A home in Llangollen?

Friday, 23 April 2010 18:40

Would you elope to Llangollen?

Lady Eleanor Butler and Miss Sarah Ponsonby did and they were the "talk" of all the smart set - the smart set of the Regency Period that is! These Irish ladies from the landed gentry arrived in Llangollen in 1780, 11 years before the canal and well before modern narrowboats were even thought of! Eleanor, a teacher and Sarah her pupil wanted to flee from unwanted approaches of potential suitors.

They tried to elope and were found and taken back home but eventually escaped with the "blessing" of their families to live together in a small cottage high on the hill above Llangollen.

We walked up the hill to have a look at this fascinating Gothic style house. Unfortunately photography is not allowed inside, but the outside gives an idea of the taste of these two unusual ladies.

Plas Newydd as it is today

The "Ladies of Llangollen" began decorating the inside and outside of their home with ornate wood carvings. They used bits of old church pews, chests, canopies and bedsteads and the result is astounding. They also extended the cottage and grounds.

Front door

Much of it remains as they made it, although the beamed appearance was a later addition by another owner who also changed a couple of the rooms inside. 

Carvings on outside window

The windows contain stained glass, taken from ruins at Valle Crucis Abbey on the edge of Llangollen in the Dee Valley.

Grounds beside house and water tower

The grounds are extensive, the front garden has been created since the Ladies' time but the grounds retain much of their work. A major restoration project, funded by lottery money, has uncovered much of their romantic landscaping.

A stone circle in front of the house was used for the 1908 Llangollen Eisteddfod and the topiary garden is carefully cut!

The Ladies would be called looters or vandals today, as not only did they use old wood carvings and stained glass, they also "acquired" two fonts from Valle Crucis Abbey to enhance their garden!

They installed a font by the stream below a bower - a close up of the font is in our photo album, as are more photos of this lovely place - clickety click

Font by stream

The stone plaques either side exhort the "pilgrim" to pray for those less fortunate and drink the holy water (we didn't accept the latter!). Both acknowledge that the font came from Valle Crusis! - left plaque, right plaque

Many important people of their time visited the Ladies at Plas Newydd - curiosity about the unusual is not a new phenomena! Amongst the curious about the notion of the so called "romantic love" were the Duke of Wellington, Sir Walter Scot and William Wordsworth. No "red tops" in the Regency era, so they had to visit to observe!

There is much more to see at Plas Newydd and it is really worth the walk up the hill from Llangollen and the canal and also the price of entry. There is even a small café to patronise, as we did. It is run by the local MIND branch, leased from Denbighshire County Council who own Plas Newydd.

Old stable and entrance to ticket office and café