Plas Mawr facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Plas Mawr |
|
|---|---|
The gatehouse of Plas Mawr, showing its characteristic Renaissance crow-stepped gables, pedimented windows and heraldry
|
|
| Location | Conwy, Wales |
| Built | 1576–85 |
| Built for | Robert Wynn |
| Restored | 1993–94 |
| Governing body | Cadw |
| Website | Plas Mawr |
| Lua error in Module:Location_map at line 420: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). | |
Plas Mawr (which means "Great Hall" in English) is a large, old house in Conwy, North Wales. It was built in the 1500s during the Elizabethan era. A wealthy local gentleman named Robert Wynn had it built between 1576 and 1585. He started building it after he married his first wife, Dorothy Griffith.
Plas Mawr is located just off Conwy's High Street. It cost about £800 to build, which was a huge amount of money back then! Robert Wynn was known for being very welcoming. His home was supplied with milk from his own cows, and food from his orchards and gardens. After he died, his will caused a long legal fight. This fight actually helped keep the house almost exactly as it was built.
After 1683, the Mostyn family owned Plas Mawr. They didn't live there, so they rented it out. Over the years, it was used as a school, cheap rooms, and even the main office for the Royal Cambrian Academy of Art. In the 1900s, people realized how special Plas Mawr's old architecture was. But keeping it in good shape became very expensive.
In 1993, Cadw, a Welsh heritage group, took over the house. They spent £3.3 million on a huge restoration project that lasted 42 months. Many rooms were redecorated to look like they did in 1665. The gardens were also replanted in the old Renaissance style. Today, Plas Mawr is a popular place for tourists to visit.
Experts say Plas Mawr is almost exactly as it was in the 1500s. Historian Rick Turner calls it "the finest surviving town house of the Elizabethan era." The house mixes European Renaissance styles with local North Wales ideas. It has a unique layout and amazing details. Much of its original plasterwork is still there, showing symbols, badges, and family crests. Historian Peter Smith says this plasterwork is "the most perfect and the most complete memorial to Elizabethan Wales." Plas Mawr's design even inspired other buildings in North Wales, including the local police station and a nearby hotel.
Contents
History of Plas Mawr
Building a Grand Home (1500s-1600s)
Plas Mawr was built in Conwy by Robert Wynn between 1576 and 1585. Robert came from a wealthy local family. He worked for important officials of King Henry VIII. Robert fought in wars and traveled a lot in Europe. He bought land all over North Wales. In 1570, he married Dorothy Griffith, who was also from a well-known local family. After getting married, Robert needed a grand house. He chose Conwy because it was a busy town with a good society.
In 1570, Robert bought an old house in Conwy for £200. This house was on what is now Crown Lane. He bought more land nearby in 1576 for £40. Then, work began on the north wing of Plas Mawr, which was finished by 1577. The old house was torn down to make way for the new building's foundations. Robert lived in the north wing until 1580. That's when the central and south parts of Plas Mawr were built, finishing the main house.
Robert also rented more land around Plas Mawr. The land at the south end, facing High Street, had another house on it. Wynn bought this in 1585 for £40 and tore it down. This space was used to build the gatehouse, which became the new main entrance to Plas Mawr. He also bought small pieces of land on the north-west side for a beautiful garden. The total cost for all the land was about £300. This made Plas Mawr the grandest Elizabethan town house in Wales at the time.
The house was built in three stages: 1576–77, 1580, and 1585. Different skilled builders likely managed each stage. They probably followed a plan made by a surveyor or mason from the English royal court. The same master carpenter might have worked on all three parts of the roof. This carpenter also worked on 15 other houses and two churches in the area. The first two stages of plastering were likely done by the same team, possibly from London. They used about 100,000-kilogram (220,000 lb) of lime plaster! Wood and slates came from the Conwy valley. Grey stone was quarried from nearby hills, and finer sandstone came from Deganwy. The building work itself cost around £500.
Being a good host was very important for gentlemen in the 1500s. Robert Wynn's nephew, John Wynn, said Robert kept a "worthy plentiful house." The house had its own brewing, baking, and dairy areas. Food also came from Wynn's own dairy cows, orchards, gardens, and a fish trap. Other supplies were bought from local traders.
