Plas Mawr

 A few weeks ago I promised a post on the 16th century house we visited in Conwy whilst on a short trip to Wales.  Plas Mawr is on the High street in the main part of the town. It is said to be the finest surviving Elizabeth town house in Britain, a house of the golden age of wealthy merchants who invested their money in property.

It was bought by a former diplomat named Robert Wynn (1520-1598) at a cost of £200.  He was the third son of local landowner John Wyn of Gwydr. Between the years 1576 and 1585 he turned the property into a desirable, opulent residence which reflected his standing both within the town and further afield.   

Visitors pass through the gatehouse across the courtyard and up the steps to the main building.

There are seventeen rooms in all on three levels.  The first room that visitors enter is the hall.  By the time of Robert Wynn's ownership the medieval main hall had become a reception area for visitors and also where the servants would eat and where household members and tenants would gather.

I love the little details and the replica dishes, bowls and jugs

There was a dressing up area for children and hats for adults to try on.

The next set of rooms on this level are the kitchen, passage, pantry and brewhouse (photos below)

It was at this point that my camera battery ran out so any further photos are Paul's.  I had taken so many photos in the previous two days and also quite a few at Conwy castle.

The Upper Courtyard which led to the dairy and gardens.

The Upper Terrace showing part of the garden and summer house.

Above the Great Chamber.  Recent restoration work has brought the house back to life.  Some of the heraldic plaster work has been decorated as it would have been in Robert Wynn's time.

A corner in Dorothy Wynn's bedroom which, on the floor plan of the house, was called the chamber over the parlour.  Robert Wynn was married twice first to Dorothy Griffith and secondly to Dorothy Dymock. Robert Wynn's bedroom was called the chamber over the brewery.

Up in the roof.  Over the centuries the house became a court house, a school and then an art gallery.  It has been in the care of the Welsh heritage agency, Cadw since 1993.

  I coped with the spiral staircases into the roof but the further staircase into the tower was just a step too far.  I waited in the exhibition gallery where there was an interesting exhibition on Health and Hygiene in Tudor times.

 Paul did manage the stairs  to capture the view below.

Quite late in his life Robert Wynn became the member of parliament for Caernarvonshire and then, in 1591 he became Sheriff of the county.  He died in 1598 and is buried in St Mary's church which you can see in the photo above.  Apparently his tomb is in the chancel.  Next time we visit I must pop in there to take a look.

More of Bodnant Gardens.

 Luckily on our visit to the National Trust's Bodnant Gardens the afternoon weather was quite dry, sunny and warm.  No sudden downpours of rain like there had been in the morning.

There are lots of interesting nooks and crannies to explore as you work your way down to the Mill via the terraces and ponds.

First we wanted to see the huge Laburnum Arch that Bodnant is noted for.  It was looking lovely but I suspect it would be at its zenith this week and possibly next.

Rhododendrons and Azaleas added lots of colour to the garden. 

It was one of those times where there were so many photo opportunities.  In the end I decided just to enjoy the atmosphere, colours and textures of the garden.

Above one of the many gardeners and volunteers who keep the garden looking so wonderful.

Wisteria on the Edwardian Italianate terraces.

The Pin Mill is a Grade II listed 18th century building. I can remember visiting one summer and this pond was alive with Dragonflies and Damselflies skimming all over.  

The Old Mill built c 1827 and the way down to the arboretum where there are many unusual trees.

Down in the Dell, the bridge over the River Hiraethlyn.

We only had a certain amount of time before we needed to move on and check into our accommodation for the next three nights.

Time to make our way back to the courtyard, plant centre and car park.

The last few days

 We've been away for a few days.  The weather wasn't as bad as we thought it might be.

Wales always delights.  Below, a few of the things we saw and places we visited.  

Bodnant Gardens near Conwy.

We've visited many times but this is the first time we've caught the famous Laburnum arch in flower.  I think it will be spectacular next week.

Llandudno - too cold and windy to walk any further along the Promenade or pier that day so we retreated into bookshops and art galleries.

Mostyn Gallery, Llandudno

The White Rabbit was one of the sculptures on the Alice in Wonderland trail around the town.

Conwy Castle taken from a bird hide at the RSPB nature reserve near Conwy later the same afternoon it was warm enough to sit outside with an ice cream.  

A new sculpture on the seafront at Colwyn Bay is of actor and comedian Terry Jones by Nick Elphick. It was unveiled only a couple of weeks before.  The event was attended  by two of his Monty Python colleagues Sir Michael Palin and Terry Gilliam. 

Conwy Castle.  We visited the day before it closed for a week.  Apparently it is being used as one of the settings for a new film.  

No one knew what film it was only that it was something similar to Game of Thrones or perhaps about dragons.  Cranes were hoisting equipment into place as we looked around.

Above and below the kitchen at Plas Mawr house in Conwy

I'm always drawn to the kitchens in historic houses.

Below beautiful painted windows designed by Alf Fisher MBE in the small but fascinating museum in Corwen.

  All the downstairs windows were decorated like this, each with different themes to represent the history, heritage and nature of the area.

Puppets in the Corwen museum created by local people and children to tell the story of national hero Owain Glyndwr.

All for now.  I'll be back next week with more on Bodnant Gardens and Plas Mawr house.

Borth-y-Gest

Before the town of Porthmadog was built Borth-y-Gest was the place where the sea pilots could look out along the Glaslyn Estuary for vessels needing help and guidance to cross the often treacherous waters.

The pilot house was stationed here and several pilot cottages still survive at the front of the harbour.

Photo taken on one of our visits in June 2011

The peaceful beach area used to be a vibrant shipyard with a couple of companies building wooden vessels.

Below a photo of ship building at Borth-y-Gest which is on display in the Porthmadog Maritime Museum.

Borth-y-Gest is on the Wales Coast Path and we always stroll along part of it.  There are a few sets of steps down to the beach.

On the beach a man with an excitable black Labrador dog began to talk to us.  He told us about his childhood, growing up across the estuary near Harlech and told us Welsh folk tales from the 9th and 10th centuries connected with the area.  A fascinating man.  We saw him later at the Seaview café where we had a Coronation Chickpea sandwich for lunch.

More photos of the beach below

All for now.  Take care in the warm weather.