Welsh Love Spoons, Porthcawl

Welsh Love Spoons, Porthcawl

In recent years love spoons have become more and more popular as a gift, or as collectors’ items. Why should they not? The intricately designed, carved look of them are simply beautiful, and the Welsh history of the love spoons is also rather sweet. Check out Huw Thomas Gallery, run from the Welsh resort of Porthcawl.

The history of Welsh love spoons

Welsh folklore tells us that back in the 17th century it became tradition, for young men wishing to court or woo a young lady, or express love to their partners, by giving them love spoons carved from a single piece of wood that they had created themselves, to express a sentiment or even a betrothal.

The earliest existing love spoon, thought to be from the year 1667, is kept in Cardiff at the Welsh folk museum. This museum is only a distance of an hour and a half drive from Porthcawl, home to the suppliers of a huge array of Welsh love spoons, on the online gift shop at Huw Thomas Gallery.

The concept of a spoon being the main component of these love spoons we now see today, came from the ‘cawl’ or soup spoon. Over the many years since its humble beginnings, the love spoon was no longer considered a practical object for eating or cooking, but became simply an ornamental piece to be hung up at home, or worn as a piece of jewellery in the form of a broach or pendant. Interestingly, the name Porthcawl, did not seem to get its name from the Welsh word for spoon, but the word ‘Cawl’ is said to be a corruption of the word ‘Gawl’ which refers to the Gaul’s people.

In keeping with much folklore and Celtic traditions the love spoon also developed as it took on other forms of carved shapes that symbolised a number of different things. For example, the horseshoe, knot or ring would have been a gift from a man to his betrothed and future wife, and a stork and baby depicted any exciting new arrivals due to bring blessings to the loved-up couple.

Other well know Welsh symbols are used to decorate these love spoons that now come in a number of materials, rather than the just the carved variety. Daffodils, a well-known and favoured national symbol of wales, can also be seen on some of the Welsh love spoons, Porthcawl based Huw Thomas Gallery have available for purchase. The daffodil is very much in keeping with the love theme of these love spoons as it is also a symbol of growing and developing love.

Today, Welsh love spoons are bought from people all over the world, as gifts to depict the important events in a person’s life, future or past. As a proud part of Welsh heritage, we encourage you to buy your Welsh spoons from the Welsh community itself, and specifically we are sure you will find the exact one you are looking for from our Porthcawl based shop Huw Thomas Gallery. For more information on Welsh love spoons, Porthcawl, contact us today.