Plas Tan y Bwlch

Plas Tan-y-bwlch

Plas Tan y Bwlch (grid reference SH655406) in Gwynedd, Wales is the Snowdonia National Park environmental studies centre, administered by the National Park Authority.

The centre aims to provide courses which are of interest to all lovers of the countryside who would like to know about the Snowdonia National Park and the part of Wales in which it resides.

Plas Tan y Bwlch occupies a position overlooking the valley of the River Dwyryd, and the village of Maentwrog, with no part of the Park more than an hour’s drive away.

Plas Tan y Bwlch was built by the rich Oakeley family during the 19th century, it being substantially rebuilt on the site of a first house probably built in the early 17th century.[1] Additions designed by the Chester architect John Douglas were made to the house for W. E. Oakley in 1872.[2] The nearby Oakeley Arms Hotel was also once part of the estate but was sold off in the early 20th century.

The Oakeley family owned a huge slate quarry in Blaenau Ffestiniog. Slates were carried from the quarry to Porthmadog by means of the Ffestiniog Railway which passed through the estate.

Plas Tan y Bwlch was believed to be the first house in North Wales to be lit by electricity from its own hydro-electric source, this during the 1890s. This was generated by a form of pelton wheel, fed from nearby Llyn Mair by means of a pipeline. The small power house was on the hillside immediately behind the house and is said to have operated until after the opening of Maentwrog public hydro-electric power station in 1928.[3] In June 2013 a new hydro-scheme, costing £400,000, and similarly tapping the water from Llyn Mair, was opened. The water falls 60m to the turbine, and is expected to meet most of the Plas's electricity needs.[4]

The Tan-y-Bwlch area includes nearby Llyn Mair and Tan-y-Bwlch railway station.

Location

Plas Tan y Bwlch is located approximately 6 miles east of the coastal town of Porthmadog on the A487 set amongst high mountains and wildlife rich woodlands.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Plas Tan y Bwlch". BBC. Retrieved 14 November 2009
  2. ↑ Hubbard, Edward (1991). The Work of John Douglas. London: The Victorian Society. p. 243. ISBN 0-901657-16-6.
  3. ↑ "Plas Tan y Bwlch History". Eryri-npa.gov.uk. Retrieved 2013-06-14.
  4. ↑ Post Prynhawn, Radio Cymru, 13-6-2013

External links

Coordinates: 52°56′46″N 4°00′09″W / 52.9462°N 4.0024°W