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retrosellers review - The Portmeirion
hotel
The Portmeirion hotel
75 years of service 1926-2001
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"Cherish the Past
Adorn the Present
Construct for the Future"
Clough Williams-Ellis, architect and designer of Portmeirion
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The Portmeirion hotel was first opened 75 years ago by architect,
designer and visionary Clough Williams-Ellis. His aim was to
develop on the existing natural beauty of a peninsular in North
Wales without spoiling it. Famous clients were attracted from
the start - George Bernard Shaw, H.G. Wells, Bertrand Russell
and Noel Coward amongst them. In fact, some of their famous
works were written at Portmeirion.
Patrick McGoohan, whilst filming an episode of Danger Man at
the hotel and its grounds in the early sixties, was so impressed
with the setting that he came back in 1966 and persuaded Clough
Williams-Ellis to allow filming of his tour de force The Prisoner
there. The show achieved cult status and is still hugely popular
and influential today. And, since then, the hotel, now clearly
the perfect setting for McGoohan's 'village', has been
inextricably linked with that series. Even viewed today, the
series is rather timeless and shows off the hotel and the surrounding
landscape incredibly well. And the Portmeirion hotel is as beautiful
today as it has always been - in fact, constant improvements
and developments in the tradition and spirit of its founder
have meant that it is an even more spectacular place to visit
or to stay than ever.
An aerial view, as often seen in The Prisoner, shows the sheer
beauty and appeal of the location and of the architecture which
Portmeirion offers. Within each of the diverse buildings are
rooms of the hotel, each with its own individuality and atmosphere. |
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| Aerial view
of Portmeirion |
| Reminiscent of The Prisoner, the hotel provides a map and
guide book in each room for their guests but, unlike The Prisoner,
you are free to roam and explore the hotel grounds and beyond
to your heart's content |
| The hotel has several shops and restaurants. Souvenirs, including
miniatures of the various landmarks and buildings of the hotel,
as well as memorabilia from The Prisoner, are available to buy.
There are cafes, an ice cream parlour, a beauty parlour, a bookshop,
a card shop, pottery shops and a Prisoner Information Centre |
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| Topiary in
the grounds |
The hotel's newest venture is Castell Deudraeth. It
has eleven rooms, each of which boasts King or Queen size
beds, whirlpool baths, real flame gas fires, oak floors
with underfloor heating, wide screen TVs and DVD.
"The hotel is classy, modern, restrained and quite
unlike anything this part of North Wales has ever seen."
The Observer. |
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| Castell Deudraeth |
| There is an open air swimming pool, a tennis court and
a nearby golf course. There are 70 acres of sub-tropical
woodlands surrounding the hotel |
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| The Town
Hall |
| The hotel is family friendly and provides cots or extra
beds. Some rooms are at ground level although some are
reached by short flights of steps. Portmerion is open
all year, apart from a few weeks in January. Self-catering
is also an option, as the village has 17 cottages within
the grounds, ranging in size from those sleeping two to
those sleeping eight people. |
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| The Town
Hall - front |
| Each year the hotel attracts over 200,000 visitors.
These days it is managed by the grandson of the hotel's
creator, Clough Williams-Ellis. Mr Robin Llywelyn continues
to follow his grandfather's fine tradition of development
and improvement without compromising beauty. |
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| The Gothic
Pavilion |
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The Bristol Colonnade gets its title from
the fact that the building was originally situated in
Bristol, some 200 miles away, and had fallen into disrepair.
It was transported and rebuilt at Portmeirion in 1959.
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| The Bristol
Colonnade |
| The Round House is actually too small to house a lounge,
kitchen, bathroom and bedroom. This often surprises visitors
who recall the building from The Prisoner and who expect
it to be, rather like Dr. Who's Tardis, bigger on the
inside than it is on the outside!........ |
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| The Round
House |
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...... The room, which was Patrick McGoohan's
'prison' for 17 episodes of The Prisoner, is now a shop
selling Prisoner merchandise and memorabilia. Like Clough
Williams-Ellis, McGoohan had a vision and, between them,
they created monuments which have stood the test of
time.
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| The Prisoner
Shop |
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Number six's
'home' in The Prisoner |
| The Piazza was built in 1965. The pool and fountain
are listed Grade II, as are a significant number of the
buildings in Portmerion. It featured prominently in the
filming of episodes of The Prisoner the following year. |
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| The Piazza |
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We look forward to seeing you here and
welcome any enquiries or feedback. For details of room
tariffs and availability, please contact the hotel as
follows:
Website: The
Portmeirion Hotel
Email: enquiries@portmeirion-village.com
Robin Llywelyn, Managing Director
PORTMEIRION
Gwynedd, LL48 6ET, Cymru/Wales
Tel: 01766 770228, Fax: 01766 771331
From outside the UK: 00 44 1766 770228/771331
More details on The Prisoner can be found in the
Special Features section of this website, including interviews with two
of the stars, Annette André and Jane Merrow
Spotlight by
www.retrosellers.com
The definitive site for retro and nostalgia
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