Plas Mawr
Plas Mawr ( Welsh for Grand Palace is) a town house from the Elizabethan era in Conwy in Wales . Plas Mawr was built from 1576 to 1585 by Robert Wynn and ranks in the UK according to the listed building to Grade I on structures and buildings of extraordinary, partly international importance.
history
Robert Wynn came from a wealthy family and initially entered the service of Sir Walter Stonor and Sir Philip Hoby, administrators and high-ranking officials of King Henry VIII. In 1577 Wynn fought at the siege of Boulogne-sur-Mer . Wynn later took part in campaigns in Scotland and traveled all over Europe. He invested in land in North Wales and in 1570 married his first wife, Dorothy Griffith, a member of the local nobility. In the same year he bought an existing town house in Conwy for £ 200. In 1576 he bought a plot of land to the north for £ 40. He then began building the north wing of Plas Mawr, which was completed the following year. Then the existing mansion was demolished in order to fix the existing foundation and dig trenches for the sewer system. At that time Wynn lived in the north wing. In 1580 the central building and the south wing were completed.
Wynn then rented additional space in the north of Plas Mawr. Wynn bought the house at the south end of Plas Mawr to High Street in 1585. After the demolition, he built a gatehouse there, which formed the new entrance to Plas Mawr. Additional lots were purchased on the north-west side of the house and turned into an ornamental garden, bringing the total cost of land purchases to around £ 300.
These three phases of house construction 1576/77, 1580 and 1585 were probably carried out by different craftsmen. The roof structure, however, appears to have been made by the same carpenters for all three parts of the building. The plaster work in the middle house and in the side wings was probably carried out by the same group, with a total of 100 tons of lime plaster being used. Lumber and slate were brought in from the Conwy Valley. The quarry stone came from the hills near the city, the sandstone from near Deganwy. The total cost of construction was approximately £ 500.
The household, in which entertainment and hospitality played an important role in accordance with Robert Wynn's social rank, was supplied by the orchards and vegetable gardens, a fish trap and a cheese dairy that were part of the property. The house had its own brewing and baking facilities. Other groceries were bought in from regional traders.
After Dorothy Wynn died in 1586, Robert Wynn married Dorothy Dymock, with whom he had seven children. When Robert Wynn died in 1598, he left behind a confusing will that sparked legal disputes between the family and the executor Sir Roger Mostyn. The dispute halted any further development of the house until it was resolved in 1630. The town house finally went to Robert Wynn, a grandson of the builder, in 1637. At that time the property was one of the premier properties in the area in terms of quality and style.
In 1683 Elin, the daughter of Robert Wynn, inherited the house and married into the Wynne family. The property later passed through marriage to the Mostyn family, who Plas Mawr rented out for centuries. In the 18th century the gatehouse was used as a courthouse and the main building was divided into simple rental apartments. In the 19th century the house housed a school and small shops. In 1881 the house had 25 residents. Even if minor changes such as the installation of partition walls were made during this period, the building remained largely intact. In 1870 the Mostyns put the house up for sale but received no offers.
In the 1880s, the Royal Cambrian Academy of Art became concerned about the condition of the Plas Mawr. In 1887 an agreement was reached with the Mostyn family to leave the building to the academy as the headquarters. Architects Arthur and Herbert Baker were hired to appraise the building, make repairs and demolish changes from the 17th century. JR Furness carried out conservation of the plaster work. On the north-west side of the house, the Victoria Gallery was built to host art exhibitions. To mark Queen Victoria's diamond jubilee in 1887, a weather vane was added to the top of the building.
At the beginning of the 20th century, the historical importance of Plas Mawr was increasingly understood, but at the same time the cost of maintaining the house rose significantly. The sandstone was corroded in the middle of the century. As the load-bearing wooden beams were in poor condition, the stucco ceilings were removed as a precaution. The Royal Cambrian Academy of Art sought government and private support, but it was insufficient to maintain the building. In 1993 the house came under state control and came under the supervision of the Welsh Heritage Department, Cadw .
