The Slate
28 August 2017
Tal-y-Bont
SH 60502 70834; 53.21618°N, 4.09061°W
Formerly the Abbeyfield Hotel, the establishment reopened in June 2017 following a major refurbishment undertaken by its new owners Ben and Kelly Hardy.
Pontio
27 August 2017
Deiniol Road, Bangor
SH 57929 72174; 53.22753°N, 4.12972°W
Rhug Estate
26 August 2017
Rhug, Corwen, Denbighshire
SJ 05302 43642; 52.98171°N, 3.41193°W
Rhug Estate in Denbighshire, which covers some 5,000 hectares, is the main estate of Robert Vaughan Wynn (b 1949), 8th Baron Newborough. The organic farm extends over around half of the area of the estate, and features a farm shop, the Bison Grill restaurant and the On the Hoof takeaway. The farm started wholesaling in 2004 and its organic produce is exported internationally and is supplied to establishments such as the Ritz and the Dorchester in London and the seven-star Burj Al Arab in Dubai. An unexpected sight in the fields of North Wales, the farm’s herd of bison has become something of a tourist attraction.
Standing guard…
26 August 2017
Chirk, Wrexham Country Borough
SJ 26890 38042; 52.93476°N, 3.08920°W
Vitellus [sic] Aulus Vitellius Germanicus Augustus
CE 15 – 69, Roman Emperor for eight months in CE 69
The Herbert family bought a total of 12 marble busts of Roman emperors in the 17th century as souvenirs of their trips to Italy. Each bust weighs 150 kg.
23 August 2017
Powis Castle, Welshpool
SJ 21494 06513; 52.65063°N, 3.16188°W
Powis Castle
23 August 2017
Powis Castle, Welshpool
SJ 21494 06513; 52.65063°N, 3.16188°W
Plas Tan y Bwlch
22 August 2017
Plas Tan y Bwlch, Maentwrog, Vale of Ffestiniog
SH 65548 40623; 52.94608°N, 4.00245°W
The first manor house on the Tan y Bwlch estate is thought to have been built in the 17th century by Evan Evans, who was Sheriff of Merionethshire in 1635. In around 1748 the house was rebuilt by Robert Griffith, grandson of the Evans heiress Catherine. In turn the Griffith family male line also came to an end and Robert’s granddaughter Margaret inherited the estate. In 1789 she married William Oakeley from Staffordshire. The Oakeley family was involved in many developments in the local area, including agricultural land improvement, slate quarrying in Blaenau Ffesiniog, and the creation of the Ffestiniog Railway. The family owned the estate until 1961.
Meirionnydd County Council purchased the house and grounds in 1969 and in 1975 it was opened as the Study Centre by the Snowdonia National Park Authority. Renovations of the property and gardens funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund and CADW were carried out in 2004-05.
