Homage to Sir Clough

Last weekend I visited a friend on the Gwynedd coast in West Wales. We were lucky enough to fix a time to tour the gorgeously quirky village of Portmeirion. I’d heard and read about this Italianate folly and expected to be under-whelmed by naffness. Instead, I was thrilled by the riot of colours and architectural design styles, cleverly crafted into the rocky headland, overlooking the Dwyryd estuary and surrounded by gardens and exotic woodland.     

This wonderland of a village with its lush surroundings was designed and built by the architect Sir Clough Williams-Ellis over two periods, from 1926 to 1976, by which time he was well into his 90s. He had been searching for many years for the perfect site and eventually found it not far from his own home in North Wales.

In fact, my weekend away turned into an homage to Williams-Ellis. Not only his genius at Portmeirion but we also made our traditional visit to Art Deco styled Dylan’s Restaurant on the coast at Criccieth, which was designed by Williams-Ellis in the 1930s. The following day we walked along the Wales Coastal Path to Llanystumdwy to visit Lloyd George’s grave, set over his favourite and indeed, super picturesque River Dwyfor, also designed by clever Sir Clough. A lifelong campaigner for the environment and protection of rural life and landscapes, I am delighted to have experienced the brilliance of his vision.