Plas Dinas

Last updated

Plas Dinas
Plas Dinas - geograph.org.uk - 3697383.jpg
Front of the building
Plas Dinas
General information
Type Country house
Hotel (since 1990s)
Location Bontnewydd, Gwynedd
CountryWales
Coordinates 53°06′31″N04°16′32″W / 53.10861°N 4.27556°W / 53.10861; -4.27556
Construction startedEarly 17th century
Listed Building – Grade II
Official namePlas Dinas
Designated29 May 1968
Reference no.3809 [1]

Plas Dinas is a Grade II listed building in Bontnewydd, Gwynedd, near Caernarfon in North Wales, between the Welsh coast and the Snowdonia mountains. [2] [3] It is a large country house which retains significant features of an early 17th-century house at its core.

Contents

Since 1915 the estate has been in the hands of the Armstrong-Jones family. Antony Armstrong-Jones, 1st Earl of Snowdon spent much time there, including with Princess Margaret during their marriage from 1960 to 1978.

Since the 1990s the mansion has been a country house hotel, now called Plas Dinas Country House. It is home to the award winning The Gunroom Restaurant and is a 5* country house visit by many well known faces and guests from all over the world.

History

Plas Dinas is a large country house incorporating an early 17th-century house. [4] It had a later 17th-century addition as well as major 19th-century additions. [4] From its mid-17th century expansion it has a reset gritstone tablet dated 1653, with a coat of arms and inscribed with "T . W I . W" for Thomas and Jane Williams. [5] [4] Thomas Williams was a son of Sir Thomas Williams of Vaynol, and was Sheriff of Caernarvonshire from 1647 to 1648. [4]

The house was enlarged in the Victorian era. [5] It was the home of Owen Roberts, land agent to the wealthy Thomas Assheton Smith family. [5] [4] In the early 20th century his son, barrister and education pioneer Sir Owen Roberts, lived at Plas Dinas when he was not occupied in England. [6] [5] Upon the death of Sir Owen Roberts in 1915, Plas Dinas passed to his daughter Margaret Elizabeth, [5] who in 1893 had married Sir Robert Armstrong-Jones, a Welsh psychiatrist. [7]

In the 20th century [8] Plas Dinas was owned by three generations of the Armstrong-Jones family, including Sir Robert Armstrong-Jones's son Ronald Armstrong-Jones, Q.C., who was the father of Lord Snowdon. [4] When the Armstrong-Jones family moved to the London area, they retained Plas Dinas as their country home. [9] Upon the death of Ronald Armstrong-Jones in 1966, the Plas Dinas estate was bequeathed to Snowdon's much younger half-brother Peregrine Armstrong-Jones. [10] [11]

At the entrance to the drive is Plas Dinas lodge. During the Second World War, there was prisoner of war camp in the field across the drive from the lodge. [5] In 1946, at the age of 16, Lord Snowden was holidaying at Plas Dinas when he contracted polio. [12] [13]

The home was designated a listed building on 29 May 1968. [1]

Princess Margaret, who was married to Lord Snowdon from 1960 to 1978, spent many weekends at Plas Dinas with him, [14] particularly after Snowdon was appointed Constable of Caernarfon Castle in 1963, and later was designing and organising the investiture of Prince Charles as Prince of Wales, [15] [16] [17] which was held at Caernarfon Castle in 1969. [18]

Plas Dinas, looking west-northwest (2013) Plas Dinas (geograph 3697362).jpg
Plas Dinas, looking west-northwest (2013)

In the 1980s, the Armstrong-Jones family leased out the house as a nursing home, before it was converted to a hotel in the 1990s. [16] Proprietors have been running it as Plas Dinas Country House, a 5-star country house hotel, since the mid 2000s. [16] It still contains many Armstrong-Jones family portraits, memorabilia, and original furniture. [9] [2] The hotel includes a restaurant, The Gunroom, which contains the original early 17th-century stone fireplace that the mansion was built around over the centuries. [19] In 2022 the restaurant was added to the Michelin Guide after inspectors were impressed with the food and its presentation. [18]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Antony Armstrong-Jones, 1st Earl of Snowdon</span> British photographer and filmmaker (1930–2017)

Antony Charles Robert Armstrong-Jones, 1st Earl of Snowdon,, was a British photographer and filmmaker. He is best known for his portraits of world notables, many of them published in Vogue, Vanity Fair, The Sunday Times Magazine, The Sunday Telegraph Magazine, and other major venues; more than 280 of his photographs are in the permanent collections of the National Portrait Gallery.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lady Margarita Armstrong-Jones</span> British jewelry designer and relative of the royal family

Lady Margarita Elizabeth Rose Alleyne Armstrong-Jones is an English socialite, jewellery designer, and a member of the British royal family. The granddaughter of Princess Margaret and the grandniece of Elizabeth II, she served as a bridesmaid at the Wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton in 2011 and has accompanied the British monarch and members of the royal family to public events. As of 2023, she is 27th in the line of succession. Lady Margarita is a jewellery designer and the creator of the bespoke jewellery label Matita. In 2023, she was the cover girl for the March issue of Tatler.

