A Strange Paradise Indeed
Portmeirion, Wales - 2022
“As a child,” declared the architect, Sir Bertram Clough Williams-Ellis, “I just lamented that my lot was cast in Victorian non-conformist Wales, instead of some such sparkling setting as decadent 18th-century Venice.”
Like so many adults disillusioned by childhood, he set about to rectify that. In 1925, he bought a chunk of the grey-green coastline of North Wales and created a painted resort that resembled those of the glittering Med.
The village of Portmerion is his fairytale creation; an attempt to marry the sunlit pastel-hues of the Italian Riviera with the dull damp tones of rural Wales. The result is a bit like the oddball pairing of Cher and Tom Cruise or Rupert Murdoch and Jerry Hall. Across the tidal waters of the Dwyryd Estuary and against the backdrop of Eryri it stands out as a jumble of white, ochre and pastel-coloured buildings flattened against the ancient cliffs – a pocket of madness or a gorgeous visual poem, depending on your point of view.
Portmeirion is tiny but appears bigger than it is, due to an overly generous use of arches, slopes and other architectural trickery in Baroque style. There lies within the gateway decked by a thousand gaudy hydrangeas, a Gothic Pavilion, Bristol Colonnade, turrets, domes and loggias, scrolls and finials, with a plentiful smattering of eagles, mermaids and cherubs salvaged from demolition sites. No wonder that it has been the set of many a film or tv series (Prisoner, being the most famous) and it still retains a sense of fakery. An imposing portico has nothing behind it, stones and carvings turn out to be made of carboard, or illusional. Views across the stunning peninsular are framed and stage-managed and optical tricks give it a kind of Alice-in-Wonderland drink-me feel, or a Truman Show weirdness.
Its fanciful nostalgia has been described as postmodernist, but you could also call it tacky. If you were more polite, you might go for tongue-in-cheek. Architect Lewis Mumford in his 1964 book The Highway and the City, described the construction as “playful” and “irresponsible” but in a good way – as a reaction against the dull sterilities of modern architecture.
Williams-Ellis designed and built his fantasy creation between 1925 and 1975, as a functional and attractive private village that would act as a “propaganda for good manners”. He insisted it was not based on the fishing village of Portofino on the Italian Riviera but it does have a strong Mediterranean feel – apart from the weather, which is distinctly Welsh. To be fair, as an environmentalist he worked hard to incorporate his vision into the naturally stunning landscape, rather than destroy it, building around the cliff face, rather than tunnelling into it.
Within the resort, there are five main areas to explore – the Gatehouse, Battery Square, the Piazza, Hotel Portmeirion and the surrounding Forest, with its Japanese bridges and Dog Cemetery. The central Piazza is where there are a variety of food places, including the ice creamery, Caffi’r Angel.
Now owned by a charitable trust, the village of Portmeirion has been a source of inspiration for writers and tv producers such as Noel Coward, who wrote Blithe Spirit there, George Bernard Shaw and H G Wells. Gregory Peck and Ingrid Bergman have popped in, British bands New Order and Primal Scream have performed there and the Beatles’ manager Brian Epstein was a frequent visitor. But for me, the question that remains after visiting is – why?
If you feel the need to linger, you can stay at Hotel Portmeirion, which has 32 rooms scattered around the village, as well as self-catering cottages and rooms in nearby Deudraeth Castle. Like Disney theme parks, it is, apparently, more enjoyable to explore once the hordes of tourists and day-trippers have left.
Like so many adults disillusioned by childhood, he set about to rectify that. In 1925, he bought a chunk of the grey-green coastline of North Wales and created a painted resort that resembled those of the glittering Med.
The village of Portmerion is his fairytale creation; an attempt to marry the sunlit pastel-hues of the Italian Riviera with the dull damp tones of rural Wales. The result is a bit like the oddball pairing of Cher and Tom Cruise or Rupert Murdoch and Jerry Hall. Across the tidal waters of the Dwyryd Estuary and against the backdrop of Eryri it stands out as a jumble of white, ochre and pastel-coloured buildings flattened against the ancient cliffs – a pocket of madness or a gorgeous visual poem, depending on your point of view.
