mission for a few days, so here we go. 

By now we have cleared the whole building and are simply waiting for the plans to be approved and to make changes necessary. A meeting with officials from the Snowdonia National Park was very productive and I think our aims are the same for the building, which is good news. It was great to see how excited they were about the the place, especially the old floor on the first floor and the reflection of different eras that can be seen.

It is still yielding a few surprises. The kitchen area for staff on the ground floor needed to go, so Dylan and I went about demolishing it (we're good at that!) only to see a slab of slate under the kitchen unit. I mentioned it looked like a doorstep, only to find it was a doorstep on further exposure! Complete with stained glass panels. It obviously used to lead outside, now it leads to a brick wall.

Dyma'r hen gegin staff/The old staff kitchen

Wedyn, ar ol tynu un neu ddau o ddarnau eraill, edrychwch beth oedd yna! Drws cyfa! Mae'n edrych yn debyg mae drws yn mynd syth allan i'r stryd oedd hwn. Mae'n hollol gyfa ond wal frics sydd yr ochr arall iddo!

A dyma oedd tu nol iddo! And this is what was behind it!

Un peth arall dawsom ar ei draws oedd yr arwydd yma. Tra roedd Dylan yn cael gwared o sbwriel o rhyw dwll arall, daeth o hyd i hwn wedi ei ddefnyddio i gau bwlch. Dwi wedi holi o gwmpas y dref, yn cynnwys y teulu Walker ond heb gael unrhyw wybodaeth am Mr Walker. Oes rhywun allan 'na efo syniadau neu gwybodaeth am hyn?

Another little puzzle was this brass plaque Dylan found blocking a hole in the floor. We've asked around Dolgellau and even enquired with the local Walker family but no joy. Does anyone think they know anything about Mr Walker? Please get in touch if you think you do.

Was Threshers once a Solicitor's office?

Gyda llaw, mae'n reit ddiddorol i wybod ym mha iaith mae pobl yn darllen ein blog? Hefyd, does dim llawer yn arwyddo i gael y blog wedi ei yrru yn syth i chi pan mae post newydd, oes rheswm am hyn? Gymaint o adborth a phosib yn help mawr, diolch.

By the way, it would be interesting to know which language you use to read our blog - maybe both! I also note that even though there are a few thousand page views, very few people actually sign up to receive posts automatically. Would you mind letting me know reasons for this if you have time? In fact, any feedback at all would be very useful. Thank you .

Blwyddyn Newydd Dda! Happy New Year!

AMSER TAWEL O'R FLWYDDYN - A QUIET TIME OF YEAR

Wel, mae pethau wedi bod yn dawel braidd fel yr ydym yn aros i gael cynlluniau i roi ger y Parc Cenedlaethol ond mawr obeithiwn cawn weld datblygiad yn y misoedd cyntaf o'r flwyddyn newydd yma. Rydym hefyd wedi bod yn brysur yn Dylanwad efo partioedd nadolig a datblygu un ochr o'r busnes fel siop i ddechrau datblygu syniadau. Mae'n rhaid dweud, cawsom hwyl ar werthu anrhegion nadolig, roedd y siop yn brysur, sy'n addawol iawn i siop newydd gobeithio! 

Mae ambell un ohonnoch yn gofyn beth yw'r cynllun ac, yn FWY PWYSIG! Beth sy'n digwydd i Dylanwad Da? So, dyma'r plan!

Bydd busnes newydd o'r enw Gwin Dylanwad Wine yn agor yn yr hen Threshers. Siop, selar win a lle i eistedd a chael gwydrad gyda tamad ysgafn i fwyta (caws/jamon ayb). Y bwriad yw bod dim gwaith coginio trwm - dwi'n trio cadw'r hen Dyl mewn siap go dda gweld ei fod ddim yn 'en primeur' ddim rhagor ond mae dal potensial dda iddo wella gyda oedran gyda storej gofalus a handlo reit ddelicat. Bydd, os cawn ganiatad, ystafell flasu ffurfiol fyny grisiau a hefyd cwpl o ystafelloedd bach cyfforddus i grwpiau o ffrindiau ayb eistedd.