Dorothy died in 1586. Robert then married Dorothy Dymock, and they had seven children at Plas Mawr. When Robert died in 1598, his will was very complicated. This led to legal problems between his family and the executor, Sir Roger Mostyn. The legal case stopped any new building work on the house until 1630. This helped keep the house in its original condition. The property went to Robert's grandson, also named Robert Wynn, in 1637. Then it passed to his daughter, Elin, in 1683. By 1665, the house was very well-furnished. Elin married into the Wynne family and didn't use the house much. Eventually, it passed to the Mostyn family through marriage.
Changes Over Time (1700s-1900s)
The Mostyn family mainly lived at Mostyn Hall in Flintshire. So, they rented out Plas Mawr to different people during the 1700s and 1800s. In the 1700s, the gatehouse was used as a courthouse, and the main house became cheap housing. In the 1800s, parts of the house were turned into a school and spaces for small businesses. People still lived there too; in 1881, 25 people lived in the house! Small changes were made, like adding walls to divide big rooms. But the house stayed mostly the same. The Mostyns tried to sell the house in 1870, but no one bought it.
By the 1880s, the Royal Cambrian Academy of Art was worried about Plas Mawr's condition. In 1887, Lord Mostyn agreed to let the Academy use the building as their main office. Architects Arthur and Herbert Baker were hired to check the building and make repairs. They also removed some changes made after the 1600s. J. R. Furness then worked to save much of the plasterwork. The Victoria Gallery was built next to the house for art shows. A weather vane was added to the top of the building to celebrate Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee.
Saving Plas Mawr (1900s-Today)
By the early 1900s, people understood how important Plas Mawr was historically. But keeping the house in good shape became very expensive. By the mid-1900s, the fine sandstone was wearing away, and the wooden beams were rotting. A 1956 survey said they were "much decayed." The plaster ceilings were sagging and coming loose. The Academy of Art tried to get help from the government and private groups for repairs. But these weren't enough. In 1993, the Academy moved out, and the Welsh heritage group Cadw took over the house.
Cadw started a huge restoration project that lasted 42 months. They did major conservation work, detailed surveys, and archaeological studies. The Victoria Gallery, built in the 1800s, was taken down in 1995. The outside stone walls were re-plastered and painted white. Large parts of the house were restored to look like they did in 1665. They used Robert Wynn the younger's will to help them. The attic was restored to how it probably looked in the 1800s. The goal was to show the original building's bright colors and comfort, not make it look gloomy. The Great Chamber can even be used for wedding ceremonies now. Other parts of the house were updated for exhibits and visitor facilities.
The restoration included putting in original and copied furniture. Wall hangings were made from special fabrics. Much of the plasterwork was repainted to look like it did in the 1600s. This was done using methods that can be undone later. The whole project cost £3.3 million. It won an award for building conservation. In 2006, more work was done to restore the gardens. They tried to make them look like they did in 1665.
Today, Cadw runs Plas Mawr as a tourist attraction. Historian Rick Turner believes Plas Mawr is "the finest surviving town house of the Elizabethan era." It is protected by UK law as a Grade I listed building and a scheduled monument.
Architecture of Plas Mawr
Architectural Style
Plas Mawr is very special because it's almost unchanged from the 1500s. Its style comes from the wider Renaissance movement in Europe. Robert Wynn spent time in Germany. So, Plas Mawr uses some North German Gothic ideas. You can see this in its balanced design, the windows with triangular tops at the front, pointed decorations, and crow-stepped gables (stair-shaped roof edges). These features were already popular in England when the house was built. Plas Mawr is actually very similar to Eastbury Manor House, and they might have used the same design plan.
Some of these features were new to Wales. For example, the special molded windows and dormer windows (windows sticking out from the roof) were groundbreaking. Still, Robert Wynn was a rising gentleman, not a major noble. So, his house wasn't as big or fancy as the grand country estates built at the time.
