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Coordinates: 52°46′13″N 3°51′52″W / 52.7703°N 3.8645°W / 52.7703; -3.8645
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Plas Nannau Hall
"The highest situation of any gentleman’s house in Great Britain"[1]
TypeHouse
LocationLlanfachreth, Wales[2]
Coordinates52°46′13″N 3°51′52″W / 52.7703°N 3.8645°W / 52.7703; -3.8645
AreaNorth Wales
Built1795–1805 & 1808
ArchitectSir Robert Vaughan, 2nd Baronet & Joseph Bromfield[3]
Architectural style(s)Neoclassical
WebsiteNannau.Wales
Listed Building – Grade II*
Official nameNannau
Designated14 June 1952
Reference no.4710
Nannau Hall is located in Gwynedd
Nannau Hall
Location of Plas Nannau Hall in Gwynedd

Nannau (Welsh for 'the place of many streams'') refers to both an ancient estate and its current Georgian mansion near the village of Llanfachreth, Gwynedd, North Wales.[4][5] The mansion was initially inhabited by the Welsh Nanney (Nannau) family, who were direct descendants of the Kings of Powys.[6] For over 900 years, the Nannau estate was in possession of the same family. At its largest Nannau was 12,000 acres.[7]

Nannau is a Grade II* listed building and its parkland is listed, also at Grade II*, on the Cadw/ICOMOS Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in Wales.[8][2] The family dynasty was founded by Madog ap Cadwgan, 1st Lord of Nannau as a cadet branch of the House of Mathrafal. The founder was a son of Prince Cadwgan ap Bleddyn (1060–1111) from the Kingdom of Powys, within what is now the Snowdonia (Eryri) national park in North West Wales.[6] The Lord of Nannau title continued for four centuries, until the division of the cadet branches. The estate was then passed on to an heiress, Janet, who married into the Vaughan family of Hengwrt in 1719. In 1795, their descendants, the Vaughan baronets, replaced the then 17th-century mansion with a new house co-designed by Joseph Bromfield, which still stands today.[3]

The head of the family represented the local county as Sheriff of Merionethshire and held the position nine times in 400 years between the 16th and 20th centuries.[9] In 1911, as recorded by Encyclopædia Britannica, the families of county rank in the neighbourhood of Dolgellau included those of Nannau, Hengwrt (the famous Hengwrt Welsh MSS), Caerynwch, Fronwnion, Bron-y-gadair, Brynygwin, Brynadda, Abergwynnant, Garthangharad.[10]

By the mid-20th century, the estate was "wrecked", and a succession of short-term owners saw much of the land sold off, the demolition of some of the 18th-century mansion, and failed attempts to establish a hotel at the hall. By 2020, the lead from the roof had been stolen, and the house was "deteriorating rapidly".[11] Nannau is considered in the top at risk buildings by multiple orgainizations, including SAVE Britains Heritage and The Georgian Group.[12][13] Despite acknowledgement years ago by Snowdonia Park Authority and Cadw of the critical need for intervention no action has yet been taken and the roof continues to be uncovered.[14] The photos from August 2024 also show the roof does not have a temporary cover.

Nannau family history

[edit]
Cadwgan ap Bleddyn Coat of Arms for Nannau

11 – 15th centuries

[edit]

The Nanney family of Dolgellau are direct descendants of a royal dynasty, the House of Mathrafal and their Princes of Powys through Cadwgan ap Bleddyn, second son of Bleddyn ap Cynfyn (c. 11th century).[15][16][17] Cadwgan's son Madog ap Cadwgan became the 1st Lord of Nannau.[18] The 2nd Lord, Cadwgan ap Madog, was knighted by King Henry I of England in the Duchy of Normandy and married Gwenllian, a daughter of Owain Gwynedd (King of Gwynedd c.1137).[19] The title of Lord was passed on from father to son until the early 16th century. Following the creation of the title Lord of Nannau, a prominent member of the family who became the 5th Lord was known as Ynyr Hen ("old Ynyr").[20] His son Ynyr Fychan ("Little Ynyr") sided with the English crown during the Conquest of Wales by Edward I and was rewarded for the capture of Madog ap Llywelyn (1295) during the revolt against the new administration.[21] King Edward I also rewarded those who pledged allegiance by allowing them to keep their land. This marked the beginning of the Nannau estate dynasty. The effigy of the 7th Lord, Meurig ap Ynyr Fychan (c. 14th century) is on display at St. Mary's Church, Dolgellau. Another son of Ynyr Fychan, Einion, later became the Bishop of St. Asaph.[20]

