Tom Lewis, Bryntowy - Ffotograffydd (1878 -1950)
Ganwyd Tom Lewis yn, ‘Bryntowy’, Rhandirmwyn ar y 13fed o Rhagfyr 1879, mab i William a Elizabeth Lewis. Cafodd ei addysg yn yr ysgol leol a phan oedd yn ddau ar bymtheg mlwydd oed aeth i ddilyn ei yrfa fel dilledydd gan ddechrau yn brentis. Does yna ddim amheuaeth roedd yn llwyddiannus a chyn fod yn hir roedd yn gweithio mewn siopau yn Abertawe a Chaerdydd fel prynwr. Mae’n debygol mae yn ystod y cyfnod hyn cymerodd Tom ddiddordeb mewn ffotograffiaeth ac aeth i ysgol nos i ddysgu’r grefft.
Ar ôl rhai blynyddoedd aeth i Lundain i fyw a sefydlodd yno siop ddillad ei hun. Treuliodd Tom gweddill ei fywyd yno ond ddaeth yn ôl yw gartref teuluol yn Rhandirmwyn yn aml. Ar nos cyn Y Nadolig 1919 mi briododd a merch o’r enw Joyce. Nyrs oedd hi ac yr oedd yn ferch brydferth ac yn aml fe ymddangosai yn ei luniau wedi ei gwisgo mewn dillad hardd a het fawr. Cawsont ddau o blant Monica a Myfanwy.
Er ei fod yn byw yn Llundain ei bleser mawr oedd gyrru ei deulu i Rhandirmwyn a threulio ei gwyliau yno. Dywed Monica ei farch am y siwrnai hir o Lundain i Fryntowy yn y ‘Bullnose Morris,’ weithiau am 10 i 12 awr ac yn aml yn cyrraedd yn oriau bach y bore. Ond dywed ei fod yn werth pob munud am fod Rhandirmwyn yn le mor wyrthiol.
Heblaw ei deulu roedd gan Tom ddau ddiddordeb mawr yn ei fywyd. Pysgota a tynnu lluniau. Yr oedd yn hoff iawn o fynd i fyny i gwm Tywi gyda’i wialen bysgota a chamera a threulio diwrnod yn dal ambell eog a thynnu lluniau o’r awyrgylch brydferth.
Roedd Tom yn ŵr busnes a welodd gyfle i wneud arian drwy gwerthi ei luniau fel cardiau post yn y siop fach ym Mryntowy. Gan wneud hyn mi adeiladodd gasgliad darluniadol o fywyd a ardal blaenau Tywi dros ddechreuad yr 20 fed ganrif. Aeth y cardiau post dros y byd i gyd, yn enwedig Yr Amerig lle ymfudodd llawer o bobol Rhandirmwyn yn cynnwys ei frawd.
Mae cyfraniad Tom Lewis o gofnodi hanes cymdeithasol blaenau Tywi erioed wedi ei gydnabod. Cymerodd luniau o ardaloedd arall hefyd yn enwedig Llanymddyfri a Cilycwm. Dylwn fod yn falch iawn ac yn ddiolchgar iddo.
Fel teyrnged iddo rwyf wedi cynnwys oriel o’i waith a alwyd, ‘Oriel Tom Lewis.’ Wrth edrych ar y casgliad welwch pa mor bwysig yw ei gyfraniad i ein hanes. Fi farw yn Llundain yn 1950.
Diolch i ei ferch Monica Barnes am adael i mi ddefnyddio ei chasgliad o’i luniau.
Alun Jones
Ar ôl rhai blynyddoedd aeth i Lundain i fyw a sefydlodd yno siop ddillad ei hun. Treuliodd Tom gweddill ei fywyd yno ond ddaeth yn ôl yw gartref teuluol yn Rhandirmwyn yn aml. Ar nos cyn Y Nadolig 1919 mi briododd a merch o’r enw Joyce. Nyrs oedd hi ac yr oedd yn ferch brydferth ac yn aml fe ymddangosai yn ei luniau wedi ei gwisgo mewn dillad hardd a het fawr. Cawsont ddau o blant Monica a Myfanwy.
Er ei fod yn byw yn Llundain ei bleser mawr oedd gyrru ei deulu i Rhandirmwyn a threulio ei gwyliau yno. Dywed Monica ei farch am y siwrnai hir o Lundain i Fryntowy yn y ‘Bullnose Morris,’ weithiau am 10 i 12 awr ac yn aml yn cyrraedd yn oriau bach y bore. Ond dywed ei fod yn werth pob munud am fod Rhandirmwyn yn le mor wyrthiol.
Heblaw ei deulu roedd gan Tom ddau ddiddordeb mawr yn ei fywyd. Pysgota a tynnu lluniau. Yr oedd yn hoff iawn o fynd i fyny i gwm Tywi gyda’i wialen bysgota a chamera a threulio diwrnod yn dal ambell eog a thynnu lluniau o’r awyrgylch brydferth.
Roedd Tom yn ŵr busnes a welodd gyfle i wneud arian drwy gwerthi ei luniau fel cardiau post yn y siop fach ym Mryntowy. Gan wneud hyn mi adeiladodd gasgliad darluniadol o fywyd a ardal blaenau Tywi dros ddechreuad yr 20 fed ganrif. Aeth y cardiau post dros y byd i gyd, yn enwedig Yr Amerig lle ymfudodd llawer o bobol Rhandirmwyn yn cynnwys ei frawd.
