Vaynol

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Vaynol (Welsh: Y Faenol meaning 'the manor') is a country estate in Y Felinheli North Wales dating from the Tudor period. There are 1,000 acres (4 km²) of park, farmland, and gardens on the estate, with at least seventy listed buildings, girdled by a wall which is 7 miles (10 km) long.

The estate was originally developed during the 16th century by a family called Williams, passed to the crown in 1696, and then was taken over by the Assheton Smith family in 1756. This area of Wales is known for its slate production, and the Assheton Smith family profited greatly from slate quarrying. Even after farms were let on long leases to encourage good tenant behaviour, slate was their main economic interest.

The Assheton Smith family remained in possession of the estate until the twentieth century. At the beginning of that century, it was 36,000 acres (150 km²) and had 1,600 tenants, although within a few years it became necessary to sell parts off, a pattern to be repeated again later. The last of the family, Sir Michael Duff, died in 1980. The estate did not pass to his adopted son, Charles, but was put up for auction in 1984; Caernarfon-based Glan Gwna Estates Ltd now own the bulk of the land.

The buildings on the estate include two halls: Vaynol Old Hall, much of which dates from the Williams period of ownership; and Vaynol Hall (19th century). Once Vaynol Hall was built, Vaynol Old Hall became a farm house and subsequently deteriorated in condition to the extent that in 2003 it appeared on the BBC's Restoration programme, championed by Robert Hardy. There is also a very old barn building.

At one stage, the park contained a zoo, but this was dismantled by 1900. The park has been the setting for Bryn Terfel's Faenol Festival since 2000 and in 2005 hosted the National Eisteddfod.

The Faenol estate should not be confused with the neighbouring National Trust land called Glan Faenol.