- Plas Brondanw
Plas Brondanw (gbmapping|SH616422) in Carreg Llanfrothen,
Gwynedd ,North Wales , was the family home ofClough Williams-Ellis , creator of the Italianate villagePortmeirion , and elements of similar architectural styles can be seen at both locations.Plas Brondanw stands on the road to the tiny village of
Croesor and the distinctiveSnowdonia hill namedCnicht .Williams-Ellis inherited the run-down Plas Brondanw from his father in 1908, when he was aged 25, and set about restoring both the house and the gardens. The house itself had by this time been split into
apartment s, and the garden had been turned intoallotment s.In 1951 the property was badly damaged by fire, and this event, and the subsequent restoration of the property, is commemorated by a flaming urn statue, mounted at the top of a waterfall.
Also across the road, but within the grounds of Plas Brondanw, Williams-Ellis had constructed a
folly named Folly Castle. A plaque records that the castle was "a wedding present from the Welsh Guards to Clough Williams-Ellis and Anabel Strachley in 1915." Located on a small hill, it affords good views of the surrounding landscape. Scenes from the film "Inn of the Sixth Happiness " and the "Doctor Who " film "The Five Doctors " were filmed at the folly.The gardens are open to the public for a small fee.
External links
* [http://www.brondanw.org Plas Brondanw Official Website]
* [http://www.virtualportmeirion.com/plasbrondanw/plas.htm Plas Brondanw on the Portmeirion web site]
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