Plas Newydd, former home of the Marquess of Anglesey
Set on the shores of the Menai Strait amidst breathtakingly beautiful scenery, Plas Newydd is the home of GeoMôn’s patron, Lord Anglesey. It is now a National Trust property
A house is said to have been in existence on the site since the 13th century known as Llwyn-y-Moel. From about 1470, it belonged to the Griffith family of Penrhyn who built a house early in the following century. In 1553, Ellen Griffith married Sir Nicholas Bagnall and their granddaughter Ann married Lewis Bayly, Bishop of Bangor and the house became the home of the Bayly family until the 17th century. Lewis Bayly made substantial extensions to the house, building the big hall and adding towers, changing the name to Plas Newydd of ‘new hall’. Sir Nicholas Bayly who became one of the most influential men on the island when he married Caroline Paget in1737, heiress to Beaudesert estate Staffordshire.
His son, Henry, extended his fortunes by forming the Mona Mine Company in 1785 together with Thomas Williams of Llanidan to work the rich deposits of copper discovered on the eastern side of Parys Mountain. He also owned half of the Parys Mine Company. Henry engaged James Wyatt and the appearance of the house changed dramatically. Wyatt kept the towers and the hall, but refaced everything in Penmon limestone, and merged them into an elegant Georgian house, with a broad, sweeping lawn down towards the water. The 1930s restyled interior is famous for its Rex Whistler association and contains his exquisite romantic mural and the largest exhibition of his works.
His son, Henry William Paget, became the most famous member of the family as he was created first Marquess of Anglesey in 1814 as a reward for his military achievements on the field of Waterloo, where he lost a leg. A column constructed in 1817 to honour him has 115 steps to a platform with panoramic views of North West Wales, including Snowdonia, Anglesey and the Llŷn Peninsula. Unfortunately, the Column was closed to the public in 2014, when the internal staircase was deemed unsafe but recently has received funding for complete restoration. It sits on top of exposures of glaucophane [blue] schist, one of the most important rock types in the Geopark.
1949 Plas Newydd was used as a naval cadet training base. The first cadet school was the HMS Conway, which was moored in the Menai Strait close to the house. In 1964 the entire school was moved to purpose built building in the grounds.
The Marquess gave the house and 169 acres to the National Trust in 1976 but continues to live in apartments there.
For a detailed history of the house and its owners, visit the Anglesey Info website
There’s a fine spring garden and Australasian arboretum, with an understory of shrubs and wild flowers, an Italianate-style summer terrace, and massed hydrangeas which give autumn colour.
A woodland walk gives access to a delightful spring and early summer rhododendron garden.
From the house and grounds, the views across the Menai Strait to the mountains of Snowdonia are simply stunning.
Visit the National Trust website for Plas Newydd