PORTMEIRION'S
Legends
www.portmeirion-village.com
WELCOME Portmeirion has always been a magnet for celebrities, serenity seekers and artistic souls. A fantasy village lapped by golden sands, sparkling waters and wild woodlands, it has inspired everyone from the Beatle George Harrison to the famous architect Frank Lloyd Wright. But even before Clough Williams-Ellis touched the place with his genius, the estate attracted kings, smugglers, killers and eccentrics. To celebrate Wales’ Year of Legends’, we meet just some of the characters that are associated with Portmeirion and its history.
Clough Williams-Ellis was a visionary architect who created Portmeirion as an act of artistic propaganda. He wanted to build a village to illustrate that it was possible to have fun with architecture. The result was a showcase of unwanted buildings arranged to distort perspectives and reveal glimpses of the stunning seascape behind. His genius and sense of mischief can be found throughout the village in the form of visual tricks like the trompe-l'œil windows or the ombré walls that make buildings look older than they are. Clough died in April 1978, aged 94. He was cremated, and as requested, his ashes went up in a marine rocket which was part of a New Year’s Eve firework display over the estuary at Portmeirion. Do: Explore the village at your own leisure by buying an annual ticket from £20 (£10) for children online or at our visitor center. During high-season join one of our free walking tours to discover more about the Village or pre-book a 45 minute buggy tour from £20 for up to five people on 01766 772390.
Susan Williams-Ellis, the eldest daughter of Clough Williams-Ellis, was the founder of Portmeirion Pottery. An artist and nature lover, she was particularly interested in Portmeirion’s woodland area, affectionately known as the ‘Gwyllt’. She transformed part of the 70 acre wilderness into an oriental garden, complete with a Chinese lake and pagoda. It was also her idea to have the Piazza, arguing that every Italian village should have a central square. She took inspiration from Portmeirion’s flowers and fauna to create her Botanic range, now an iconic pottery collection. Buy: Portmeirion pottery at one of our village shops.
Patrick meets Clough
Image - Catherine McGoohan
Human Chess Game
Patrick McGoohan was an American-born Irish actor, writer and director who was brought up in Britain, where he established an extensive stage and film career. He came to Portmeirion in 1959 to film several scenes for the popular TV series Danger Man. When it came to an end in 1966, he asked Clough WilliamsEllis if he could use the Village as the location for a follow up series called The Prisoner. He was looking for somewhere with ambiguity. Portmeirion fitted the bill thanks to its Mediterranean colours, Italian Piazza, Chinese lakes and scenic Welsh backdrop. Visit: For one weekend in April, Portmeirion hosts The Prisoner convention when fans descend to reenact scenes from the series such as the human chess game.
David Williams was the first Liberal MP for Meirionydd. He built what we now call Castell Deudraeth in the 1840s by converting what was previously an eighteenth century cottage called Bron Eryri. He renamed it after the original Castell Deudraeth, built around 1175, by the King of Gwynedd, on an escarpment above the estuary which now overlooks Portmeirion. Clough Williams-Ellis was interested in the Castle as accommodation - but due to a shortcoming in its original construction, the building eventually fell into decay. In 1999, the Castle was restored with original features such as the fire surrounds, ornate plasterwork, oak panelling and slate flooring. Visit: Today the Castle has 11 guest rooms as well as a restaurant and bar. Why not stay over or just enjoy a meal at the Brasserie? Book a two course lunch and you’ll get free entry into Portmeirion. Ts&Cs apply.
Sir William Fothergill-Cook was the inventor of the electric telegraph and an early tenant of the site now known as Portmeirion. In 1869 – Cook, a celebrated Victorian botanist, destroyed Deudraeth Castle, originally built in 1175, to prevent people from stomping on his rare plants. He had travelled across Asia collecting rare species of trees and plants such as Monkey Puzzles, Pines, Hollies, Cherry Laurels, Ponticum Rhododendrons and Rhododendron arboreum hybrids (Cornish Reds) and planted them in Portmeirion. Many survive to this day. See: The Campanile. Clough Williams-Ellis used the stones from the ruined castle as a base for this elegant tower in 1925.
Mrs Adelaide Emma Jane Haigh was one of Portmeirion’s most eccentric tenants. She lived reclusively in Aber Iâ mansion, now known as Hotel Portmeirion, with her 15 dogs. A pious woman, she kept her mongrel pack in the elegant Mirror Room where she would read daily sermons to them. She also believed that every living thing deserved a life, and wouldn't allow growing vegetation or plants to be cut, creating an overgrowth which was infamous by the time of her death in 1917. Visit: The cemetery she created for her beloved dogs in the woods. Their gravestones can still be seen to this day.
Aber Iâ mansion later became Portmeirion hotel
Dog Cemetary
George Henry Caton Haigh, son of Adelaide, was a world authority on Himalayan flowering trees and exotic plants. He continued Sir Fothergill-Cook’s works of planting rare species in Portmeirion’s woods, including our famous rhododendrons. He was also a famous bird watcher and his manuscript collection is lodged in the Natural History Museum. Do: Say hello to one of friendly robins or, during high season, hop on the woodland train to see one of the several species of rhododendrons that Haigh planted in the ‘Gwyllt’.
Thomas Edwards, nicknamed ‘Hwntw Mawr’, was the last person to be publicly hung in Britain in 1813. Working on the Cob in Porthmadog, he slept rough in Portmeirion’s White Horses, which was then an old fisherman’s cottage. During his stay, he discovered that a significant amount of money was kept in the Lower Peninsula farmhouse, just above the Village. One day, when he thought everyone was busy with the harvest, he went to the farmhouse and tried to find where the money was kept. Whilst ransacking the place, he was disturbed by the local maid Mary Jones. Caught red handed, he murdered her. He was later arrested and found guilty before being publicly hung in Dolgellau. Visit: Walk along the coastal footpath to White Horses and see the spot where Hwntw Mawr hid. You can even stay there by calling 01766 772 300/01
NoĂŤl Coward wrote Blithe Spirit in Portmeirion. The playwright, eager to escape the bombs of chaos of war time London, stayed at The Fountain in the spring of 1941. Within five days, he had fulfilled his goal of writing a play that would make people laugh. Do: stay in the very rooms that inspired Coward to write Blithe Spirit by emailing stay@portmeirionvillage.com
Uriah Lovell was a Welsh gypsy who lived in Portmeirion’s woods during the 1930s. He weaved baskets and sold them to visitors, who were facinated by him. When he died, rumour has it that his body and all his possessions were burned in a caravan according to gypsy tradition. Do: Wander our 70 acres of woods and let your imagination run wild.
DISCOVER MORE From guided tours and books to events and soundscapes, discover more about Portmeirion's legends in our Visitor Centre, email visit@portmeirionvillage.com or call 01766 770 000
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