Targed i agor? Tachwedd 2013. A'r bwyty Dylanwad Da? Ei roi ar y farchnad i werthu fel ac y mae o yn y flwyddyn nesaf yma. Ia, a hithau'n 25 mlynedd arnom ym mis Awst! Ond dyna ni, mae angen gwneud lle i rhywun newydd a byse'n gret meddwl am berson ifanc lleol efallai. Nabod rhywun??

It's been pretty quiet whilst we await the plans to present to the Snowdonia National Park but we're hoping that we shall soon be able to see some developments in the first months of the year. We have also been busy with Christmas parties and with the side of the restaurant we have developed into a shop. I'm pleased to say that it's been very busy, which is very encouraging and hopefully a sign of things to come in the new premises.

One or two of you have been asking about what the timescale is and, more importantly, what are we planning to do with the restaurant! So, here we go!

A new business will be opened under the name Gwin Dylanwad Wine in the old Threshers building. Primarily a shop, wine cellar and a place to sit and enjoy quality wines and have a light bite to eat, the idea is to not have a heavy burden of cooking - I'm trying to keep Dylan in good shape as he's no longer 'en primeur', there's still good potential for developing some rough tannic edges to mellow fruitfulness with careful handling and storage.

Target to open? November 2013. And the restaurant Dylanwad Da? We shall put it on the market to sell as a going concern this year after 25 years of cooking this August! Time for a young and enthusiastic chef to take over. Know anyone?? 

YN OL I 'ROSIE'S'  -  BACK TO ROSIE'S

Rwan, da chi'n cofio'r enw Rosie's, y ddynes siop ddillad? Ar ol dipyn o holi, roedd Dylan wrth ei fodd i gael llun o Rosie ei hunan diolch i Margaret Roberts, merch John Roberts, perchennog Cigydd Roberts, Dolgellau sy'n dal yn nwylo'r un teulu heddiw.

Remember Rosie's? The woman that owned the clothes business? After some enquiries, Dylan was delighted to be given a photograph of her. This was thanks to Margaret Roberts, daughter of the late John Roberts who owned the butcher's shop in Dolgellau square.

Gallwch weld Rosie a'i gwr yn y llun a John Roberts ar y dde. Roedd yn mynd ar ei wyliau gyda nhw pan oedd yn hogyn ifanc. Credwn eu bod ar y ffordd i Iwerddon ac efallai maent yn sefyll o flaen siop yn Gretna Green. Diolch Margaret am y llun, roedd yn dod a atgofion o dy dad yn ol hefyd a dwi'n siwr bydd sawl un wrth eu boddau yn ei weld.

You can see Rosie and her husband in the photograph with John Roberts on the right. He used to go on holiday with them when he was a young boy. We think they may have been on their way to Ireland and this picture could be at Gretna Green in front of the old Blacksmith's shop. Thank you for kindly allowing us to have a copy of this photograph Margaret, it's lovely to see and I know lots of other readers will be delighted.

Dechrau Chwalu - The Demolition Begins

Yn Y Siop/In The Shop

Er mwyn gallu mesur a gweld yn union beth sydd yma, mae'n rhaid cael gwared o'r silffoedd a does dim dewis ond eu malu'n racs i'w cael allan. Dwi'n meddwl bod hyn yn rhoi mwynhad mawr i Dylan sydd i weld wrth ei fodd yn waldio pethau nes ma nhw'n deilchian - a fo'n ddyn mor dawel ac addfwyn! Oes neges yma?

With me at the helm in the very important role of supervisor Dylan begins to take down the old shelving. No hope of salvaging any of it and actually, I don't think we want to. We're doing so much to the whole place anyway, we prefer to have exactly the shelving that we want there. When this is down Rhys can measure and we can see what we're dealing with more.

