Plaque unveiled honouring poet's 150-year-old connection to Wales

A blue plaque honouring Victorian poet Gerard Manley Hopkins (1844-1889) was unveiled on 31 May in Barmouth on the 150th anniversary of his visit to the town.

Hopkins was an English poet and Jesuit priest whose work went largely unnoticed during his lifetime but has since achieved widespread renown.

He travelled to Barmouth in July 1875 for a retreat in nature and stayed at Aber house, a Bed & Breakfast in Barmouth's centre. The visit is believed to have resonated with his poetic sensibilities and shaped his later works.

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Unveiling

The unveiling took place in the afternoon, preceded by a day of activities as part of a celebration dubbed 'Gerard Manley Hopkins Day'. Visitors were treated to a free lecture on Hopkins by poet Hilary Davies, a reading and discussion of Penmaenpool at the George III Inn where Hopkins wrote the poem, and refreshments in the Aber House garden following the unveiling with a raffle to raise money for a local lifeboat. Additionally, local Barmouth brewery Myrddins released a limited run of 150 bottles of Hopkins Ale, a ruby ale to commemorate the occasion. [lower-mid-content-banner]

Legacy

At the time of Hopkins' visit while studying at St Beuno’s College near St Asaph, Aber House was a villa used by the Jesuit community at the college. After sailing up the Mawddach estuary from Barmouth to the George III Inn in Penmaenpool, Hopkins wrote the eponymous poem as a note in the visitors' book.

Honouring Hopkins' religious belief, Fr Tom also lead a prayer in English and Welsh composed by a local resident, celebrating the poets’ spiritual legacy and his deep connection to the natural beauty of the area. While staying in Wales, Hopkins is understood to have learned Welsh and embraced the traditional cynghanedd (harmony) form of Welsh-language poetry. The Jesuit Permanent Private Hall at Oxford University holds a collection of the poet's manuscripts and journals, of which one contains an exploration of the etymology of the Welsh word for fairy, and a discussion of a tale shared by his Welsh teacher on 7 February 1875. Unfortunately, the journal that covered Hopkins' time in Barmouth is lost. For more information on Gerard Manley Hopkins Day and the activities held, visit the Hopkins Society UK site here.