Plas Newydd House & Gardens, Llangollen
Jake Davies
Plas Newydd is an historic country house set in gardens in the picturesque small town of Llangollen in North Wales.
It is famous as the former home of the Ladies of Llangollen, a pair of women who scandalized 18th century society.
Plas Newydd means "new mansion" in Welsh, and so is a fairly common name and this one in Llangollen should not be confused with the Plas Newydd on nearby Anglesey which is a much larger country house and estate now managed by the National Trust.
Eleanor Butler and Sarah Ponsonby
Eleanor Butler and Sarah Ponsonby ("the Ladies of Llangollen") were two upper-class Irishwomen who left Ireland to set up home together in 1778.
They did this to avoid the possibility of unwanted marriages and to be able to lead the kind of life they wanted. In 1780 they bought a small cottage in Llangollen and renamed it Plas Newydd.
Over the 50 years of their life together the women enlarged the cottage and built gardens with various structures and outbuildings.
The most striking feature of their former home are the relief-carvings made of blackened oak that adorn the exterior surfaces.
These were collected from all over the region and have been "recycled" mostly from church fittings like pews.
They cover quite a range of styles from "folk" to Baroque and some date back many centuries.
Inside the house are displays of some of the couple's possessions and furniture and an accompanying audio tour fleshes out details of their life together here.
From the interior much of the stained glass installed by them can also best be appreciated.
Directly in front of the main house is a formal garden laid out in a geometric pattern with heavily pruned bushes.
Footpaths take you through the grounds across lawns, through woodland, and along a river bank. Here you can discover statues, grottoes, and bridges and other delights built by Eleanor Butler and Sarah Ponsonby.
Social Acceptance
Though initially the women's behavior and lifestyle was considered scandalous, eventually they were accepted and in fact their home was visited by many famous people.
Visitors included such artistic types as Wordsworth, Shelley, and Byron, but also more establishment figures such as the Duke of Wellington and industrialist Josiah Wedgwood.
There is a tearoom that serves drinks, cream teas, etc as well as light lunches.
Access
Plas Newydd House & Gardens
Hill Street, Llangollen
Denbighshire, LL20 8AW
Tel: 01978 862 834
www: plas-newydd-house-and-garden
The house is located about half a mile south of the nearest railway station, Llanfairpwll. Llanfairpwll Station is on the North Wales Coast Line from Euston Station in London to Holyhead in Angelsey.
The house is only open from the end of March until early November, every day from 10.30 am to 5 pm.
Entry is 6 GBP for adults, 5 GBP for children.
However the grounds are open and free to enter all year.
Plas Newydd is very close to the World Heritage Site of Pontcysyllte Aqueduct & Llangollen Canal, and just a 15 minute drive from Chirk Castle.
There are trains to Chester Station in Chester via Llandudno Junction and Prestatyn.
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