Meurig ap Ynyr Fychan effigy, St. Marys church, Dolgellau

The Lordship of Nannau was passed on to Hywel Sele (9th Lord of Nannau, d. 1402),[22] probably the most famous Nannau owner, who was noted for his attempted assassination of Owain Glyndŵr on the Nannau estate, before Owain set the Nannau house ablaze.[23][24][a] Following this incident, the house was rebuilt. This would be one of at least five reconstructions during the Nannau family's tenure of the estate.[26]

15 – 20th centuries

[edit]

The Nannau family established a new dynasty through marriage which connected it to Tal-y-bont, Dyffryn Ardudwy, and enabled it to extend its reach throughout Wales and beyond. Lands were bought in the areas of Brithdir, Dyffryndan, and Cefnyrywen, and Dolgleder, Garthgynfor and Garthmaelan in the surrounding areas. The family established many cadet branches, beginning with Sele's brother. At the end of the 16th century, the families of Caerynwch and Cefndeuddwr emerged, and later on the family of Maes-y-Pandy. There was also an alliance with the Dolau-gwyn family.[27]

Between 1400 and 1600, the Nannau farmlands were vastly expanded, and successive Nannau lords held government posts in and around Dolgellau. A cousin of the 10th Lord sided with the House of Tudor during the Wars of the Roses (1455–1487) and was the commander of Harlech Castle during its siege. He also fought in the Hundred Years' War in the Kingdom of France. The family helped establish Cymer Abbey, Llanelltyd, Dolgellau, and other churches in North Wales that still stand today.[28] An heiress of the Nannau Estate was Alice, who married a descendant of Hywel Coetmor in the 15th century. She was the sole heiress of Hywel ap Meurig of Nannau.[29] The Lord of Nannau title endured until the 13th Lord, who was the last to hold the royal title after 400 years of father/son inheritance. This period marked the beginning of surnames in Wales, and the Nanney family name emerged in the early 16th century.[30] This coincided with a new era of Welsh Hall Houses: the Snowdonia type, in particular.[29]

For centuries, the Nanney family controlled the estate and the surrounding region. Together with the Vaughan family who claimed descent from Rhodri Fawr (c. 9th century), King of Wales,[10] these two families established a dynasty around the town of Dolgellau, as well as Merionethshire and other parts of Caernarfonshire. The 17th century brought a new era for the Nannau family. Huw Nanney Hen's (1542–1623) mother was a descendant of Henry IV of England and the House of Lancaster, he was a Sheriff of Merionethshire in 1587. Nanney Hen built a new residence at Nannau c. 1615, but it lasted only a generation before being burnt to the ground around 1645 during the English Civil War.[31][32][33] The family had to move to their more traditional second home, Dolrhyd,[34] near the town of Dolgellau, an adjacent estate since the 16th century (now a residential care home).[10][35][36]

It was only in 1697 that a permanent residence was established at Nannau. Nannau remained a family home until the eventual sale of the mansion in 1965.[37] The need to move around due to civil strife was evident when Vaughan, 2nd Baronet, inherited the title in 1792. He also acquired six estates: Nannau, Dolrhyd (Doluwcheogrhyd), Rhug, Hengwrt, Meillionydd, and Ystum Colwyn. It was Vaughan who personally designed Nannau's Georgian mansion and the cottages and lodges which are still in use today.[5]

Family poets

[edit]

The Nannau family had been patrons of several famous Welsh poets of the period, and the mansion is mentioned in several poems from the 14th century onwards. Examples were, Llywelyn Goch ap Meurig Hen (c. 1350–1390), he was a famous poet and cousin to an owner of Nannau.[27] He wrote the famous poem Lament for Lleucu Llwyd. Another Nannau family bard, Sion Dafydd Lâs (d. 1694), was considered to be one of the last of the traditional live-in family poets in Wales.[29]

Cadet branches

[edit]