Dylan yn gweithio//Dylan working

Mae'r llun isod yn dangos ar y dde wrth ddod i mewn trwy drws Threshers, a mae sefyllfa reit od yma! Yn amlwg roedd drws neu ffenest yma ar un adeg yn edrych tuag at y Sgwar.

This is just on the right as you walk in through the door and it is becoming apparent that there was once a door or a window facing the direction of the square.  How interesting!

Dyma ni - gallwch weld ble sydd wedi bricio i gau twll rwan - a'r darnau bach mwya od wedi stwffio mewn - da chi'n gweld y planc pren gwyn na efo 'bow' bach arno? Dros ben o pryd oedd siop ddillad yma efallai?

Here's the full view of the bricked area, you can just see Pobty'r Dref out of the window on the right so that you can get some sense of direction. Some sad little remnants pop up every now and again; can you see the little bow on the white plank above the bricked in area? From the days of being a drapers maybe?

Efallai bod mynedfa arall i'r selar wedi bod yma - mae llwyth ohonnynt! Hefyd, gwelwch y garreg fawr na'n sticio allan i mewn i'r ystafell yn y gwaelod ar y chwith.

This looks very much like yet another entrance to the cellar, probably from the outside. One or two people have talked of steps going down from the outside with railings. 

Mae'r plastar yn rhydd ac yn disgyn oddi ar y waliau tu nol i ble roedd y silffoedd.

This was what was behind the shelving: the plaster falls off with a touch!

Mae lliw ar y wal yn ddiddorol, fel pwdwr glas golau a pinc, hen liwiau dwi'n dychmygu.

On the walls there are very pale powdery colours: pink and blue.

Oh! Dwi'n caru pethau bach fel hyn! Darn bach o bapur wal ar ol o amser gynt.

I love little bits like this! Beautiful little glimpse of a previous life. How pretty it is!

Chi'n cofio fi'n son am y Plank & Muntin (ges i row am beidio roi'r & mewn tro blaen)? Wel dyma fo ar y ffordd lawr i'r selar.

Here's the much admired Plank & Muntin which dates back a considerable time. Personally, I'm more into my scraps of wallpaper. Still, it's quite impressive, just wish we had a whole wall of it like Ty Newydd.

Diolch o galon unwaith eto am y sylwadau ac awgrymiadau mae gymaint ohonnoch yn gwneud. Mae gymaint wedi digwydd yma dros y blynyddoedd a llwyth o newidiadau wedi eu gwneud i'r adeilad yn ogystal a llawer o atgofion am y lle. Daliwch ymlaen i gysylltu oherwydd mae'n help mawr.

Thank you so much for all of the comments and suggestions. So many people are taking an interest and helping to develop a picture of the history of this lovely building, both of the people who lived and worked here and the actual building. Keep them coming, it's a great help and so interesting.

Ta-ta Threshers!

Teithio Nol Trwy Amser 

Peeling off the Layers

Ar ol trafod gyda Rhys y pensaer, roedd rhaid mynd ati i drio gweld beth sydd wedi bod yma gynt. Credaf ei fod hefyd isio dechrau rheoli beth mae Dyl yn gwneud ar y safle! Yn gynnar un bore dydd sul i osgoi traffig y dref, dyma ddechrau ar dynu'r hen arwydd i fedru asesu beth sydd yna i weithio arno.

After discussions with Rhys the architect, we needed to try and find out what is hidden underneath the boarding, so that we know what we are working with - I think he can also see that Dylan is chomping at the bit and needs to be diverted from uncontrolled excavations. So, start with the signage. Early on a Sunday morning to avoid traffic, we began to tear off the layers.

Dim ond i ddarganfod arwydd arall o dan! 'Diana Wood', siop ddillad merched o'r wybodaeth sydd ar gael ar y funud. Rhywun yn cofio Diana Wood, neu wedi prynu ffroc yna?

