This is a list of notable buildings and structures in the village of Portmeirion, in Gwynedd, northwest Wales. Portmeirion was created as an Italianate village by the architect, Clough Williams-Ellis, who bought the Aber Iâ mansion and its estate in 1925 as the location for his project. He built his eccentric, eclectic village between 1925 and 1975.[1] He also bought the nearby Castell Deudraeth in 1931.
Allegedly inspired by the colourful buildings of Portofino in Italy, many of Portmeirion's buildings were built on a tight budget, using salvaged and re-used materials.[2] In 1971, forty of the fifty main buildings gained a Grade II heritage listing, one of the first examples of this happening for a still living architect.[3]
The village is now a tourist destination with over 200,000 visitors a year.
| Image | Name | Date completed | Description | Listing | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portmeirion Town Hall (Hercules Hall) | 1938 | An imposing two-storey building in a 17th-century style, the Town Hall incorporates large amounts of dressed stone and a vaulted plasterwork ceiling salvaged from Emral Hall in Flintshire. These were bought at auction by Williams-Ellis. The vaulted ceiling depicts the Labours of Hercules (as well as the signs of the Zodiac) which give the building its alternative name of Hercules Hall.[4] | ||||
| Campanile (Bell Tower) | 1928 | Described as the most significant building in the village, the tower is seven storeys in height, construction began in 1925 with the intention of it being a focal point.[5] The tower is in a Baroque style, incorporating stone from a nearby 12th-century castle and a chiming clock from a London brewery.[6] | ||||
| Originally a bath stone colonnade, part of the Arnos Court bathhouse in Bristol dating from circa 1760. The bathhouse was damaged during World War II, Williams-Ellis acquired the Colonnade and erected it in Portmeirion. A portrait head of Williams-Ellis was added by sculptor Jonah Jones.[7] | ||||||
| Anchor | 1936 | Four storey 'Mediterranean' style building, though tucked into a cliff and accessed from the road at the top floor.[8] Attached to (and forms a pair with) Fountain (1937). Fountain is the yellow building in the picture. | ||||
| Angel | 1926 | [9] | ||||
| 1964 | Originally staff accommodation and garages, it became a shop in 1965.[10] | |||||
| Bandstand and Hercules Steps | 1961 | A single storey classical loggia, though originally designed to house the village electricity substation underneath. Three flights of broad stone steps adjacent.[11] | ||||
| Battery | 1927 | A three-storey house with Kent vernacular weatherboarding to the facade. Originally called 'Block C', the ground floor was originally used as a garage.[12] | ||||
| 1960 | A simple classical 2-storey house, which incorporates stained glass from Castell Deudraeth.[13] | |||||
| Bridge House | 1959 | One of the gatehouses to Portmeirion, a two-storey building over a tunnel arch. | ||||
| Casino | 1926 | Listed together with the Amis Reunis boat, the Casino loggia is part of the seafront terrace in front of the Portmeirion Hotel.[14] | ||||
| Castell Deudraeth | 1700s | A mansion on the Portmeirion Estate, bought by Clough Williams-Ellis in 1931. Reopened after extensive renovation in 2001.[15] | ||||
| Chantry | 1937 | [16] | ||||
| Chantry Lodge | 1969 | Built as an office and reception building.[17] | ||||
| Chantry Row | 1963 | [18] | ||||
| Chinese Gateway and steps | 1961 | A single storey pavilion in a Chinese style with an 'oriental' metal roof. Attached walls, railings and flight of stairs are also listed.[19] | ||||
| Cliff House | 1969 | A Georgian style house to the east of the village, with facades of three bays.[20] Williams-Ellis shows his love of visual tricks, with the windows on one side of the house being false, purely to retain symmetry. | ||||
| Corrugated iron shelter | 1950s | [21] | ||||
| Dolphin | 1934 | A large 3-storey building with the south elevation facing the River Dwyryd estuary.[22] | ||||
| Dovecote | 1800s | A pre-existing circular rubble dovecote associated with the original Aber Iâ mansion.[23] | ||||
| Former Tollhouse | 1950s | [24] | ||||