The Lord of Nannau title was passed on directly through the male line of families for centuries until the direct line ceased in the 16th century with the 12th Lord, Howel Nanney (1470–1580) who was esquire to Henry VIII. From Howel, the first cadet branch was established by the Nanneys of Cefndeuddwr who later became the Ellis-Nanney baronets of Gwynfryn and Cefndeuddwr (c. 1900).[38][39][40] The other cadet branches descended from Huw Nanney Hen who would have become the 14th Lord if the title had continued, followed by his fifth son, Edward Nanney (b. 1578), from whom four more houses were descended as estates in Gwynedd: the Nanneys of Maes-Y-Pandy, Llanfihangel-y-Pennant; the Nanneys of Llanfendigaid, Tywyn; the Nanney-Wynns of Maes-y-neuadd, Llandecwyn, Talsarnau, and the Nanneys of Llwyn, Dolgellau.[41][42][43][44]

The establishment of the family's cadet branches marked the end of the Nannau family's direct male heir ownership. After almost 600 years, the male line ended with the tenure of Colonel Huw Nanney IV when he married Catherine Vaughan from Corsygedol & Talhenbont Hall. They had four daughters. He died in 1701. Then began the transition of Nannau to the Vaughan family and eventually the Vaughan baronets. Huw Nanney IV built a new mansion between 1693 and 1697. The home was sketched by artist Moses Griffith around 1797. Vaughan oversaw the design of another reconstruction of the Nannau mansion which still stands today.[45][46][47]

Royal visits

[edit]

The son of John Vaughan (1830–1900) welcomed dignitaries on the occasion of Queen Victoria's fourth tour of Wales. He also welcomed royal couple Princess Beatrice of the United Kingdom and her husband Prince Henry of Battenberg when Princess Beatrice laid the foundation stone of St John's Church, Barmouth on 27 August 1889.[48] In April 1949 John's son Major-General John Vaughan who inherited Nannau, received another royal couple to the area of the new Nannau estate:[49] Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, with their newborn son Charles, now King of England. The royal couple stayed at 'Glyn' with Baron Harlech and visited Nannau for lunch on 29 April 1949.[50][51]

The Nannau bucket hoard

[edit]
Palstave from the Middle Bronze Age Acton Park II period c. 1500–1400 BC, part of an example of the Arthog hoard

It is believed that Vaughan, 2nd Baronet, had shown great interest in antiquities and had brought a bucket covered in inches of peat bog from nearby Arthog, near the Mawddach estuary, in 1826.[52][53] The bucket turned out to be an urn from the Bronze Age, possibly from East-Central Europe. An identical urn was found in Hungary. The bucket was left unattended for 60 years near the Hywel Sele lodge before it was discovered by John Vaughan's girls in 1881. It was used as a cigar ashtray and a waste paper bin until 1951 when Major-General Vaughan revealed the urn to guests. The urn was later dated by Professor Christopher Hawkes as about 2,700 years old and sent to the British Museum the following year.[54]Another similar discovery named the Dowris Hoard was found in the 1820s in Dowris, County Offaly, Ireland. A late Bronze Age cauldron was discovered with a hoard of weapons; the discovery was from the same period as the Nannau bucket at Arthog. Some of the items buried in the Snowdonia bog were later found to be from 1,100 BC.[52][55][56]

Nannau estate

[edit]

Nannau Deer Park

[edit]

Nannau's medieval deer park fenced the estates herd of deer and is near the site of one of Nannau's much older houses. The deer park was heavily landscaped in the late 18th and early 18th centuries. The forest in the deer park used to be much larger. The deer park is also home the site of the mythological haunted oak, ruins of lookout towers, ancient oak trees, late-medieval rabbit pillow mounds, two gatehouses (Hywel Sele and Lower Lodges), and a Tudor stone arch. The deer escaped during a snow storm in 1963, but can still be seen in the area. There are the remains of two fish ponds in the deer park. [57][58][59] There are multiple public walks within the deer park.

