CAE'R-GORS;EARLY HOME OF DR KATE ROBERTS

Disgrifiad o´r Safle Cae'r-Gors is a nineteenth-century cottage of 'crog-lofft' type, the early home of Dr. Kate Roberts (1891-1985), the writer whose novels, such as Tea in the Heather, depict the life of the local smallholders and quarryworkers in the early 20th century.

Shown on the 1839 Tithe Map, the cottage is typical of many in the area, being of 2-room plan with an attached cowhouse, and was probably built in the early 19th century. The cottage was roofless and maintained as a managed ruin. It was surveyed by Peter Smith and an account was published in 'Houses of the Welsh Countryside', fig. 184d. A letter from Kate Roberts to Peter Smith, dated 1972, describing the cottage is preserved in the site file. A scheme for restoration was proposed in 1999 and carried out in 2006-7. The cottage has been reroofed and the interior recreated. A heritage centre has been built alongside.

Account published in 'Recent Emergency Recording', Trans. Ancient Monuments Society, vol 45 (2001), pp. 95-7. (2001/03/09/RCAHMW/RFS) [Additional:] The letter from Kate Roberts to Peter Smith is published in RCAHMW's Centenary volume, 'Hidden Histories'. RFS/RCAHMW/2008