Kinmel Hall
Encyclopedia
Kinmel Hall is a mansion
near the village of St. George
, close to the coastal town of Abergele
, in Conwy county borough
, Wales
.
The present chateau
style house, the third on the site, was designed by W. E. Nesfield
in the 1870s, and the adjoining Venetian Gardens were designed by his father, W. A. Nesfield
. The adjoining Neo-palladian style stable block is attributed to William Burn
, with construction completed in the 1850s. Materials for construction were bought from the nearby Lleweni Hall
.
The house is set in walled gardens of around 18 acres (72,843.5 m²), which are themselves set in grounds of around 5000 acres (20.2 km²), encompassing open fields, parkland and forests. Kinmel mansion, constructed in Wales in the 1870s is an excellent example of the myriad of new types of spaces that were arising during the Victorian era
to fulfill increasingly specialized functions. For example, there was a room in the mansion that was only to be used for the ironing of newspapers, so that the ink would not come off on the reader's hands.
Ownership of the house has been dominated by the Hughes
, Lewis
and Fetherstonhaugh
and Gill
families. There are many heraldic shields
displayed throughout the house which show evidence of the unions between these families. The property was last used as a private home in 1929, after which it was converted to a 'rheuma spa', a health centre for the treatment of people with rheumatism, by Mrs Florence Lindley
, formerly headmistress of Lowther College
, at the nearby Bodelwyddan Castle
. The spa remained until the outbreak of World War II
, when the hall was taken over as a hospital.
Post-war the hall became Clarendon Girls' School, but after extensive fire damage in 1975, the school was forced to close. Restored by businessman Eddie Vince as a Christian conference centre, it was sold at auction in 2001, but a proposed redevelopment by Derbyshire Investments failed to materialise.
Presently in the hands of the mortgagee's receivers, it is up for sale by auction at the Radisson Blu Portman Hotel, London, on October 12 2011 at 11am with a reserve price of £1.5million which does not include the 5,000 acres of surrounding land by Lambert Smith Hampton
Mansion
A mansion is a very large dwelling house. U.S. real estate brokers define a mansion as a dwelling of over . A traditional European mansion was defined as a house which contained a ballroom and tens of bedrooms...
near the village of St. George
St. George, Conwy
St. George is a small village in the county borough of Conwy, close to the coastal town of Abergele, north Wales. It was previously called Cegidog. Close by is the hamlet of Bodtegwel.Although previously located in Denbighshire, and later Clwyd, St...
, close to the coastal town of Abergele
Abergele
Abergele is a community and old Roman trading town, situated on the north coast of Wales between the holiday resorts of Colwyn Bay and Rhyl, in Conwy County Borough. Its northern suburb of Pensarn lies on the Irish Sea coast and is known for its beach, where it is claimed by some that a ghost ship...
, in Conwy county borough
Conwy (county borough)
Conwy County Borough is a unitary authority area in North Wales.-Geography:It contains the major settlements of Llandudno, Llandudno Junction, Llanrwst, Betws-y-Coed, Conwy, Colwyn Bay, Abergele, Penmaenmawr and Llanfairfechan, and has a total population of about 110,000.The River Conwy, after...
, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
.
The present chateau
Château
A château is a manor house or residence of the lord of the manor or a country house of nobility or gentry, with or without fortifications, originally—and still most frequently—in French-speaking regions...
style house, the third on the site, was designed by W. E. Nesfield
William Eden Nesfield
William Eden Nesfield was an English architect, designer and painter.W. E. Nesfield was the eldest son of the landscape architect and painter William Andrews Nesfield. He was educated at Eton and then articled to the architect William Burn in 1850, transferring after two years to his uncle by...
in the 1870s, and the adjoining Venetian Gardens were designed by his father, W. A. Nesfield
W. A. Nesfield
William Andrews Nesfield was a landscape architect. Nesfield was born in Lumley Park, County Durham. In 1808, after the death of William's mother, the family moved the few miles to Brancepeth where his father became rector of St Brandon's Church. His stepmother was Marianne Mills of Willington...
