Portmeirion village

Portmeirion Village is a combination of a fantastic village and extraordinary gardens designed by Sir Bertram Clough Williams-Ellis, the famous Welsh architect. He began construction in 1927 on his private peninsula on the west coast of Snowdonia, integrating it into the architecture of a wooded hillside and beach. Clough Williams-Ellis wanted to show that developing a naturally beautiful site does not necessarily lead to pollution. He bought the Portmeirion site in 1925 for just £20,000. The place was a desolate wilderness, but Clough drew up plans for the entire town.

Own village

A surprising number of buildings in the village of Portmeirion were built in two stages. Developments were planned on the site between 1925 and 1939, and distinctive Arts and Crafts buildings were erected around it at key locations. Then, from 1954 to 1976, the rest of the site was developed with neoclassical and Palladian buildings to contrast with the earlier style. Some buildings were saved from demolition and brought piece by piece to Portmeirion. So many buildings were saved in this way that Clough called the village of Portmeirion "home to fallen buildings". He created a fairytale village with elements of Italianate and Gothic design, set in 85 acres of beautiful woodland gardens overlooking the harbour.

Fighter for nature

Clough was a charming and eccentric character, a fighter for the preservation of natural heritage. He also served as President of the Welsh Rural Defense Campaign for 20 years and was a founding member of the Rural Defense Council for England. He influenced the campaign to create national parks in England and Wales and effectively delineated the boundaries of Snowdonia National Park.

Popular place

The village of Portmeirion is surrounded by woodland gardens, with walks along the coastline and through woodland, with tall pines, plane trees, redwoods and firs. The Edwardian Gardens feature lush gardens with colorful seasonal rhododendrons, azaleas and camellias. In the center of Portmeirion village is the Central Square with a Gothic pavilion at one end.

It became famous as the setting for the 1960s TV series The Prisoner, starring Patrick McGoohan. All 17 episodes of the series were filmed in the village of Portmeirion. There is an audiovisual presentation about the development of the village, and the cottages are rented out as holiday homes. The village sells world famous Portmeirion pottery, created by Sir Williams-Ellis' daughter.