I thought I'd give those fortunate souls who managed to miss my previous blog a brief outline of Plas y Nant as we know it.
We desperately wanted to move back to North Wales and run a small hotel so many hours were spent trawling the internet and phoning estate agents in the search for a suitable property. Late one Saturday night, quite possibly after one too many drinks, we found Plas y Nant, I phoned the estate agent on the Monday to arrange a viewing. "Oh you don't want to go up to that place" she said "it stinks, and it needs a hell of a lot of work doing". I laughed, saying it couldn't possibly be that bad and arranged to see it later that week. Well, she was right - it stank! The previous owners had run into a bit of difficulty and the property had ended up in the hands of a repossession company complete with what appeared to be the entire contents of the place. Unfortunately when the electricity company had been called in to cut off the power the fridges and freezers had been full of food, then vandals got in, opened these up and chucked cooking oil all over the kitchen floor so you can imagine the smell. Looking back it does make me smile when I picture myself walking into the kitchen to be hit by the most repulsive smell ever then desperately trying to make my escape on a floor covered in cooking oil. However, despite the terrible state it was in we decided it was the perfect place for us and in September 2009 we became the proud new owners of a rat-infested, damp hostel.
We desperately wanted to move back to North Wales and run a small hotel so many hours were spent trawling the internet and phoning estate agents in the search for a suitable property. Late one Saturday night, quite possibly after one too many drinks, we found Plas y Nant, I phoned the estate agent on the Monday to arrange a viewing. "Oh you don't want to go up to that place" she said "it stinks, and it needs a hell of a lot of work doing". I laughed, saying it couldn't possibly be that bad and arranged to see it later that week. Well, she was right - it stank! The previous owners had run into a bit of difficulty and the property had ended up in the hands of a repossession company complete with what appeared to be the entire contents of the place. Unfortunately when the electricity company had been called in to cut off the power the fridges and freezers had been full of food, then vandals got in, opened these up and chucked cooking oil all over the kitchen floor so you can imagine the smell. Looking back it does make me smile when I picture myself walking into the kitchen to be hit by the most repulsive smell ever then desperately trying to make my escape on a floor covered in cooking oil. However, despite the terrible state it was in we decided it was the perfect place for us and in September 2009 we became the proud new owners of a rat-infested, damp hostel.
Why on earth buy it, you might ask. Well, for those of you don't know, Plas y Nant is located in a wonderful area of North Wales near the foot of Snowdon. The current property was built towards the end of the 19th century and for part of its life it had been run as a Christian Endeavour holiday home. It sits in approximately 10 acres of grounds, complete with woodlands, waterfalls, streams, a pond and even a little old chapel. It's crying out to be rescued and have people come and stay and appreciate it once again. Hopefully in the not too distant future Snowdonia National Park will approve our planning application then work can begin to transform it into a luxury country house hotel.
hello michelle, i worked at plas from 1969 to 1973, lovely to see someone caring for the lovely place again. I spend endless time out of season in every area of the grounds and house so many happy memories. Do you have the water colour painting of plas by the 19th cent clergyman who owned the house? Hope it's still there. maureen
ReplyDeleteThank you Maureen for your lovely comment. Plas y Nant certainly seems to be a place that holds special memories for many people. The grounds, to me, are absolutely wonderful. I spend hours exploring them and there are so many peaceful spots to sit and admire the fantastic scenery. Unfortunately we don't have the painting - it would have been lovely for the hotel.
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