Lady Sarah Frances Elizabeth Chatto is a member of the British royal family. She is the only daughter of Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon and Antony Armstrong-Jones, 1st Earl of Snowdon. She and her brother, David Armstrong-Jones, 2nd Earl of Snowdon, are the only maternal first cousins of King Charles III. She is the youngest grandchild of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth. At her birth, she was seventh in line of succession to the British throne; as of May 2023, she is 28th. Though she does not undertake public duties, she frequently attends events and ceremonies with the wider royal family.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pen-y-Gwryd</span>

Pen-y-Gwryd is a pass at the head of Nantygwryd and Nant Cynnyd rivers close to the foot of Snowdon in Gwynedd, Wales. The area is located at the junction of the A4086 from Capel Curig to Llanberis and Caernarfon and the A498 from Beddgelert and Nant Gwynant about a mile from the head of the Llanberis Pass. It is close to the boundary with Conwy county borough in northern Snowdonia. The famous mountaineering hostelry, Pen-y-Gwryd Hotel, is located in the pass. It is also a mountain rescue post with links to the other rescue posts at Ogwen Cottage and Plas y Brenin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vaynol</span>

Vaynol or Y Faenol is a country estate dating from the Tudor period near Y Felinheli in Gwynedd, North Wales. It has 1,000 acres (4.0 km2) of park, farmland, and gardens, with more than thirty listed buildings, surrounded by a wall which is 7 miles (11 km) long. "Y Faenol" means "the manor" and is a mutated form of the Welsh word maenol.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ronald Armstrong-Jones</span> Welsh barrister and soldier

Major Ronald Owen Lloyd Armstrong-Jones, was a British barrister and soldier. He was the father of Antony Armstrong-Jones, 1st Earl of Snowdon, and father-in-law of Princess Margaret, younger daughter of George VI.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bontnewydd, Gwynedd</span> Village and community in Gwynedd, Wales

Bontnewydd is a small village and community with a population of 1,162 located on the A487 road 1+2⁄3 miles (2.7 km) south of Caernarfon in Gwynedd, Wales, close to the river Gwyrfai, 2 miles (3.2 km) from its outflow into Foryd Bay.

This is a list of Sheriffs of Caernarvonshire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wynnstay</span> Estate near Wrexham

Wynnstay is a country house within an important landscaped park 1.3 km south-east of Ruabon, near Wrexham, Wales. Wynnstay, previously Watstay, is a famous estate and the family seat of the Wynns. The house was sold in 1948 and is under a private ownership as of 2000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert Armstrong-Jones</span> Welsh physician

Sir Robert Armstrong-Jones, was a Welsh physician and psychiatrist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Armstrong-Jones, 2nd Earl of Snowdon</span> Businessman and nephew of Queen Elizabeth II

David Albert Charles Armstrong-Jones, 2nd Earl of Snowdon, styled as Viscount Linley until 2017 and known professionally as David Linley, is a member of the British royal family, an English furniture maker, honorary chairman of the auction house Christie's UK, and with his sister, Lady Sarah Chatto, maternal first cousin of King Charles III. He is the only son of Princess Margaret and Antony Armstrong-Jones, 1st Earl of Snowdon, and a grandson of King George VI. When he was born, he was 5th in line of succession to the British throne; as of May 2023, he is 25th, and the first person who is not a descendant of Queen Elizabeth II.

Sir Owen John Roberts, JP, DL, DCL, LL.D was a Welsh educationalist, who helped to pioneer technical education in London. He is also a great-grandfather of Antony Armstrong-Jones, 1st Earl of Snowdon, who was the husband of Princess Margaret.

Sir Hugh John Ellis-Nanney, 1st Baronet, was a Welsh landowner, magistrate and British politician.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gold Medal (National Eisteddfod of Wales)</span>

The Gold Medal of the National Eisteddfod of Wales is awarded annually in three categories for excellence in Fine Art, Architecture, or Craft and Design.

Armstrong-Jones is a compound surname composed of Armstrong and Jones. Notable people with the surname include:

John Eustace Vesey, 6th Viscount de Vesci, was an Irish peer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wedding of Princess Margaret and Antony Armstrong-Jones</span> 1960 British royal wedding

The wedding of Princess Margaret and Antony Armstrong-Jones took place on Friday, 6 May 1960 at Westminster Abbey in London. Princess Margaret was the younger sister of Queen Elizabeth II, while Antony Armstrong-Jones was a noted society photographer.

