Crafty Dog Towers: A Quirky Welsh Estate

Welcome to Crafty Dog Towers, our imaginary country house and estate in Swanseashire.

How the Stories Began

We began sharing short Facebook stories about the imaginary staff who worked on the equally imaginary estate around Crafty Dog Towers. It all started with Mr Grout, the Head Gardener, and his idle Gardener’s Lad, Pendulous Sedge — Pendle for short. The name came from a grass a friend mentioned on Facebook, and it suited him perfectly.

The Staff of The Towers

·         Cook, a mysterious half-Welsh, half-French former member of the French Foreign Legion catering corps

·         Higgins, the butler

·         Mrs Grainger, the Housekeeper

·         Various other supporting characters who help bring The Towers to life

A Peculiar Local History

The Towers needed more than staff — they needed a backstory. So we gave them a place in Swanseashire history, complete with local customs such as the Christmas tree, the pudding, and the staff-versus-family football match in the Great Hall. Naturally, there are ghost stories too: some from the corridors, and one from the recycling bins behind the visitors’ car park.

And what a history it is: local fortunes made from jam and chutney mines, the wild west of the Amman Valley with its outlaws and vagabonds, and hills roamed by escaped, now-feral llamas brought from South America in the 1860s. After all, if Australia can have camels, why shouldn’t Swanseashire have llamas?

Explore the Blog

Visit the Tales from Crafty Dog Gardens blog for a laugh at this wonderfully odd take on Welsh local history. While you’re there, browse the children’s stories and foodie posts too. Go on — have a laugh!