July 9th 2017 - Penrhyn Castle and Plas Newydd

Today we went to Penrhyn Castle near Bangor where we had an early bird tour telling us about the history of this National Trust property. Penrhyn was built by the Pennant family who made their fortune from the sugar and the slate industries. It was built by Thomas Hopper incorporating a former castle built around a medieval house. During our early bird tour the art installation in the grand hall was deflated. Later on it was reinflated and there was a video telling the story of social unrest and the longest-running industrial dispute in British history. It is a 15 foot sculpture of the Bethesda Quarry. It was a bit like a bouncy castle but I wouldn't let Jim bounce on it!

It's a very impressive building both inside and outside.

The Grand Staircase was created by Hopper in the small courtyard of the original medieval house. It is a narrow staircase of limestone and sandstone supported by enormous pillars and lofty columns.It is very elaborately decorated.

The beautiful stained glass in the Great Hall gives a Cathedral-like quality to

The dining room with the huge table set for a banquet.

The Chapel inside Penrhyn Castle.

View of the Great Hall from the Chapel

At around 1pm we left Penrhyn Castle and went to Plas Newydd House, the family home of the Marquis of Anglesey, on the north bank of the Menai Strait. It is in a beautiful setting and lovely for a walk in its gardens. It is most famous for its association with Rex Whistler and contains his mural in the dining room. While we were there there was a guide telling the story of the mural and showing us different parts of it from different viewpoints. It contains many tricks of perspective and continues onto the 2 side walls giving it a three-dimensional effect. It was fascinating and I would love to go there again to take it all in properly.

Images from the mural.
















Above the fireplace there appeared to be a complex textured coat of arms which turned out to be trompe l'oeil as it was flat amnd painted in such a way as to deceive. It certainly did deceive - fantastic!

Outside we walked the 2km to the rhododendron gardens but, of course, being July they were no longer in blossom.

The Menai Bridge seen from Plas Newydd.