Ruins of a watch tower in the ancient Nannau Deer Park

Stone Towers

[edit]

There are two ruinous folly towers near Hywel Sele Lodge, thought to have been used as lookout towers to alert the estate when the guests were returning.[57][60] It is possible another folly nearby, the Nannau 'Summer House', located just outside the deer park, was also used as a lookout point in conjunction with the towers.[59]

Rabbit Mounds

[edit]

There are the remains of four medieval pillow mounds for rabbit breeding on the hill directly past Hywel Sele Lodge, on the left. The rabbits were originally cared for by monks of the nearby Cymer Abbey.[60][61]

Iron age hillforts

[edit]
Ruins of Foel Offrwm Hillfort

Nannau is home to at least three iron age Celtic hillforts. There are two hillforts on Moel Offrwm, a smaller hillfort on the side and a larger one at the summit.[62][63] Another is the hillfort on Foel Faner, overlooking Llyn Cynwch.[64] The hillforts were likely built by the Celtic Ordovices tribe.

Public Walks

[edit]

The Nannau estate allows for multiple public walking trails, most of which can be accessed from the Precipice Walk Car Park, also referred to as Coed y Groes or Saith Groesffordd Car Park. The car park offers picnic table and restrooms.

Precipice Walk

[edit]

Precipice Walk is a 2 mile circular trail that takes you around the upper sections of the mountains Foel Cynwch and Foel Faner. The trail allows for beautiful views of the Afon Mawddach River below, Nannau Hall, Lake Llyn Cynwch. You can take a short detour to the top of Foel Faner to see an ancient hillfort and for panoramic views of the area.[65]

Summit Walk of Foel Offrwm

[edit]

Summit Walk takes you to the top of Foel/Moel Offrwm allowing for panoramic views of the Nannau estate.[66] The walk ends at the top, as you enter one the ancient hillforts. You can see Nannau Hall from here.

Foel Offrwm Walk

[edit]

This circular walk takes you around the middle of Foel Offrwm, offering views of the area and Nannau deer park.[67]

Nannau Deer Park Walk

[edit]

This unlisted 4 mile circular walk takes you through the Nannau deer park and around some of the old farmhouses of Nannau. You will also pass by Coed Y Moch Lodge and Hywel Sele Lodge. Some of this walk is on paved roads, so be aware of drivers. The walk can be extended by walking to lake Llyn Pwll-y-Gele, which takes you on an old winter driveway of Nannau with an old stone bridge.[60][68][69]

Pandy Bach Walk

[edit]

This one-mile (one-way) walk takes you from a country road to lake Llyn Cynwch. This one does not start at the car park.[70]

Gatehouse and Stone Arches

[edit]

Nannau has at least 3 gatehouses and 4 stone arches, with overlap.

Hywel Sele Lodge and Arch

Hywel Sele Lodge

[edit]

Hywel Sele Lodge is a two-storey semi-ruinous Tudor-Gothic style mini-castle folly that was the North gatehouse to the estates deer park. There is a Tudor arch attached to the lodge via a stone wall.[71][72]

Lower Lodge

[edit]

Lower Lodge was the South deer park gatehouse. The two-storey stone lodge is notable for its slate siding. It has an iron gate with stone piers.[73]

Coed Y Moch Lodge

Coed y Moch Lodge

[edit]

Coed y Moch Lodge was gatehouse to the main entrance to Nannau from the South. It had iron gates with the Pegasus Badge emblem of the Airborne Forces and was made for Brigadier Charles Hilary Pritchard Vaughan by his old regiment of Parachute Brigade Engineers. The gate has been removed since the 1970s.[74][75]

Y Garreg Fawr "The Great Stone"

Y Garreg Fawr

[edit]

Y Garreg Fawr ("The Great Stone") is a stone arch that marked the driveway to Nannau from Lllanfachreth. The top stone weighs 18-tons and was reportedly transported from the Roman Steps by four tenants of Sir Robert Vaughan who were late with their rent.[76][77]

Arch at Yr Hen Ardd

[edit]

This stone arch from 1828 marks a secondary driveway of Nannau in the deer park, near Yr Hen Ardd ("The Old Garden").[78]

Arch at Maes-y-Bryner

[edit]

The Tudor stone arch at Maes-y-Bryner was built by Sir Robert Williames Vaughan of Nannau and commemorates the 1820 coronation of King George IV. It was Grade II Listed in 1995. It is on a road leading to Maes-y-Bryner Isaf, a farmhouse house of Nannau.[79][80][81]

Current House

[edit]

Architecture and description

[edit]
Nannau estate, Wales, advertising, estate in the same family for 850 years[82]