| Fountain | 1937 | Three-storey house with a flat roof, adjacent to Anchor.[25] Fountain is the pink-washed house to the right of the Anchor in the image. | ||||
| 1955 | An imposing 2-storey gatehouse over a tunnel arch. It was the first post-war building and includes a ceiling mural painted by German artist, Hans Feibusch.[26] | |||||
| 1983 | Built to mark the centenary of Clough William-Ellis's birth, the Gazebo was built to designs by his daughter, Susan.[27] | |||||
| Gloriette | 1965 | An imposing classical loggia, named after the building that inspired it at Schoenbrunn Palace, Vienna.[28] | ||||
| Gothick Pavilion | Originally a porch for Nerquis Hall in Flintshire, it was relocated to Portmeirion with amendments by Williams-Ellis.[29] | |||||
| Government House | 1929 | Built as overspill accommodation for the hotel, Government House is a large building of two sections, one of three storeys and the other of two storeys.[30] | ||||
| Formerly known as the mansion of Aber Iâ, the building and its grounds were bought in 1925 by Williams-Ellis as the focus for his new village.[31] | ||||||
| Ladies Lodge | 1939 | Originally a garage, the building was converted to be used as a shop.[32] | ||||
| 1963 | [33] | |||||
| Mermaid | Originally a gardener's cottage for the Aber Iâ mansion, Williams-Ells decorated it in a Regency-Gothic style.[34] | |||||
| Neptune | 1926 | [35] | ||||
| Observatory Tower | 1937 | [36] | ||||
| 1961 | Also known as the Dome, due to its large octagonal dome surmounted by a cupola. on the southwest side is a large Gothic porch and to the rear is a single storey extension.[37] | |||||
| Prior's Lodging | 1929 | The two-storey building forms part of Battery Square and is named after its first tenant, the Prior of the Monastery of Caldy.[38] | ||||
| Rotunda and Grotto | 1954 | Built as a circular viewing platform, but containing a shell grotto lined with scallop shells and conches.[39] | ||||
| Round House and arch | 1960 | [40] | ||||
| Salutation | Originally the stable block and lodge for the Aber Iâ mansion. Later used as a shop selling Portmeirion Pottery[41] and as a general gift shop. | |||||
| Shelter and statue of Buddha | 1964 | Gold painted statue of Buddha (used for the 1958 film Inn of the Sixth Happiness) housed in a circular shelter with a decorative balustrade and a pantiled roof.[42] | ||||
| Telford's Tower, walls and arches | 1958 | A three-storey tower with a single storey range, built to mark the bicentenary of the birth of Thomas Telford.[43] | ||||
| Trinity | 1934 | A three-storey Georgian-style building, originally with garages underneath.[44] Lately used as a shop. | ||||
| 1964 | An elegant, classical building, deliberately built much smaller to give an impression of a grand stately home from a distance.[45] | |||||
| Villa Winch | 1967 | A two-storey domestic building behind the Chantry, built for Clough-Ellis's friend, Captain Henry Winch.[46] | ||||
| Watch House | 1926 | A small cottage-like single-storey building, behind Dolphin, facing towards the sea.[47] | ||||
| White Horses | An eighteenth-century cottage with a 1966 extension by Williams-Ellis. Attached to the Observatory Tower.[48] |
| Image | Name | Date completed | Description | Listing | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amis Reunis | 1930 | A recreation in concrete, now part of the sea wall, of a 70-ton Breton trading ketch. Williams-Ellis incorporates elements from the original boat. | ||||
| Angel Gates (Hercules Gate) | Dated 1908 but erected opposite the Town Hall prior to the completion of that building.[49] | |||||
| Astrolabe | - | Metal astrolabe, on top of a Tuscan stone column set on a terracotta octagonal base.[50] | ||||
| Hercules Statue | Statue by William Brodie, erected on a tall stone pedestal in the current site in 1960.[51] | |||||
| Monument in Battery Square | - | Statue of an eagle, on top of a stone ball finial, atop an iron column. | ||||
| Wall adjoining Bridge House | A 19th century wall associated with the Aber Iâ mansion.[52] The listed walling is visible both in the left of the picture, and in the centre-right (between the rock outcrop and the rear of Bridge House). |