Discovery Number 1, another sign underneath! 'Diana Wood', a ladies' clothes shop by all accounts. Anyone remember this or maybe your wardrobe was fashioned by Diana Wood purchases?

Ati wedyn i chwalu mhellach, a roedd golwg o'r hen siop.

Then we begin to reveal the older shop front.

Wrth ein boddau i ddarganfod y coed hyfryd yma wedi ei guddio ers dros 60 mlynedd mae'n debyg, ond oh, bechod y llanast sydd wedi ei wneud. Mae'n amlwg bod yr hen waith coed ma wedi ei lifio ffwrdd i fedru gwneud un ffenest fawr. Oes bosib i ni atgyfodi hon? Cawn weld.

We were thrilled to find this beautiful woodwork that has been hidden for about 60 years. A tragedy to see that it has been sawn off in order to insert a large window. There were probably three panels here originally from what we can see. Can we restore it? Wait and see!

A dyma Rosie's! Os oes rhywun yn cofio rhywbeth am y siop yma hoffem yn fawr gael clywed. Mae'r arwydd yn hyfryd, wedi ei baentio a llaw. Dyddiau yma, mae rhan fwyaf o arwyddion yn cael eu creu ar gyfrifadur. Mae pawb yn gofyn da ni am gadw'r enw. Yr ateb yn anffodus yw 'na'! Sori, ond mae Rosie yn gorfod mynd. Dwi'n gwybod ei bod yn dlws a.y.b. ond 'Dylanwad' di'r enw newydd. Felly, gwnewch y mwyaf o Rosie tra mae hi'n dal efo ni.

Mae'n debyg mae 'drapers' oedd Rosie's ond y ffaith mwyaf rhyfeddol yn ol Wyn Meredith (ac mae gwybodaeth eang iawn o'r dref ganddo) yw bod Rosie's ar un tro, wedi ei leoli yn yr adeilad ble mae Dylanwad Da rwan, yn Ffordd Y Felin, sef (i'r rhai ohonnoch sydd ddim yn nabod y dref) ble mae'n bwyty ni wedi bod ers 24 mlynedd! Felly, rydym yn dilyn yr un llwybr yn ein datblygiad busnes a Rosie. Dwi'n gobeithio darganfod nesaf ei bod wedi mynd ymlaen i sefydlu Debenhams neu M&S.

And here's Rosie's! What a surprise this was, a beautiful hand painted sign rather than the computer generated ones that are now common. To all who are asking whether we are keeping the name, I'm afraid the answer is 'no'. Rosie is going to have to go. So make the most of her while you can. The new name will be simply 'Dylanwad'.

Apparently, this was a drapers but the most amazing fact we have discovered to date, thanks to the vast local knowledge of Wyn Meredith, is that Rosie's used to be located in Ffos Y Felin, where Dylanwad Da, our present restaurant business has been for 24 years! So we are following in the entrepreneurial footsteps of the great Rosie. I'm hoping to find out next that she went on to be a captain of industry, founding Debenhams or M&S.

Once again, if you can share any knowledge with us about this business, or Rosie herself, we would be very grateful.

Diolch i perchnogion  gwesty Y Meirionnydd, Mark a Nick am fod mor ffeind a dod a paned i ni yn ganol y llwch. Diolchgar iawn i'n cymdogion newydd.

Thank you Mark and Nick from Y Meirionnydd Hotel (our neighbours on that street) for supplying us with much needed coffee on the day.

Llawr Cyntaf - First floor

Y Llawr Cyntaf - The First Floor


Ar ol y ffys i gyd o'r prynu mae'r darnau o ddifrif yn dechrau rwan. Cawsom ymweliad buddiol gan John Ellis o'r Parc Cenedlaethol. Mor ddiddorol i weld o a Rhys yn mynd o gwmpas eu pethau yn dyfalu beth oedd beth ac ym mle flynyddoedd yn ol. Roedd Cynnwrf mawr ar weld darn o 'Plank Muntin' ar y ffordd lawr i'r selar.  (Swnio mwy fel rhywbeth dwi'n galw Dylan pan dwi'n flin). Hen fath o wal sy'n dyddio i'r 18fed ganrif mae'n debyg!

