Lilliput Hall and Cottage: Its Life and Times 

 This was possibly unsuccessful as another appeared on 11 July, which read, ‘To let: Lilliput Cottage about three miles from Swansea on the seashore.’

An advert in February 1810, refers to its ‘good water in the garden.’ (I remember their well, which was situated near what is now the bus stop) and another on 5 January 1866 which details its 'large garden, stable and coach house'.

 Mathew’s Swansea Guide for 1830 describes Lilliput as follows:-

 Near the beach is Lilliput Hall, the whimsical residence for many years of Thomas Deering, Esq., well known in the fashionable world and brother of Sir Edward Deering. The area of the whole house measuring twenty feet by sixteen, but its charming situation and good garden compensating to him for the confinement of the dwelling.

 Another of its illustrious residents was Henry De La Beche, who moved to Swansea late in 1837 to begin his Ordnance Geological Survey of South Wales Coalfields before moving to The Rhyddings in Swansea. 

 Lilliput saw many children born under its roof — a little boy to Mr. and Mrs, Edward Duclos de Boussois in April 1839; ten years later ‘ a son to Mr. and Mrs. James Strick;’ in July 1856, a daughter to Mr. and Mrs. Lewis Thomas and, in August 1861 a baby girl to Major S. B. Gordon and his wife. Mrs Harrison Page gave birth to a daughter in 1862 and Mrs. Arthur Chichester Burnard to a daughter in 1889.

Inevitably there were deaths too. Henry Beavan, first Clerk at H.M. Customs at Swansea, died there suddenly on 20 January 1854, aged 38 years and on 5 July 1867, Joseph Owens died while  in London, aged 46. Many years before, he had been involved in a robbery at Lilliput when one James Downing made off with a quantity of his clothing, some cheese and bacon and two shillings in cash, after breaking in through a window. (Cambrian News, 2 April 1847)

Lilliput also saw changes outside its grounds. At first, the Mumbles Railway ran alongside the road in front of the house (see map and timetable) but after 1890, a new line was opened on its seaward side and the old rails were used to reinforce the new sea wall. Lilliput witnessed the building of the Grange, Dan-y-coed and Llwynderw Houses and their lodges nearby. Dan-y-coed is the only one remaining today.

          Mr. Edward Solomon remembers living at Lilliput Cottage in the 1920s and 30s. He recalls that, ‘It must have been built for a dwarf as the ceilings were so low. My mother who was all of five foot tall could dust the ceilings easily without resorting to a chair or ladder and we had to climb the stairs sideways as each step was so narrow.

One day, there was a fire in the Hall  and Dad who was suffering from a cold at the time, was called to go quickly through to help extinguish it. The people there had installed a modern fire grate on top of a slab placed directly on the floorboards in a bedroom and the heat had set the boards smouldering. Dad lifted the slab, which was very hot and helped put out the flames. He had sweated so much that his cold had disappeared. For his help, He received a small payment and the thanks of the Insurance Company.

          My bedroom looked out over the bay and being rather a loner, I preferred to spend my time gazing at the sea and drawing the many ships — and on one occasion, flying boats —which plied across the water.

          Particular events, which stick in my memory were the annual tea parties given for the pensioners by Mr. Folland in the grounds of his home, Llwynderw House. In those days, the steam train stopped outside our cottage and I can still see the people alighting all dressed up in their best clothes and walking up Lilliput Lane and along the main road to the entrance of the long wooded drive to the House. There, they would have a grand day, returning later to pick up the train at Lilliput Halt.’

Someone known as ‘The Major’ kept his horse at the stables there in the 1950s and he was often to be seen walking up the road with feed and sometimes riding out.  Also, at that time, Mr. and Mrs. Payne and their grandson, Sidney Davies lived in the cottage and Mr. Payne, a keen gardener grew beautiful dahlias, which he would sell for 2/6d a bunch.

Acknowledgements

Mr. Sidney Davies

Mr. Edward Solomon

The Cambrian News, 14 March 1807, 11 March 1807, 24 February 1810, 2 April 1847, 27 January 1854, 5 January 1866

The Duke of Beaufort’s papers. NLW cat. no. BGA4/122

Mathew's Guide, 1830

A Journal of Sir Henry De La Beche, Pioneer Geologist (1796-1855) Edited by Richard Morris

Mumbles Railway timetable

1891 census

OS Map 1877

Some photographs from the Oystermouth Historical Association Archive.