During the recent bank holiday weekend we decided to max out our National Trust cards and visit not only one but two local properties – Penrhyn Castle and Plas Newydd.
Plas Newydd
Plas Newydd is a country house in Llanddaniel on Anglesey. It was built in 1400s by Griffiths family. Through inheritance and marriage the house ended up with the Bagnell, Bayley and eventually the Paget family. Henry William Paget was a successful leader in the Army in the 1700s including the Battle of Waterloo. To honour his heroism he was made Marquess of Anglesey (the first Marquess).
View of the Menai Straits
After arriving we settled on the banks in front of the main house which has an amazing view of the Menai Straits. Honestly it was so beautiful! The views in and around Snowdonia never cease to amaze me. The Menai was in full flow and there were lots of people boating (speedboatig mostly) along it. We also saw the Menai Ripride go past a few times. Not quite brave enough to do that just yet!
We sat there and ate our picnic in the sun. The girls (and I) had fun doing rolly-pollies down the steep grassy banks. It may not be the most graceful activity but who cares because it was FUN!
House Visit
After lunch we went into the house to have a browse. The National Trust had a little treasure hunt for the girls – they had to spot red squirrels around the house. It was a great thing to keep them occupied. The house was amazing! Full of history – there’s amazing portraits in the entrance hall. Some rooms are still in the original design with original features – the four poster beds, the fireplaces, the chandeliers… oh all so fantastic!
One feature that I found fascinating was the spiral staircases. They were used by the servants back in the day so they could enter the rooms without disturbing the “royalty”. Some of the family members still live at the house and so some rooms are blocked off. I also think there are three flats there – I wonder how much it’d cost to live there!? Evidence of the family living in the house includes some lovely family photos. One that caught my attention was the one above – “Keep Smiling”. I think it is such a beautiful photo! I’m not entirely sure who the man in the photo is but I think it was the 6th Marquess of Anglesey but lpease corrcet me if I’m wrong!
The Study
Well I’m not sure if that’s the official name of the room but my favourite room was the 7th Marquess’ study. As you can see from the picture above, it is pure chaos! If I remember correctly, there are seven desks in the room – each are strewn with different arts/crafts. The Marquess loved all sorts of arts/crafts and rather than have to pack up after each different activity, he would just move desks! Genius actually! The room is still in the same state as it was when the Marquess died in 2013.
The Museum
As mentioned above, the first Marquess of Anglesey was a general in the army during the Battle of Waterloo. There is a museum in the house which has information about all his achievements. I noticed that there was a wooden leg on show which had belonged to the Marquess. He lost his leg in battle and was given a wooden leg. I didn’t get much of a chance to read anything else as the girls were getting bored – fairplay that had behaved well going around the house. So I left the husband to have a look whilst I went out to have another picnic and rolly pollys on the grass.
Venetian Gardens
In the grounds there’s a lovely Venetian garden. It’s on three levels but we only managed to get to two due to the pram. I absolutely fell in love with the little fountain that was there. There’s a lovely lawn and beautiful flowers. At the very end of the garden is a little secluded spot where you could sit in peace (if you didn’t have to chase two children around).
~~~SERENITY~~~ Lovely day at @nationaltrust Plas Newydd with these two. Took this photo of them taking in the view of the Menai Staits and Snowdon, whilst enjoying their afternoon picnic. #instafamuk #toddlerlife #ukparentbloggers #snowdoniagram #plasnewydd #lovewhereilive #nofinerplaceonearth #chwiorydd
There’s more to say about the house including the Rex Whistler painting but I will save that for another post. Don’t worry it won’t be long before I publish it.
