Portmeirion

The home for fallen buildings

By Julia Revitt Photography

November 9^th, 2019

The village

Portmeirion is a strange place to say the least. As one of the many visitors was overheard saying... 'it's a bit like Euro Disney'. I couldn't have put it better myself.

The village was created by Sir Clough Williams-Ellis in 1925. He had been searching for land to build his vision and leapt upon the chance to purchase the village of Aber la when it came up for sale.

He then spent the next 50 years building his dream village. Making use of the natural hills and coastline to create the wonderful views that we have today.

He was an early environmentalist and great advocate of protecting the land. Sir Clough salvaged buildings near collapse and from demolition sites, giving rise to the quote...

A home for the fallen buildings ~ Sir Clough

The Prisoner

It is also the set of the sixties hit series, 'The Prisoner' staring Patrick McGoohan as 'Number Six'. I'll put a link at the end of this article so you can watch an episode if the mood takes you.

You pay upon entrance to wander around the famous grounds with lots of other bemused people. Tour guides can take you to the best spots, or you can do as we did and just go with the flow.

One of the strange things about Portmeirion is that it is also a holiday village. You can rent out one of the houses and spend the weekend. I can imagine this would be great as you'd have the place mostly to yourself outside of the entrance times.

But people live here too - given away by the occasional 'Residents Only' sign. There are businesses - all geared around the tourist but businesses none the less. Cafes, a mini train, a hotel, ice cream shops.

Undiscovered...

Portmeirion is a photographer's dream. The place has been created with purpose and looks great on film which translates wonderfully to still images.

From the mesmerising aqua blue of the fixtures and fittings, to the picturesque views and angles - I didn't put my camera away once.

It isn't popular on social media yet but it should be. If they knew about all the perfect coloured walls to pose in front of, of all the benches to look wistful from or all the weird artefacts to look interested in - the place would be full of smart phone wielding influencers!

Amis Reunis

Wander down to the shoreline and you'll see a boat. It's no ordinary boat though as it's made from stone. Sir Clough purchased a boat when building the village but it got stranded and largely destroyed so he built this stone one to take its place. He salvaged parts from the original to make this strange sight.

Portmeirion is often referred to as 'Italian like' and was heavily influenced by Portafino but it's a real mix of styles and even with its bright colours there is an undeniable Welsh element to it all.

You can walk around it in 30 minutes, it's a weird and wonderful little place that is difficult to get a handle on judging by the confused look of many of the visitors. Ultimately though, it's a beautiful setting by the sea that makes it special.