- Brynbella
Brynbella is a
neoclassical villa built near the village ofTremeirchion inDenbighshire , northeastWales , byHester Piozzi and her husband, Gabriel Piozzi. It was the seat of theSalusbury Family from 1794 until 1920. The name is part Welsh and part Italian, meaning "Beautiful Hill" ("bryn" + "bella").Early History
In 1794, Hester Piozzi began the construction of Brynbella with her husband in order to provide the family with a new seat after the destruction of
Lleweni Hall , which had reverted to the ownership ofStapleton Cotton, 1st Viscount Combermere due toprimogeniture . It was built out ofPortland limestone in the style of thePalladian villas which she had seen during her self-imposed exile inItaly . There, Gabriel Piozzi became accustomed to British society, although his position as a Catholic continually undermined his position amongst the local gentry.Use by the Salusbury Family
After her death in 1821, the house became the possession of her adopted son, Sir John Salusbury Piozzi Salusbury. Like his namesake,
John Salusbury , Hester's son had little idea of estate management and continued to dabble in politics and the emerging banking industry then erupting inLondon . Piozzi Salusbury spent relatively little time on his estate and as a result, it languished. He later sold off much of the original furniture made byInce and Mayhew andThomas Chippendale in order to modernize the house in accordance with the then-popular Victorian style of furniture.After Piozzi Salusbury's death in 1858, it became the property of Rev. Sir Augustus George Salusbury who was then participating in the settlement of
New South Wales . The decision to rent Brynbella full-time was undertaken by Salusbury's son, who continued to live inAustralia . After his death in 1918, it fell into the hands ofFrederic Salusbury who sold the estate two years later due to the extensive repairs that were necessitated after half a century of neglect.ubsequent Ownership
After its original sale in 1918, Brynbella was continuously sold to a number of different families. In 1994, it was purchased as a private residence and remains so today.
References
* Hyde, Mary. The Thrales of Streatham Park. Boston: Harvard UP, 1977.
* [http://thrale.com/history/english/hester_and_henry/homes/brynbella.php] - A genealogical website which discusses the history of Brynbella in relation to Mrs. Piozziee also
*
Salusbury family
*Hester Piozzi
*John Salusbury Piozzi Salusbury
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