Some of the house's design also shows influences from other buildings in North Wales. For example, Gwydir Castle, built by Robert Wynn's father, was an inspiration. Plas Mawr doesn't have a long gallery, which was popular in England then. Instead, it has a tall tower, or belvedere, that stands high above the rest of the house. This tower offers views of the town. This was an older feature, but it was used in other Wynn family homes, like Bodysgallen Hall. Plas Mawr's design influenced other buildings in North Wales at the time. This included changes to Gwydir Castle, Maenan Hall, Plas Mawr in Caernarfon, and Hen Blas in Beaumaris. It also later shaped the look of 1800s and 1900s buildings in Conwy itself, like the police station and the Castlebank Hotel.
House Layout
Today, visitors usually enter the house from High Street. They go through the gatehouse, across the lower courtyard, and into the main building's hall. Plas Mawr's gatehouse was only the third one built in North Wales. Gatehouses were important in English Elizabethan homes to show off the house and welcome guests. Few town houses had enough space for a gatehouse like Plas Mawr's. The gatehouse originally had rooms for the house's manager, Richard Wynn.
The main house is shaped like an "H." It has a north and a south wing connected in the middle, all facing an upper courtyard. This upper courtyard was very important. It connected almost all the ground floor rooms and led to the cellars. It also offered an impressive view of the tower. In the south wing were the hall and the buttery. The red and white chambers were above them. When Plas Mawr was first built, the hall was probably used for meeting regular visitors and for servants' meals. The wooden benches and table you see there are original.
Usually, service rooms like the kitchen were at the far end of the main hall. But Plas Mawr changed this design. The service area, including the kitchen and pantry, was placed in the middle of the building, between the parlour and the hall. This new design was copied at nearby Hafod Lwyfog. The restored kitchen has old and copied cooking equipment.
Above these rooms was the great chamber. This was the main, most important room in the house. In the north wing were the brewhouse and the parlour. Two chambers were above them; Dorothy Wynn might have used one as her bedroom. The private bedrooms for the family and guests each had a fireplace. This was a sign of wealth back then. The attic rooms had lots of space for the household servants. The attic above the great chamber has a grand wooden roof with special arched beams. It seems the great chamber's ceiling was supposed to be open, showing these beams. But a building mistake meant a plaster ceiling was added to hide it.
The gardens behind the house might have looked like the gardens at Bodysgallen Hall. Those were in the Renaissance style, popular across Europe. Because the land slopes, Plas Mawr's gardens have upper and lower levels. These have been replanted and restored to look like they might have in 1665. The summerhouse is based on one seen in an old painting of Llanerch's gardens. The flowerpots are copied from ones found at Tredegar House.
Amazing Plasterwork
Seven rooms in Plas Mawr still have parts of their original plasterwork. Historian Peter Smith calls this plasterwork "the most perfect and the most complete memorial to Elizabethan Wales." The walls also have original carved wooden panels. The plasterwork shows many family crests, badges, and symbols. In the upper north wing alone, 22 different family emblems are molded into the ceilings and walls. The gatehouse, great chamber, and parlour show the royal arms. This is probably because important guests would have been welcomed there.
The house includes badges of many kings and queens, like Richard II, Richard III, Henry IV, and Henry VII. Badges of other important nobles, like Robert Dudley, are also in the house.
The plasterwork in the parlour shows Robert Wynn's own family crest. Robert Wynn's bedroom above the brewhouse shows the combined crests of the Wynn and Griffith families. These are usually shown equally throughout the house. Robert Wynn's crest is most visible in the hall and bedrooms. Here, the royal arms are smaller. In the 1500s, Wynn's family crest would have also been on the house's furniture, fabrics, cups, and silverware. The plasterwork also has some classical themes. But these are not as well done as the badges. Historian Rick Turner calls them "rather token additions," meaning they were just added without much thought.
- Plasterwork
-
Part of the great chamber ceiling, showing the Griffith coat of arms
-
The bear and ragged staff, the symbol of the Earl of Leicester
-
Fireplace in the hall, showing the Wynn family crest, surrounded by badges and caryatids
-
Fireplace in Robert Wynn's bedchamber, showing the Wynn and Griffith crests in the plasterwork
-
The great chamber fireplace, showing the Order of the Garter arms in the plasterwork, supported by caryatids
See also
