365 Places: Gregynog

Day 65: Gregynog, Wales, UK

The main purpose of my first trip to the UK and Europe was to attend a conference and present a paper. The conference was titled Identities in action (University of Wales, Aberystwyth) and my topic was ‘Workshopping the museum of the future’. The event was located at Gregynog Hall, a gorgeous Tudor mansion in the middle of Wales. Mr Wikipedia says:

Gregynog is a large country mansion in the village of Tregynon, 6 km northwest of Newtown in the old county of Montgomeryshire, now Powys in mid Wales. There has been a settlement on the site since the twelfth century. From the fifteenth to the nineteenth centuries it was the home of the Blayney and Hanbury-Tracy families. In 1960 it was transferred to the University of Wales as a conference and study centre by Margaret Davies, granddaughter of the nineteenth century industrial magnate and philanthropist, David Davies ‘Top Sawyer’ of Llandinam.

To stay at Gregynog was a fascinating experience as there is history everywhere you look, from the collections of art and books still remaining, to the beautiful gardens and grounds that surround Gregynog.

Gregynog has a rich history as well as having links to art and music, which came about because of the development of a press by the Davies sisters. According to the Gregynog website it was the headquarters of their enterprise to bring art, music and creative skills to the people of Wales. The websites states that:

The Davies sisters together created one of the most important private collections of art in Britain and donated a total of 260 works to the National Museum Wales in the mid 20th century, where it has become one of the nation’s greatest treasures. However, some of the pictures, a great deal of the furniture, and many, many books still remain at Gregynog.

Here is an image from a publication printed by the Gregynog Press.

I would love to return to Wales and Gregynog one day, this time just as a visitor to soak up the history of the site and the surrounding townships more fully as I am sure there is much to be learnt from this beautiful green country.