. The adjoining Neo-palladian style stable block is attributed to William Burn
William Burn
William Burn was a Scottish architect, pioneer of the Scottish Baronial style.He was born in Edinburgh, the son of architect Robert Burn, and educated at the Royal High School. After training with the architect of the British Museum, Sir Robert Smirke, he returned to Edinburgh in 1812...
, with construction completed in the 1850s. Materials for construction were bought from the nearby Lleweni Hall
Lleweni Hall
Lleweni Hall was a stately home in Denbighshire, northeast Wales Lleweni Hall (Welsh, Plas Lleweni, sometimes also referred to as Llewenny Palace) was a stately home in Denbighshire, northeast Wales Lleweni Hall (Welsh, Plas Lleweni, sometimes also referred to as Llewenny Palace) was a stately...
.
The house is set in walled gardens of around 18 acres (72,843.5 m²), which are themselves set in grounds of around 5000 acres (20.2 km²), encompassing open fields, parkland and forests. Kinmel mansion, constructed in Wales in the 1870s is an excellent example of the myriad of new types of spaces that were arising during the Victorian era
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
to fulfill increasingly specialized functions. For example, there was a room in the mansion that was only to be used for the ironing of newspapers, so that the ink would not come off on the reader's hands.
Ownership of the house has been dominated by the Hughes
Baron Dinorben
Baron Dinorben, of Kinmel in the County of Denbigh, was a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created on 10 September 1831 for William Hughes, the long-standing Whig Member of Parliament for Wallingford. He was succeeded by his younger and only surviving son, the second Baron...
, Lewis
Lewis
Lewis is the northern part of Lewis and Harris, the largest island of the Western Isles or Outer Hebrides of Scotland. The total area of Lewis is ....
and Fetherstonhaugh
Fetherstonhaugh
Fetherstonhaugh can refer to:Places*Fetherstonhaugh BaronetsPeople* Godfrey Fetherstonhaugh* Harold Lea Fetherstonhaugh* Robert Fetherstonhaugh* Sir Harry Fetherstonhaugh* Sir Matthew Fetherstonhaugh, 1st BaronetSee also...
and Gill
Gill
A gill is a respiratory organ found in many aquatic organisms that extracts dissolved oxygen from water, afterward excreting carbon dioxide. The gills of some species such as hermit crabs have adapted to allow respiration on land provided they are kept moist...
families. There are many heraldic shields
Heraldry
Heraldry is the profession, study, or art of creating, granting, and blazoning arms and ruling on questions of rank or protocol, as exercised by an officer of arms. Heraldry comes from Anglo-Norman herald, from the Germanic compound harja-waldaz, "army commander"...
displayed throughout the house which show evidence of the unions between these families. The property was last used as a private home in 1929, after which it was converted to a 'rheuma spa', a health centre for the treatment of people with rheumatism, by Mrs Florence Lindley
Florence Lindley
Mrs Florence Lindley was the first headmistress of Lowther College, a private girls school set up in 1896 in Lytham St. Annes, Lancashire. In 1920 she oversaw the college's move to Bodelwyddan Castle in Denbighshire, where she remained as headmistress intil 1927, when the school was sold to Allied...
, formerly headmistress of Lowther College
Lowther College
Lowther College was a private school for girls in the late 19th and 20th centuries. The school was originally formed in 1896 at Lytham St. Annes in Lancashire, by Mrs. Florence Morris ....
, at the nearby Bodelwyddan Castle
Bodelwyddan Castle
Bodelwyddan Castle, close to the village of Bodelwyddan, near Rhyl, Denbighshire in Wales, was built around 1460 by the Humphreys family of Anglesey as a manor house. Its most important association was with the Williams-Wynn family, which extended for around 200 years from 1690...
. The spa remained until the outbreak of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, when the hall was taken over as a hospital.
Post-war the hall became Clarendon Girls' School, but after extensive fire damage in 1975, the school was forced to close. Restored by businessman Eddie Vince as a Christian conference centre, it was sold at auction in 2001, but a proposed redevelopment by Derbyshire Investments failed to materialise.
Presently in the hands of the mortgagee's receivers, it is up for sale by auction at the Radisson Blu Portman Hotel, London, on October 12 2011 at 11am with a reserve price of £1.5million which does not include the 5,000 acres of surrounding land by Lambert Smith Hampton