Portmeirion is tiny but appears bigger than it is, due to an overly generous use of arches, slopes and other architectural trickery in Baroque style. There lies within the gateway decked by a thousand gaudy hydrangeas, a Gothic Pavilion, Bristol Colonnade, turrets, domes and loggias, scrolls and finials, with a plentiful smattering of eagles, mermaids and cherubs salvaged from demolition sites. No wonder that it has been the set of many a film or tv series (Prisoner, being the most famous) and it still retains a sense of fakery. An imposing portico has nothing behind it, stones and carvings turn out to be made of carboard, or illusional. Views across the stunning peninsular are framed and stage-managed and optical tricks give it a kind of Alice-in-Wonderland drink-me feel, or a Truman Show weirdness.
Its fanciful nostalgia has been described as postmodernist, but you could also call it tacky. If you were more polite, you might go for tongue-in-cheek. Architect Lewis Mumford in his 1964 book The Highway and the City, described the construction as “playful” and “irresponsible” but in a good way – as a reaction against the dull sterilities of modern architecture.
Williams-Ellis designed and built his fantasy creation between 1925 and 1975, as a functional and attractive private village that would act as a “propaganda for good manners”. He insisted it was not based on the fishing village of Portofino on the Italian Riviera but it does have a strong Mediterranean feel – apart from the weather, which is distinctly Welsh. To be fair, as an environmentalist he worked hard to incorporate his vision into the naturally stunning landscape, rather than destroy it, building around the cliff face, rather than tunnelling into it.
Within the resort, there are five main areas to explore – the Gatehouse, Battery Square, the Piazza, Hotel Portmeirion and the surrounding Forest, with its Japanese bridges and Dog Cemetery. The central Piazza is where there are a variety of food places, including the ice creamery, Caffi’r Angel.
Now owned by a charitable trust, the village of Portmeirion has been a source of inspiration for writers and tv producers such as Noel Coward, who wrote Blithe Spirit there, George Bernard Shaw and H G Wells. Gregory Peck and Ingrid Bergman have popped in, British bands New Order and Primal Scream have performed there and the Beatles’ manager Brian Epstein was a frequent visitor. But for me, the question that remains after visiting is – why?
If you feel the need to linger, you can stay at Hotel Portmeirion, which has 32 rooms scattered around the village, as well as self-catering cottages and rooms in nearby Deudraeth Castle. Like Disney theme parks, it is, apparently, more enjoyable to explore once the hordes of tourists and day-trippers have left.
Getting there
Portmeirion is situated in Gwynedd, North Wales, which is hard to reach by public transport. Nearest airports are Manchester, Liverpool and Birmingham, but be prepared for long train rides from each.
Car is the easiest way – parking is right next to the entrance and it is free.
Buses run daily in the summer season from the nearby town of Porthmadog. It takes about 16 minutes.
Train – the closes station is Minffordd but taxis are easier to find from Porthmadog station.
Foot – you can walk from Porthmadog – it’s about 2.5 miles or a twenty-minute walk from Minffordd.
For more information, see https://portmeirion.wales/
Portmeirion is situated in Gwynedd, North Wales, which is hard to reach by public transport. Nearest airports are Manchester, Liverpool and Birmingham, but be prepared for long train rides from each.
Car is the easiest way – parking is right next to the entrance and it is free.
Buses run daily in the summer season from the nearby town of Porthmadog. It takes about 16 minutes.
Train – the closes station is Minffordd but taxis are easier to find from Porthmadog station.
Foot – you can walk from Porthmadog – it’s about 2.5 miles or a twenty-minute walk from Minffordd.
For more information, see https://portmeirion.wales/
