Kyffin's Spiritual Home
Sir Kyffin Williams maintained a profound and lifelong attachment to the village of Llanfair-yng-Nghornwy, a remote corner of northwest Anglesey that served as both his spiritual home and his ancestral anchor.
In our Welsh Sale auction (Part I) on April 19th, 2026, there are four works by Sir Kyffin Williams which captured the essence of this remote corner of Anglesey. They are places which would have had deep meaning to Sir Kyffin.
Lot 93
SIR KYFFIN WILLIAMS RA (Welsh 1918-2006) oil on canvas - farmhouse, Anglesey (believed to be Rhyd Farm, Llanfair-yn-Neubwll) signed with initials, 49.5 x 75cms
£15,000-25,000
Lot 88
SIR KYFFIN WILLIAMS RA (Welsh 1918-2006) watercolour & pencil - Anglesey lane to farm and coast near Llanfairynghornwy, entitled verso, 'Waen Lydan', signed with initials, 28 x 40cms
£3500-5000
While Sir Kyffin lived in various locations throughout his life, this specific parish represented the historical roots of his family and remained a constant presence in his personal identity and artistic output.
The connection was primarily forged through a long lineage of ecclesiastical service. His great-grandfather, the Reverend James Williams, served as the Rector of St Mary’s Church in the nineteenth century. The village was the site of significant family history; it was from this base that his ancestors founded the first lifeboat service on Anglesey at nearby Cemlyn Bay, a legacy of service and community that Sir Kyffin held in high regard. This sense of belonging to the land was not merely sentimental but was built into the very stones of the village and its church.
Artistically, the rugged, windswept beauty of Llanfair-yng-Nghornwy provided endless inspiration for his work. He frequently returned to the area to capture its unique light and topography. Through his art, he immortalised the quiet, enduring character of the village, viewing it with a sensitivity that only someone with deep familial ties could possess.
Lot 98
SIR KYFFIN WILLIAMS RA (Welsh 1918-2006) oil on board - view of Rhoscryman, a north Anglesey coastal farm upon Mynydd y Garn, near Llanfairynghornwy, with the rocks of The Skerries and its lighthouse in the distance, believed circa 1950s/60s, 29.5 x 41cms
£2000-4000
Lot 96
SIR KYFFIN WILLIAMS RA (Welsh 1918-2006) oil on canvas - landscape at Holy Island, near Porth Dafarch with two Bronze Age monuments and the farmhouse of Plas Meilw, 'Standing Stones at Penrhos Feilw', signed with initials, 60 x 90cms
£25000-35000
In his final years, Sir Kyffin made it clear that he wished to return to Llanfair-yng-Nghornwy permanently. Eschewing the prospect of a grand state funeral, he requested a simple burial in the churchyard of St Mary’s. He rests there today beneath a headstone of native slate, placed near the memorials he commissioned for his ancestors. His relationship with the village thus came full circle, moving from a childhood shaped by family stories to a lifetime of artistic observation, and finally to a quiet rest in the earth that had defined so much of his life’s work.
The April 19th Welsh Sale (Part I) is now online with over 40 x works by Sir Kyffin Williams including prints, works on paper and oil paintings. Viewing can be arranged at our Cardiff auction house by appointment by calling us on 01492 532176