A Grade II* listed structure, the authors of the Gwynedd Pevsner, call the site "extraordinary" at 700 ft above sea level.[32] In 1784 Thomas Pennant described Nannau as "perhaps the highest situation of any gentleman’s house in Great Britain".[1] The neoclassical house was built between about 1788 and 1805. The Georgian building was the idea of Robert Hywel Vaughan, 1st Baronet (1723–1792) and his son Robert Willames Vaughan (1768–1843) who, by 1795, completed the design process by adapting designs from a book by the architect P. F. Robinson and adding his own subtle variations and Tudor elements.[5][32] The architect Joseph Bromfield was engaged by the Vaughans to help design the flanking pavilions constructed c.1805. Pevsner suggests that the whole building is likely to be attributable to him,[32] but Cadw is less certain.[24] The Nannau records imply that Bromfield was responsible for the wings and most of the internal decorations. However a fire in 1808 destroyed part of the building, only for Bromfield to design the rebuilding of stairs and banisters in coordination with the 2nd Baronet.[3]

The following quotation is from Nannau – A Rich Tapestry of Welsh History by Philip Nanney Williams on the construction of the mansion: "it was left to the 2nd Baronet to complete the design process, which he accomplished in 1795 ... In 1805 Sir Robert, 2nd Baronet, added the perfectly proportioned pavilion wings ... Sir Robert had shrewdly employed the Shrewsbury architect Joseph Bromfield to design and oversee the 1805 project. He was responsible for the wings and many of the internal decorative features."[3]

It was during this golden age of Nannau that not only the home was rebuilt, but also the vicinity of Nannau expanded between 1805 and 1830,[83] 55 miles of walling around Llanfachreth surrounded the 10,164-acre estate, and carriage driveways, arches, home farms, fishpond, a deer park, and afterward lodges to complete the Georgian estate.[84]

The house is of three storeys and five bays, built in slate to a square plan and with a hipped roof.[85] The entrance front has a porch with Ionic columns and a moulded entablature above. The house is a Grade II* listed building.[24] The park, now separated from the house, is listed at Grade II* on the Cadw/ICOMOS Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in Wales.[86]

The Nannau estate merged with the Vaughan family of Hengwrt at the beginning of the 18th century. Janet, mother of 1st Baronet Vaughan and granddaughter of Huw Nanney III married Robert Vaughan of Hengwrt in 1719. He was the great-grandson of the antiquarian Robert Vaughan. After the disastrous tenure of Hugh Vaughan (the 1st Baronet's brother) who "made a total shipwreck of his fortunes by his ill-regulated life and his utter incapacity for estate management",[27] the family established themselves as members of parliament, obtained a baronetcy, made considerable improvements to the estate, and built a new house, the current mansion completed in 1808 with surrounding estate and parks completed in 1830.[87][b][c] The reigns of Robert Hywel Vaughan and of his son, Sir Robert Vaughan, 2nd Baronet in the late 18th and 19th centuries were considered the "golden age of Nannau".[1] On the death of the childless 3rd baronet in 1859, the estate was inherited by Thomas Pryce Lloyd, a cousin from Pengwern, Flintshire. Lloyd became a life tenant on the condition that the estate was precluded from selling land or property. The Nannau property once again changed hands in 1874 to a distant relation, John Vaughan (d. 1900), of Chilton Grove, Shropshire. Vaughan had owned the Rhug estate and was well known to the Nannau baronets, in particular the 2nd baronet, with whom he shared a common ancestor, the antiquarian Robert Vaughan.[92][93]

20th century onwards

[edit]

The estate was sold in the mid-20th century and subsequently had a succession of short-term owners. During this period, most of the land and some of the estate buildings were sold off, as well as the fishing rights, which were given to the Hengwrt estate.[94] In 1935, Hilary Vaughan Pritchard, son of a 3rd cousin of 2nd generation Nannau owner Major-General John Vaughan, married Mary, the daughter of Charles Stanley Monck. John Vaughan and Vaughan Pritchard were both descendants of Robert Vaughan, the antiquarian from Hengwrt, b.1592.[95]

Vaughan Pritchard had acquired ownership of the Nannau estate after the Major's death in 1956. Nannau Hall was the venue for another lavish wedding when Vaughan Pritchard's daughter Susan married David Muirhead on 14 December 1957. In 1958 a schedule of contents was made of all the possessions in the Hall.[96] The estate's running costs would have been high. Repairs alone would have cost £8,000 (equivalent to £200,000 in 2023).[97]

