Posted on 16 August 2011
Dr Hywel Cernyw Williams (1843-1937), a Baptist Minister who in 1932 received an honorary degree of Doctor of Divinity from the University of Wales, is a source of inspiration for a new exhibition called The Golden Mile.
Having achieved notoriety for his written work which include biographies, anthologies of poetry, theological works and historical sketches, Llangernyw-born Dr Williams life will be celebrated, along with the lives of four other luminaries who all hail from the same village. He was perhaps best known as a hymn writer - six of his hymns are included in the current hymn book.
Llangernyw, near Abergele, forms the backdrop to the exhibition at the Sir Henry Jones Museum in the village itself. The exhibition is aptly named the Golden mile as all five men, whose lives are being celebrated, were born within a square mile of one another.
The other men being celebrated are: The Reverend Thomas Parry (1842-1936), Robert Griffiths (1845-1909), Reverend Canon Robert Edwin Roberts (1878-1940), and Henry Thomas Barnwell (b.1920) - all of whom left an indelible mark on Welsh culture and helped bring their remote and little-known village to the attention of the nation.
The exhibition tells how the famous five helped in the building of Colwyn Bay, the salvation of Welsh folk songs, the coronation of kings and escape from war-torn France.
The month-long Golden Mile exhibition runs at Sir Henry Jones Museum in Llangernyw from Tuesday, August 9.
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More information about the Sir Henry Jones Museum can be found on their website - www.sirhenryjones-museums.org
The exhibition runs until the 9th of September, opening times as follows:
Tuesday – Friday: 10.30am-1pm & 2pm-5pm
Saturday and Sunday: 2pm-5pm