Walking into Portmeirion is like entering a fairy tale. Located on the peninsula between Porthmadog and Penrhyndeudraeth in North Wales, Portmeirion was built between 1925 and 1976 by the architect Sir Clough Williams-Ellis.
In an area blessed with stunningly beautiful scenery, this is the most imaginative and elaborate folly built in Britain. Rainbow coloured houses suggest sunny Mediterranean landscapes. Walking through the village you can come across almost every part of architectural history you’ve heard of – there are statues of Greek gods, arcaded porches, fountains, a shell grotto and Corinthian columns. You can even see swaying palm trees around the tinkling fountains.
Some visitors find the landscapes eerily familiar. This is because Portmeirion was used as the location for the cult 60s TV series The Prisoner, one of the most influential pieces of television of the era. Portmeirion has also provided the backdrop for many other TV shows and films. Fans of The Prisoner are amongst the majority of those who come to Portmeirion, and there’s ample opportunity to buy souvenirs.
Patrick McGoohan stared as Number Six, the leading role in the The Prisoner, and was also the creator and driving force behind the seventeen episode series. Even today, almost forty years after it first appeared, there are numerous fans. Even the Beatles were fans.
{mosimage}In The Prisoner Patrick McGoohan finds himself transported to a strange village surrounded by sea and mountains. Everything looks cheerful and bright, but the village has a sinister purpose. Its population are prisoners, identified only by a number, from whom information is required. The prisoners have had their desire to escape taken away, either by their purposeless existence, brainwashing or surgery. As Number 6, McGoohan is the only one with the will to escape, the one who refuses to be broken with his constant call of “I am not a number; I am a free man.”
But if you’re not a fan of the series, or maybe haven’t even heard of it, there are plenty of other reasons to visit Portmeirion. There are a number of shops and Portmeirion Pottery, established by Clough Williams-Ellis’ daughter Susan and her husband Euan in 1960, offers original ceramic designs for sale. However, nowadays the pottery itself is produced in Stoke on Trent.
The hotel at Portmeirion is worth a visit. It contains a massive carved Italian renaissance fireplace, a typical eighteenth century stair with an elegant balustrade and the library from the Great Exhibition of 1851, complete with its intricately carved doors and mantelpiece, to name but a few of its delights. If you fancy making a weekend of it the hotel has fourteen rooms in the main building and twenty-six rooms and suites in the surrounding village; Castell Deudraeth has eleven rooms and suites, and there are seventeen self-catering cottages sleeping from two to eight people.
There are plenty of places to eat. As well as the Portmeirion Hotel itself, you have the option of choosing the Castell Deudraeth Bar and Grill, which specialises in local seafood and other local produce; the Town Hall self service restaurant with its freshly cooked hot and cold meals and snacks and Cadwaladers Ice Cream Parlour offering ice creams, tea, coffee and snacks. Or you could simple take along a picnic, as there are numerous locations where you can eat and enjoy the scenery.
Although the village itself is an absolute delight, there is far more to Portmeirion. A seventy-acre sub-tropical woodland lies to the west, crisscrossed with paths for walking. During the summer months it’s ablaze with colour from the rhododendrons, azaleas and camellias that grow there.
If you feel like being a little more active, there’s a swimming pool on the lawn beneath the hotel and a tennis court. Plus the miles of sandy beaches for walking or perhaps a quick dip in the sea. Yes, this is North Wales, but the weather here can be surprisingly good as the area seems to have its own micro-climate. There’s something for everyone here. Even small children are entertained by the beach and woodland as if the village weren’t enough. Most people find that once they’ve visited Portmeirion they come back again and again.
Indicative links
Official Portmeirion village website http://www.portmeirion-village.com/
Virtual Portmeirion http://www.virtualportmeirion.com/visitors.htm
The Prisoner Appreciation Society http://www.netreach.net/~sixofone/
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