Estate agent restores Welsh house name after backlash

AN estate agent has changed the name of a £645,000 holiday cottage back to Welsh after a politician said translating it into English was “disgraceful”.

Lucas Estate Agents advertised the holiday property in Cemaes Bay on the North Wales coast as the “Sound of the Waves”.

But the agency was forced to change it after backlash from locals who know it as the Welsh “Swn y Don”.

Welsh Parliament member Rhun ap Iorwerth said the name change was “disgraceful”.

He added: “The house is called ‘Swn y Don’ – don’t erase our heritage. We need to protect indigenous names.”

Bryony Southworth, managing director of the estate agency in Menai Bridge, said that it had been following the seller’s wishes but had now “changed the name back to the original”.

It comes weeks after news that homeowners in Wales could face £10,000 charges for changing their house name.

Campaigners want to increase a £55 council charge to give the second homes a new name because losing traditional Welsh language house names in countryside destinations is “culturally damaging”.

A local petition has racked up more than 17,500 signatures in an attempt to stop English versions replacing the long-standing Welsh language house names – such as “Ty Gwyn” for “White House” and “Cartref ” for “Home”.

Politicians from the Welsh National Party say a £10,000 charge should be introduced by Gwynedd Council in North Wales.

Peter Read, of the Welsh National Party, said: “Homeowners will still be able to remove the Welsh name of their property but they will have to pay an

‘The house is called Swn y Don – don’t erase our heritage. We need to protect indigenous names’

astronomical fee to do so.

“If any big spenders are prepared to pay that fee to erase our heritage then we believe any money raised should contribute to secure Welsh language immersion courses that the council previously tried to cut.”

The council said it was “sensitive to local fears that the changing and erasing of Welsh house names is counterproductive and culturally damaging”.

It said officers would contact people to ask them to reconsider a name change.