After all of the fun of the purchase has died down, the serious work now has to begin. We had a visit from John Ellis from the National Park who was very helpful. He and Rhys wandered around picking at various bits of evidence of past usage - fascinating! They were very excited to come across some 'Plank Muntin' (which sounds more like a playground insult to me), dating back possibly to the 18th century.

Dwi am ddangos beth sydd fyny staur (neu grisiau - beth bynnag sy'n ticlo'ch bol chi) heddiw, gan ddechrau gyda stafelloedd ar y llawr cyntaf. Mae angen dychymyg yma. Stafelloedd braf golau a lloriau pren ynddynt. Roedd Dylan a minnau'n meddwl am ystafell flasu yma.

I'm going to show you the upstairs, first floor. Dylan and I think this would make a lovely tasting room. It has good light and I love the wooden floor.

Ystafell Flasu/Tasting Room

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Ystafell Flasu/Tasting Room

Mae angen gwared o'r lle tân yn amlwg, gobeithio cael gafael yn rhywbeth mwy addas i'r adeilad. Wedyn rhoi un bwrdd hir (neu efallai dau gul?) i fedru eistedd 14 i 18 i gael sesiwn blasu gwin. Neu jest taro'r ddau air olaf na ffwrdd...na Dyl? 

Off goes the fireplace with something more in-keeping with the building replacing it hopefully. We then see one, or possibly two narrow but long tables to seat between 14 and 18 for Dylan's tutored wine tastings or simply for large groups to enjoy.

Edrych tuag at y ffordd/Road side view

Mae'r ffenestri ma'n hyfryd ac yn wreiddiol i'r adeilad, gyda'r caeadau dal yn eu lle (methu agor nhw ar y funud oherwydd paent dros y blynyddoedd). Mapiau o ardaloedd gwin ar y waliau efallai?


Maps of wine regions on the walls and photographs of vineyards/producers we buy from possibly?

Gwynebu tuag at Y Sgwar/Facing Eldon Square

These are original windows and are lovely, the shutters are still there but impossible to open at present. Below, you can see the old lean-to out of the above window. This is one of our dilemmas. We want rid of it, but we want to keep shop/seating area. But it's ugly! The park would like rid of it too and think there may have been an old courtyard there. So we need some kind of compromise that will show off the courtyard and look good but still keep our much needed retail space. We are thinking of suggesting the use glass somehow? Any comments?

Hen Lean-to

Allan o'r ail ffenest mae'r to hyll yma i'w weld. Mae problem yma gennym, oherwydd mae angen cadw gymaint o le i'r siop ac i bobl eistedd a phosib, ond da ni'n hollol gytuno a'r Parc Cenedlaethol - nai ddeud o eto - MA'N HYLL!! Roedd cwrt bach o bosib yma flynyddoedd maith yn ol, a byse'n hyfryd gwneud rhywbeth i ddangos hyn. Ond busnes sydd gennym i redeg yma, a does dim llawer o le lawr staur i wastraffu. Rydym yn meddwl am awgrymu defnyddio gwydr rhywsut? Unrhyw sylwadau?

Nenfwd/Ceiling

Gobeithio eich bod yn gallu gweld y blodyn bach ma, mae blynyddoedd o baent wedi ei guddio braidd. Dylan yn edrych yn ddigalon pan ddwedodd John Ellis byse crafu lawr i'r gwreiddiol yn neis, a gwyneb fi'n goleuo. Job fach i ti Dyl!

This little detail is a bit hidden by years of paint but it will look beautiful when Dylan has finished carefully scraping it off under my supervision. There's only four of them.


