Y Bragdy yn y Gongol - The Gongol Malthouse

A malthouse was, in the past, a building where cereal grain was converted into malt by soaking it in water, allowing it to sprout and then drying the grain to prevent further growth. The malt was then used in the brewing of beer, whiskey and certain foods.

The Gongol (the name means a corner or Cul de Sac) in Fishguard still exists and is now an area of residential houses.

Some 150 years ago many industries were here in the Gongol, which by today, have disappeared. There  was a family of skilled carpenters, a weaver’s premises, a bookseller and a malt house or Bragdy.  The malthouse in the Gongol contained large lofts for the spreading out and macerating of the grain, and heated rooms for drying the malt. The water was obtained from wells in the field opposite which ran in an open stream and was piped through the hedge in the right hand corner of the lane opposite the malthouse. From this shoot (shwt) the water was carried across the road in a wooden V-shaped trough, which had to be moved if carts or cattle had to pass along the Gongol. This water, when not required for malting purposes, ran down by the hedge, across the main road in High Street, and into the field next to the Vicarage, now Lota Park. (Previously this area was called Parc Y Maltster or Vicar’s Park on which or on part of it no doubt, the present vicarage was built).  In the malthouse itself, it was usual in the Winter months,to sit in front of the furnace and roast potatoes under the gratings. The hot air circulated through brick floors which had numerable small holes in them through which the heated air passed.  Periodically, a dozen or so young boys used to go with a strong darning needle fixed to a wooden handle to clear these vents in the bricks; this process was known as “Prico’r Odyn”.

Many older people, the inns, hotels and farmers brewed their own beer; it was a wholesome beverage which in Winter was warmed in a pointed conical vessel by plunging onto a culm fire. With ginger and sugar added, a few quaffs of this usually induced sleep to the sleepless!

Mr James Eynon ran the Gongol malthouse all those years ago also Mr James of “Nevern House”. Mr Robert Lewis of Park Street was the last person to make malt in the Gongol malthouse.

In the 1950’s, retired chemist B.R. Lewis wrote a series of weekly articles in the County Echo called “Turning back the Clock” the first of which appeared in late 1951 and were published initially weekly, and continued with decreasing frequency until the late 50’s/early 60’s. These articles were full of interesting details of life in Fishguard as it would have been some one hundred years previous to his writing i.e from around the 1850s.  Many thanks must go to Guy Lewis, the Grandson of B.R Lewis, who has allowed access to all this information and his willingness to share it with others