<i>The Crown</i> (season 3) Season of television series

The third season of The Crown follows the life and reign of Queen Elizabeth II. It consists of ten episodes and was released by Netflix on 17 November 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Investiture of Charles, Prince of Wales</span> 1969 royal ceremony in Caernarfon, Wales

The investiture of Charles, Prince of Wales took place in Caernarfon Castle, north Wales, on 1 July 1969. The ceremony formally presented the title of Prince of Wales to the 20-year-old Charles, eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II. He was the 21st heir to the English or British throne to hold the title. The investiture was a revival of a ceremony which had first been used for the previous prince of Wales, Edward, in 1911. The 1969 event was watched by 500 million people worldwide on television, but it received opposition in particular from Welsh nationalist organisations.

References

  1. 1 2 Cadw. "Plas Dinas (3809)". National Historic Assets of Wales . Retrieved 24 May 2023.
  2. 1 2 Gillilan, Lesley (27 December 2003). "Lording it". The Guardian . Archived from the original on 25 May 2023. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
  3. ↑ Stirling, Sarah. "Plas Dinas". The Telegraph . Archived from the original on 21 May 2023. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Plas Dinas". britishlistedbuildings.co.uk. Archived from the original on 19 May 2023. Retrieved 20 May 2023.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Plas Dinas, Bontnewydd". HistoryPoints.org. Archived from the original on 20 May 2023. Retrieved 24 May 2023.
  6. ↑ Burke, Bernard; Burke, Ashworth Peter (1910). A Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Peerage and Baronetage, the Privy Council, Knightage and Companionage. Harrison. p. 2319.
  7. ↑ Brown, G. H. "Sir Robert Armstrong-Jones". Inspiring Physicians Roll of the Royal College of Physicians. Vol. IV of Munk's Roll. Royal College of Physicians. p. 480. Archived from the original on 10 February 2023. Retrieved 24 May 2023. He married in 1893 Margaret Elizabeth, daughter of Sir Owen Roberts, and had a son and two daughters. He died at his home in Caernarvon.
  8. ↑ DiCamillo, Curt. "Plas Dinas". DiCamillo.com. Archived from the original on 24 May 2023. Retrieved 24 May 2023.
  9. 1 2 "A Historic Home". plasdinas.co.uk. Archived from the original on 21 March 2015. Retrieved 8 June 2015. In 1899 Sir Robert Jones, who subsequently altered his name to Armstrong-Jones, had a son named Ronald. The family was, at that time, living in the London area and retained Plas Dinas as their country home. Sir Ronald Jones married Anne, and the marriage produced a son, Antony, who in 1961 [ sic ] married HRH Princess Margaret, the Queen's sister.
  10. ↑ de Courcy, Anne (2012). Snowdon: The Biography. Orion. ISBN   9780297856047. The year 1966 had begun badly. On 27 January Ronnie had died of cancer at Plas Dinas. ... To Tony's annoyed surprise the family property did not pass to him as Ronnie's eldest son. Instead, the Plas Dinas estate – the house, a collection of cottages, and farmland – was left to his young half-brother Peregrine, who would come into it at the age of twenty-five. The main farm, by the house, was sold to pay death duties.
  11. ↑ "Plas Dinas Properties Limited". find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 20 May 2023. Retrieved 24 May 2023.
  12. ↑ Bonnici, Tony (13 January 2017). "Lord Snowdon 'a royal rebel' whose North Wales connections were more than just a title". North Wales Live . Archived from the original on 25 May 2023. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
  13. ↑ de Courcy, Anne (2012). Snowdon: The Biography. Orion. ISBN   9780297856047. In the summer holidays of 1946 at Plas Dinas .... he felt a terrible pain in his leg. ... Once polio was diagnosed ....
  14. ↑ Banner-Price, Andy (24 December 2009). "Princess Margaret remembered at Caernarfon's Plas Dinas". BBC News . Archived from the original on 21 May 2023. Retrieved 24 May 2023.
  15. ↑ Tooze, Jessica (20 August 2010). "Step back in time for the visit of a royal princess". Britain Magazine. Archived from the original on 20 May 2023. Retrieved 24 May 2023.
  16. 1 2 3 Capper, Ian (13 October 2013). "Plas Dinas". geograph.org.uk. Archived from the original on 20 May 2023. Retrieved 20 May 2023.
  17. ↑ Hughes, Owen (10 January 2019). "Former mansion of Princess Margaret and Lord Snowdon is on the market". WalesOnline . Archived from the original on 21 May 2023. Retrieved 24 May 2023.
  18. 1 2 Crump, Eryl (4 May 2022). "Gwynedd restaurant in Lord Snowdon's former home added to Michelin Guide". North Wales Live . Archived from the original on 25 May 2023. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
  19. ↑ "The Gunroom". Michelin Guide . Archived from the original on 20 May 2023. Retrieved 24 May 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.