Mae cyfraniad Tom Lewis o gofnodi hanes cymdeithasol blaenau Tywi erioed wedi ei gydnabod. Cymerodd luniau o ardaloedd arall hefyd yn enwedig Llanymddyfri a Cilycwm. Dylwn fod yn falch iawn ac yn ddiolchgar iddo.
Fel teyrnged iddo rwyf wedi cynnwys oriel o’i waith a alwyd, ‘Oriel Tom Lewis.’ Wrth edrych ar y casgliad welwch pa mor bwysig yw ei gyfraniad i ein hanes. Fi farw yn Llundain yn 1950.
Diolch i ei ferch Monica Barnes am adael i mi ddefnyddio ei chasgliad o’i luniau.
Alun Jones
Tom Lewis, Bryntowy - Photographer (1878 -1950)
Thomas Wyndam Lewis was born at Bryntowy, Rhandirmwyn on the 13th December 1879 a son to William and Elizabeth. He spent his childhood in Rhandirmwyn and passed many hours on the river bank where he learnt to fish and it became one of his great passions.
At the age of 17 years Tom left his beloved village to find work. He initially went to Cardiff and started a vocation as a draper. There is no doubt he was successful and was soon, taken on by the larger stores at both Cardiff and Swansea as a buyer. It was at this time that Tom began to take great interest in photography. He attended night school and became very proficient.
He eventually moved to London where he had his own drapery business and on Christmas eve 1919 he married Joyce. She was a nurse from Fishguard, Pembrokeshire. She was very beautiful and appeared in many of Tom’s photographs, dressed in beautiful dresses and usually in a large brimmed hat. They had two daughters Monica and Myfanwy.
Tom never forgot his roots and often returned to Rhandirmwyn with his wife and daughters to visit his family. Monica recollects the long arduous journeys, sometimes 10 to 12 hours from London to Bryntowy in their bull nose Morris car, arriving sometimes in the dead of night. She says that it was worth every minute as Rhandirmwyn was such a magical place.
She recollects her father regularly leaving Bryntowy with his fishing rod over one shoulder and his camera and tripod over the other, heading for the river bank and eventually his favourite place, Cerrig Tywi and the Doethie valley. It is obvious from his photographs that this is where he truly felt at home.
Tom being a businessman was a very resourceful person. At this time his family at Bryntowy had a small shop where they sold sweets and small food items. Many of his photographs showing views of Rhandirmwyn and the surrounding area were made into postcards and they were sold in the shop. In so doing he compiled a pictorial history of the landscape and people of the upper Tywi valley during the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. These postcards went all over the world, in particular America where many people from the Rhandirmwyn area, including his brother, emigrated and eventually settled.
Tom Lewis’ work has never had the recognition it deserves. Many of the old photographs you see today of the Nantymwyn lead mine and local scenery as well as the people can be, directly attributed to him. Many postcards produced by Tom are still in circulation and are, collected by enthusiasts. We hope that his inclusion on this website will go some way to give him the recognition he so richly deserves.
He died in 1950.
Alun Jones
This page is dedicated to the late Monica Barnes who provided many of the photographs displayed on this website.
At the age of 17 years Tom left his beloved village to find work. He initially went to Cardiff and started a vocation as a draper. There is no doubt he was successful and was soon, taken on by the larger stores at both Cardiff and Swansea as a buyer. It was at this time that Tom began to take great interest in photography. He attended night school and became very proficient.
He eventually moved to London where he had his own drapery business and on Christmas eve 1919 he married Joyce. She was a nurse from Fishguard, Pembrokeshire. She was very beautiful and appeared in many of Tom’s photographs, dressed in beautiful dresses and usually in a large brimmed hat. They had two daughters Monica and Myfanwy.
Tom never forgot his roots and often returned to Rhandirmwyn with his wife and daughters to visit his family. Monica recollects the long arduous journeys, sometimes 10 to 12 hours from London to Bryntowy in their bull nose Morris car, arriving sometimes in the dead of night. She says that it was worth every minute as Rhandirmwyn was such a magical place.
She recollects her father regularly leaving Bryntowy with his fishing rod over one shoulder and his camera and tripod over the other, heading for the river bank and eventually his favourite place, Cerrig Tywi and the Doethie valley. It is obvious from his photographs that this is where he truly felt at home.
Tom being a businessman was a very resourceful person. At this time his family at Bryntowy had a small shop where they sold sweets and small food items. Many of his photographs showing views of Rhandirmwyn and the surrounding area were made into postcards and they were sold in the shop. In so doing he compiled a pictorial history of the landscape and people of the upper Tywi valley during the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. These postcards went all over the world, in particular America where many people from the Rhandirmwyn area, including his brother, emigrated and eventually settled.
Tom Lewis’ work has never had the recognition it deserves. Many of the old photographs you see today of the Nantymwyn lead mine and local scenery as well as the people can be, directly attributed to him. Many postcards produced by Tom are still in circulation and are, collected by enthusiasts. We hope that his inclusion on this website will go some way to give him the recognition he so richly deserves.
He died in 1950.
Alun Jones
This page is dedicated to the late Monica Barnes who provided many of the photographs displayed on this website.