Mae ychydig mwy i ddod o'r llawr yma a mi geisiaf ei roi mewn blogbost yn y bythefnos nesaf. Dwi hefyd heb anghofio mod wedi dweud bod fideo ar ei ffordd. Dwi'n perffeithio fy sgiliau camera - ac yn hyfforddi Dylan i fod yn fideo swperstar. Ma'n dechra blino arnai'n defnyddio'r blog i brofocio fo, (wrth ei fodd go iawn dwi'n meddwl).


There's a bit more to come on the first floor and I haven't forgotten the tasting video! Just brushing up my camera skills, well, just learning camera skills from scrap and training Dylan to be a movie star. He's getting a bit tetchy about my constant references to him already. He'll get used to it bless him, he always does.

Y Gwin Cyntaf - New Arrival

Gwin Cyntaf y Selar/Cellar's First Wine Delivery

Wel, dyma dreialu'r selar newydd, ia, heb ddechrau ar y gwaith! Un o'r pethau oedd Dylan yn diflasu efo oedd straffaglu gyda bocsys gwin a'u dadlwytho a cludo i wahanol lefydd yn Dylanwad. Yn wir, dwi di dechra cael llond bol o focsys gwin yn cymeryd drosodd ym mhobman, dim ond mater o amser cyn oedd y mewnlifiad yn cyrraedd ein stafell gysgu.

Not sure we should be doing this before building work but here we go, the first delivery to our new cellar! Thank goodness for a quick and easy way of getting the wine into its storage after so long of struggling to hurriedly get it off a lorry and into various corners in Dylanwad.

Fel hyn mae'r gwin yn cyrraedd pob tro, a mae hwn o Sbaen tro yma. Dyn bach y lori yn edrych yn hurt arnom. Pam bo ni o hyd yn galw dynion yn 'fach' pob tro yn Gymraeg? Ni genod sy'n tueddu neud?

This is the way the wine arrives each time and this time it's from Spain. I think the driver was bemused by the fuss.

O ma hyn mor gyffroes!! 'Chute' bach i saethu bocs gwin lawr i'r selar o'r stryd! Dwi yn madde i chi os oes rhywun yn meddwl bod hyn yn wir dystiolaeth bo' Dyl a fi angen mwy o liw yn ein bywydau.

A chute to slide cases of wine down to the cellar - things like this make us happy! I do believe Dylan has a spring in his step these days..

Dwi'n meddwl bod Karen yn poeni braidd, ond oedd Dyl y pen arall i'w ddal. 


I think Karen was a bit reluctant to let go but Dyl was in his cellar waiting to catch it.

A dyma ni, gwin cyntaf Dylanwad yn ei le. Mae'r Martivilli a'r Vila Corona yn edrych yn gartrefol iawn yma. Mor braf i gael digon o le sy'n addas i gadw gwin. Dros y blynyddoedd rydym wedi bod yn prynu teclynau i roi yn y sied i gadw tymheredd y gwin. Mae mor bwysig ei gadw, dim yn angenrheidiol oer, ond mwy pwysig, ar dymheredd cyson os am gadw gwin dros y tymor hir. Dim lle gwaeth na chegin sy'n poethi ac oeri fel mae'n cael defnydd.

Wrth gwrs, bydd rhaid rhoi silffoedd ac yn y blaen i mewn, ac ni fydd y bocsys yn eistedd ar y llawr, ond ar y funud, mae hyn yn gret. Yn Ffrainc, mae corneli arbennig efo cwb dan glo i gadw gwin drud. Dylan yn mynnu bod angen hyn i gadw bacha fi ffwrdd ohonno (y gwin, dim Dylan) ond hefyd yn meddwl byse'n syniad cwl i gael un yma efo llawr gwydr i'w arddangos o'r siop! Ydan ni'n mynd dros ben llestri??

