Celebrating Richard Burton | Wales.com

For those who’d like to delve more deeply into Richard Burton’s world, a number of landmarks associated with the actor can be easily visited.

In Burton’s home of Pontrhydyfen, fans can see the humble abode where he was born. The house stands in the shadow of the village’s 200-year-old aqueduct (now a foot bridge), on which the actor was snapped walking with his father during a trip home – a photograph often recreated by fans. Visitors can also have a pint in The Miners Arms pub, now the Pontrhydyfen RFC Clubhouse, where Burton’s parents met and married. A curated walk around the village, the Richard Burton Trail, ties a number of additional early Burton sites together.

Down the road in Port Talbot, a monument to the star can be found in Talbot Memorial Park, inscribed with a poem Burton penned about his childhood in Wales. The poem references the town’s surrounding hillsides, where Richard, along with his teacher, Philip Burton, would go to recite Shakespeare aloud, in a bid to improve the young actor's voice projection skills. The town is also home to the Port Talbot YMCA, where Burton acted in some of his first school productions (Burton’s primary school is also still standing in the town).

Other Welsh venues where Burton cut his teeth in the world of theatre include the Victorian-era Swansea Grand Theatre, in Swansea, and The Prince of Wales theatre in Cardiff, which is now a characterful pub. 

Those seeking Burton-related artifacts, meanwhile, can make an appointment to visit the Richard Burton Archives in Swansea University, which holds a number of images and documents relating to the actor, including his personal diary entries.

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