WINE DINE & TRAVEL MAGAZINE SPRING 2015

One of the first things Williams-Ellis
did in Portmeirion was to restore
and expand an old beach house, built
around 1850, converting it into the 14-
room Hotel Portmeirion, which officially
opened in 1926. After a fire destroyed
it in 1981, it was reopened in 1988. Famous
guests have included George Bernard
Shaw and H.G. Wells. The Prince of
Wales (Edward VIII, later known as the
Duke of Windsor), stayed in The Peacock
Suite when he visited Wales for his
investiture in 1936.
Other notable visitors to the town
have included Noel Coward, who wrote
“Blithe Spirit” during six days in 1941;
Ernest Hemingway, Beatles’ manager
Brian Epstein (a regular guest) and
George Harrison, who celebrated his
50th birthday here.
For his Portmeirion project, Williams-Ellis,
an environmentalist who
was knighted in 1971 in recognition
for his contributions to architecture
and the environment, salvaged some
buildings from demolition sites. He described
the village as “a home for fallen
buildings” and an “architectural mongrel.”
It is a mixture of styles, including
Italianate, arts and crafts, and Georgian.
His motto was, “Cherish the past, adorn
the present, construct for the future.”
(c) Tim Richmond Photography
And the creative genius, the preacher’s
kid who had attended Cambridge,
seemed a bit eccentric in his endeavor
to salvage old architectural items.
For example, in 1965, when he decided
to tear down an unsightly, 35-yearold
tennis court and build in its place a
central piazza, he could not remember
where, 30 years earlier, he had stored
the large Ionic columns that he wanted
to use in the design. Eventually his
tenant farmer located them under a pile
of manure, and they were dug up and
used. But reportedly for several months,
no one got very close to admire them
due to the awful aroma!
WALES
Portmeirion
Then there’s the Angel cottage - one
of the first built, in 1926 - so-named
because Williams-Ellis had an angel
Top: The quayside at dawn. Right: Map of Wales
and site of Portmeirion. Opposite top: Arial view of
Portmeirion. Opposite bottom: Williams-Ellis pictured
on the cover of his book, “Around the World in
Ninety Years.”
Wine Dine & Travel Winter 2015 53