Bydd y blogbost nesaf efo newyddion am ein cyfarfodydd cyntaf a dechrau'r broses o feddwl beth sy'n bosib a beth mae'r awdurdodau yn caniatau. Hefyd, dwi'n meddwl am geisio ffilmio - ar Dylan byddaf yn arbrofi wrth gwrs, y blasu gwin cyntaf yn y Ty Gwin Dylanwad.

So, the first stock of Martivilli and Vila Corona from our producers in Spain sits in a 'fit for purpose' cellar. Easy access (for those who have the keys!) and more important, at a constant temperature. We've struggled with air-conditioning units and so on in the past but you cannot replicate a cellar. The important factor is not having a fluctuating temperature, which damages the quality of wine. It's ok to keep bottles in your kitchen for the short term, but for long-term storage it needs to have settled conditions - bit like me!

The cellar will need racking and the boxes will be raised off the floor. It would be nice to think of having a sort of locked 'cage' where we keep the special wines like the ones you see in the French 'caves'. We even thought in a flight of fantasy of a glass floor looking down onto it?? Well, we can dream...

Our next blog will have news of our first meetings and in the near future we are going to try a bit of filming - how adventurous - the first tasting in the Dylanwad Tasting House.

Siop/Bar Gwin - The Bar/Wine Shop

Llawr Cyntaf/Ground Floor


Dyma'r llawr ble mae'r shop bresennol. Yr hen silffoedd dal i mewn a'r wal (ddu?) tu nol.  Duw a wyr beth sydd tu nol i'r gweddill o'r cladding. Dechreuwyd drafodaethau am beth sy'n bosib efo Rhys Davies y pensaer o Bala wythnos diwethaf a mae cyfarfod arall mwy ffurfiol wythnos nesaf.

This is the ground floor and was the shop area when it was Threshers. We intend to take down a lot of the studding and open it out to the back hopefully. We started talks with the tried and trusted architect Rhys Davies from Bala today. Wondering if there's any point keeping the old shelving?

Bocs gwag pren Fonseca yn edrych yn unig iawn! 


The Fonseca Port box looks rather forlorn!

Bocs gwag Fonseca empty box.

Mae'r hen gegin staff yn cysylltu y siop bresennol a'r darn sydd ar y dde wrth edrych ar yr adeilad. Dwi'n siwr oedd rhywun yn ganol gwneud paned pan adawsom. Roedd Tess wedi gadael neges ar Facebook yn son am amseroedd hapus oedd wedi cael yma, mwy i ddod gobeithio!

The old staff kitchen here connects the shop area and the boarded up lean-to.  I swear someone was about to make tea when the orders to lock up and go came. Tess left a Facebook message about how sad it was to see it and what good memories she has of working here. I shall make a point of inviting her down for a free drink when we open!

Swyddfa yn y cefn, tu ol i'r siop. Mae rhywun yn gweld oed y lle yn dechrau amlygu yma.  Efallai agor trwodd i'r cefn yn hollol, neu efallai byse toiled yn mynd yma - dwi'n cymeryd bydd rhaid cael un ar y llawr yma. Mae digon o le i swyddfa ar y trydydd llawr.

This old office behind the shop area begins to reveal the age of the building. There may well be a case for bringing in an archaeologist which will be very interesting. We can possibly get rid of the studding to reveal this either as part of the shop or we do have to remember that we probably have to fit in a toilet somewhere on the ground floor.

Yr ochr i'r dde o'r siop gwelwch yn y ddau lun nesaf. Roedd siop bwydydd cyflawn yma flynyddoedd yn ol a does gennai ddim syniad beth oedd yna gynt. Mae ambell i stori yn dechrau cael ei adrodd i ni am yr adeilad rwan. Os oes rhywun efo lluniau neu atgofion/gwybodaeth am y lle o gwbl gyrrwch neges, neu galwch. Byddwn yn dechrau ffurfio cynllun yn fuan a mae unrhyw wybodaeth yn werthfawr iawn.

