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Portmeirion
PORTMEIRION, Gwynedd, ,
LL48 6ER
Tel: 01766 770000
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The first historical reference to Portmeirion was by Gerald of Wales in 1188: "We crossed the Traeth Mawr and the Traeth Bychan. These are two arms of the sea, one large and one small. Two stone castles have been built there recently. T
he one called Castell Deudraeth belongs to the sons of Cynan and is situated in the Eifionydd area, facing the northern Mountains.” Clough acquired the site in 1925. It was then, as Clough wrote, "a neglected wilderness - long abandoned by those romantics who had realised the unique appeal and possibilities of this favoured promontory but who had been carried away by their grandiose landscaping...into sorrowful bankruptcy." Clough immediately changed the name from Aber Iâ to Portmeirion: Port because of the coastal location and Meirion as this is Welsh for Merioneth, the county in which it lay.
The first article about Portmeirion appeared in The Architects Journal, January 6 1926, in which John Rothenstein writes: "On the sea-coast of North Wales, quite near his own old home, Plas Brondanw, he has acquired what he believes to be an ideal site, and he is engaged upon plans and models for the laying out of an entire small township. The results of his scheme will be significant and should do much to shake the current notion that although houses must be designed with due care, towns may grow up by chance."
The concept of a tightly grouped coastal village had already formed in Clough's mind some years before he found the perfect site. Clough sometimes later suggested the development was unplanned but these drawings and models suggest otherwise. It appears that he had quite a well defined vision for the village from the outset and that to a large extent he stuck to it. Portmeirion was built in two stages: from 1925 to 1939 the site was ‘pegged-out’ and its most distinctive buildings were erected.
From 1954-76 he filled in the details. The second period was typically classical or Palladian in style in contrast to the Arts and Crafts style of his earlier work. Several buildings were salvaged from demolition sites, giving rise to Clough’s description of the place as “a home for fallen buildings”. His last building, the tollgate, was built in his 93rd year. Portmeirion gave Clough pleasure during his life and he hoped that it would give pleasure to others. His motto was “Cherish the Past, Adorn the Present, Construct for the Future.” He fought for beauty, “that strange necessity”.
Having aquired the site in 1925 his first priority was to convert the old mansion house on the shore into an hotel which he opened at Easter 1926. The hotel enjoyed a celebrated clientel from the start. Writers shuch as George Bernard Shaw, H.G.Wells and Bertrand Russell were habitués; Noël Coward wrote Blythe Spirit here during a two week stay in 1941.
Architects were also drawn to Portmeirion. Frank Lloyd Wright visited in the 1950s and, as Clough recalled, viewed the whole with ‘tollerant interest’. In the 1960s Patrick McGoohan discovered Portmeirion and soon persuaded Clough to allow him to use the village as the location for The Prisoner. The series soon attained cult status and retains a loyal following to this day.
In 2002 Castell Deudraeth was opened as an additional 11 bedroom hotel and informal brasserie style restaurant specializing in local produce including Lly^n lobster, Menai oysters, Afonwen sea bass, Anglesey Turbot as well as local lamb and beef. The menu is complemented by an extensive wine list with many wines served by the glass.
Portmeirion has eight shops: The Seconds Warehouse has a good slection of Portmeirion Pottery seconds, Y Llong has Best Quality Portmeirion Pottery and design led gifts, other shops are the Golden Dragon Bookshop, Pot Jam, Papur a Phensal, Siop Bach, Oriel y Gromen and the Prisoner Shop. There is also a Beauty Parlour, a Self-Service Restaurant and Cadwaladers Ice Cream Parlour.
PORTMEIRION, Gwynedd, LL48 6ER, Wales
| Tel: +44 (0)1766 770000
| Fax: +44 (0)1766 770300
http://www.portmeirion-village.com/