Cadw carried out a major restoration project over the next 42 months, combined with detailed surveys and archaeological analyzes. Much of the property has been restored to what it looked like in 1665. To do this, u. a. the descriptions from the will of the younger Robert Wynn. The restoration included the installation of originals and replicas of the interior and wall hangings. The plaster work was completed using processes similar to those from the 17th century. The attic, on the other hand, was restored to its appearance from the 19th century. Facilities for visitors were created in other parts of the house. The Victoria Gallery was demolished in 1995. The total cost of the project was £ 3.3 million. The gardens were also restored in 2006 in the style of 1665. Today, Plas Mawr is one of the most important sights in North Wales.
architecture
Plas Mawr dates from the 16th century almost unchanged from an architectural point of view, making it a rare relic from the Elizabethan era. The architectural style is a product of Renaissance influences that were common across Europe at the time. Robert Wynn spent some time in Germany and used North German Gothic style elements for Plas Mawr, especially in the facade of the gable and window design. Plas Mawr is very similar to Eastbury Manor House , which is believed to be based on the same architectural plan. The architecture also shows influences from buildings from this period in North Wales, notably Gwydir Castle , which was built by Robert Wynn's father, John. Robert Wynn was an emerging member of the nobility and his house was not as large or as sophisticated as contemporary high-nobility buildings.
Plas Mawr lacks a fashionable long gallery that was very popular in England at the time and was already used in some Welsh homes. Instead, it has a rear tower or belvedere that protrudes well above the house and looks out over the town of Conwy. Such a tower, while somewhat antiquated, was used in many other Wynn family buildings including Bodysgallen Hall . Design and Sil des Plas Mawr influenced other contemporary building projects in North Wales such as: B. the renovation of Gwydir Castle , Maenan Hall , Plas Mawr in Caernarfon and Hen Blas in Beaumaris. Plas Mawr also later influenced 19th and 20th century architecture in Conwy, as can be seen at the police station and Castlebank Hotel.
Modern visitors usually enter the house from the High Street to the south and enter the hall of the main building through the gatehouse via the lower courtyard. The gatehouse was an important part of Elizabethan architecture as it is intended to offer the visitor a suitably dignified and representative entrance. Few houses in the narrow cities had space for such a gatehouse. Originally, the gatehouse housed a series of rooms for the manager of the house, Richard Wynn.
The middle building and the two wings of the main building form an H-shape with the upper ends facing a side street. The lower ends include the upper courtyard, which connects almost all the rooms on the ground floor, and provides access to the cellars. In the south wing there was the hall as the main room of the house and the pantry with chambers above. The hall was probably used from the beginning, from 1665 at the latest, to receive ordinary visitors and servants to take their meals. Traditionally the kitchen rooms were at the other end of the hall, but Plas Mawr deviated from this design. The kitchen and pantry were placed in the middle of the building between the living room and hall.
Above these rooms was the hall that formed the ceremonial center of the house. In the north wing were the brewhouse and the salon with two chambers above them. The private bedrooms for the family and guests were each equipped with a fireplace, an important status symbol at the time. The servants were housed in the attics of the house. It appears that the hall was originally intended to have an open roof, but a mistake in the construction of the walls made a stucco ceiling necessary.
The gardens behind the house were originally laid out in the Renaissance style. The slope of the Plas Mawr site required the creation of an upper and lower terrace, which were laid out and planted in 2006 as they might have looked in 1665. The summer house is modeled on a contemporary painting.
Stucco work
Wall coverings and the original plastering, which shows coats of arms and symbols , could be restored in seven rooms . The plasterwork also involves a number of classic themes, but these are not done as well as the other badges and emblems. The gatehouse shows royal coats of arms, as does the hall and salon, probably because high-ranking guests were staying here. The coats of arms of numerous kings can be found throughout the house, including Richard II , Richard III. , Henry IV and Henry VII. The coats of arms of other prominent nobles, such as Robert Dudley , are also placed in the house. 22 different heraldic emblems can be found on the ceilings and walls of the north wing. In the hall you can see the combined coats of arms of the Wynn and Griffith families, which appear individually throughout the house. The plasterwork in the salon, in the brewhouse and in the bedrooms shows the coat of arms of Robert Wynn. In the 16th century, Robert Wynn's heraldry was arguably reflected in the furnishings of the home, including the fabrics, cups, and cutlery.
literature
- Rick Turner: Plas Mawr, Conwy . Cadw Welsh Historic Monuments, 2nd edition June 2000, ISBN 978-1-85760-242-5 .
Web links
Coordinates: 53 ° 16 ′ 52.6 " N , 3 ° 49 ′ 48.5" W.