This is the right hand side of the building now in the next two pictures, where that old boarded off lean-to is now. I remember it only as a wholefoods shop at one time but that's a while ago now, when Threshers was Terry Platt's. If anyone has any old pictures or information/stories we'd love to hear from you - information about the past may well inform what we will do in the future.

Edrych i mewn i'r 'lean-to' - Looking into the 'lean-to'

Un ffordd o gadw silffoedd fyny! Novel shelving!

Peidiwch ac ecseitio gormod, ond efallai byddaf efo fideo ar y blog nesa. Dyl yn blasu gwin am y tro cyntaf yn ein siop newydd.


If all goes to plan, the next blog could well involve a video of Dylan (just a bit of wine tasting, nothing lewd) - let's see if I can master the technology!

MEWN A NI! IN WE GO!

Teimladau Cynnar & Selar Gwin
Initial Survey & Wine Cellar

Ar ol Gwyl Y Banc prysur, cawsom amser dydd Sul i gael sprog go iawn a tynnu lluniau 'before and after'. Mae golwg erchyll yna a llanast ym mhobman: pethau wedi tynnu oddi ar y waliau, cyfrifiaduron wedi taflu i gornel, hen till rolls, pethau te wedi eu gadael yn y fan a'r lle.


We haven't really had time to come and prod around over the holiday. How come when the money's been paid and the keys handed over your eyes suddenly become keenly aware of the deficiencies? A lot is superficial mess though, when a business goes bankrupt I suppose everyone just walks out - and that's just what it feels like (cold shiver at that thought).

Dyl inspecting the wine shelving.

You win(e) some....


Blinkin hec! Tom a fi di ecseitio'n lan i weld y botel ma:
Tom: 'Wow! Ma na botel HUGE o siampên fyny fanna, a ma'r ffoil dal yn gyfa ar y corcyn!'  

Llin: 'Da wan! Agor o i ddathlu?'  
Ond, hen un blastig i arddangos oedd.  Hei ho!

This bottle of Champagne caused Tom and I great excitement until we found it was a plastic display model!  Speaks volumes about the two of us I suppose!

Dechrau yn y Gwaelod
Start at the Bottom


Dyma'r selar, y stafell fwyaf pwysig, a breuddwyd Dyl.  Ahh, dwi'n meddwl bod o isio cysgu yma o hyn ymlaen. Off a chdi ta ngwas bach i! Cawn ddechrau defnyddio hwn yn eithaf sydyn dwi'n meddwl.


Here's Dyl's pride and joy, he's wanted a cellar for so long.  When we bought our house in Cae Deintur, he even (seriously I believe) talked about digging out the bank and inserting a metal container in the hillside. I think I'm going to have trouble stopping him camping down here at night.

Selar o dan y siop/Cellar under main shop

Mor falch i weld bod y selar yn sych ar ol y glaw diweddar. Mae'r siop mewn ardal llifogydd. Drws yn y pendraw i hwyluso dod a gwin i mewn.

So relieved the cellar was dry after recent rains.  I kept visiting to check. Nice bit of dry rot on the left! We should be able to clear and use this quite quickly for storage. Good or unnerving to see great big metal girders holding up the ceiling and acrow props at the far end??

Be sy'n mynd mlaen yma? Another dodgy looking hole!

Gegin Newydd Dyl?

Dyl's New Kitchen?

Ma na ffwrn a teils bric coch ar y llawr, yn union fel Dylanwad Da felly dyle deimlo'n gartrefol yma. Dal yn y selar, mae hwn efo potensial da i fod yn gegin (paid ac edrych fel yna arnai Dylan, fydd popeth yn champion).

Well, it's got a stove hasn't it? These two pictures are of the cellar under the lean-to part of the shop. It could well be a kitchen for preparing tapas and coffees etc. I actually like that old range. Dyfrig told us that this was once living quarters. My only worry is the proximity of the wine cellar to the chef.

Dychmygwch Jamon yn cael ei dorri yn y gornel/Imagine your Jamon being sliced in the corner.