Gwynfa

In the village of Bettws Gwerfil Goch, facing the church on the north east side.

A former farmhouse, later public house, probably of the C17, the siting of which suggests it has encroached on to the street. The house appears to be originally a three unit house, being entered by a lobby against the chimney; but the plan may be deceptive. A two-bay extension to the north was possibly a separate cottage, now part of the house; its right hand (south) unit is now roofed uniformly with the main house, but was formerly roofed at a lower level. A two-bay extension at lower level to the south was a bakehouse and stable, and at one period a shop. The Tithe Survey (1845) records the White Horse tenement (including Wynllan) as owned by John Roberts and occupied by Thomas Jones. In the late C19 and until c1940 Gwynfa was recorded as a public house named the White Horse Inn or Ceffyl Gwyn, or (in Romany) Porno Grai. It was subsequently acquired by the C M Church and resold under a restrictive covenant to prevent further use as licensed premises.

In the period immediately before the Great War the village of Bettws G G was a notable centre of Gypsy activity in North Wales, especially concentrated at the two public houses. These people were locally in contact with a number of artistic and literary figures from Liverpool University in the Gypsy Lore Society, including Dr Sampson, the university librarian, and Augustus John, the artist.