Following centuries of the Vaughan family ownership of the Nannau Hall, it was put up for sale with 10 acres (4 hectares) of land and sold for just £8,000 in 1965 to Mr Edward Morrison who was in the Royal Air Force. The remainder of the surrounding Nannau estate and Dolrhyd (also owned by Vaughan), a total of 3,578 acres (about 1400 hectares), was sold in 1975 to Vaughan Gaskell from Warrington.[97] From 1965, an American, Edward Alexander Morrison III attempted to operate the house as a hotel with his wife, but were unsuccessful, they lived there until 1979.[98][99] In 1991 the mansion was bought by a former policeman from Dolgellau, Dafydd Maslen Jones, he attempted to open a bed and breakfast but did not have enough funding to meet the planning authority. In 1995 the estate was sold to Huw Eaves from London, England. The estate was again sold to the current owner, Jason Cawood, who bought the Nannau mansion for £240,000 in 2001. The home was just a shell and hasn't been renovated since; there have also been issues such as break-ins and thefts.[100][101][102][103]

Current state

[edit]

The 18th-century flanking pavilions were demolished, and the building's fabric deteriorated. As of 2017, the renovation cost was believed to be around £500,000. By 2019, the theft of lead from the roof saw the house "deteriorating rapidly". In 2021, Cadw estimated the new temporary roof renovation at a cost of £100,000.[11][102][103]

By 2021, efforts to address the condition of the building were being undertaken by the Snowdonia National Park Authority, they were supported by the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings.[100][104] As of August 2024, the roof remains unrepaired and uncovered, putting the protected building at risk of water damage and structural decay.

Myths and legends of Nannau

[edit]

Gwiber Coed Y Moch

[edit]

The area around Nannau's original pig grazing forest and its front gate, Coed Y Moch is said to have been home to a dragon that was venomous and could enchant you with its gaze. The dragon was said to have been slain by a shepherd by the shores of Llyn Cynwch.[105][106]

Haunted Oak of Nannau

[edit]
Nannau Oak tree.[107]

The famous Nannau oak trees have grown in the estate's gardens since time immemorial, and have a lifespan of some 300–400 years.[108] The most famous oak on the Nannau estate was aptly named Derwen Ceubren yr Ellyll (Welsh: ' the hollow oak of the demon'),[10] this enormous oak tree had a circumference of 27 feet 6 inches (8.4 metres).[108][109] The tree was felled by lightning on 27 July 1813; that day it was painted by Sir Richard Hoare, 2nd Baronet. The tree was also the deathbed of Hywel Sele, who was placed there by his cousin Glyndŵr and left unattended for 40 years before being found.[110] The tree was made even more famous by Walter Scott and his 1808 work Marmion; "the spirit's Blasted Tree".[111]

Thomas Pennant, in the book Tours of Wales, visits Nannau in 1784 for his third volume.[112] He describes the Oak as:[113]

How often has not warm fancy seen the fairy tribe revel round its trunk! Or may not the visionary eye have seen the Hamadryad burst from the bark of its coeval tree?

For some coming-of-age festivities in 1824, some of the oak was used to make a commemorative set, including a now-famous stirrup cup.[114] This oak set, named "The Ceubren Cups", was auctioned in 2008 after being listed as contents of Nannau since 1958, as well as a silver mounted oak cup with the Vaughan Welsh language motto inscribed, ASGRE LÂN, DIOGEL EI PHERCHEN (English: A pure breast [is] a safeguard to its possessor).[115]

The Fairies of Llyn Cynwch

[edit]

Llyn Cynwch, the largest lake of Nannau, is said to have been home to the King of fairies, with a marble palace at the bottom.[116] The legend states a man fell into Llyn Cynwch and was transported to a beautiful palace, where the king of the fairies escorted him to an exit that ends at the hearthstone of Dol-y-clochydd, a farmhouse of Nannau.[117][118]

Siwsi Dôl y Clochydd

[edit]

Siwsi Dôl y Clochydd was a legendary witch who lived at Dôl-y-Clochyd of Nannau.[118] In the story, one of Siwsi's cats is killed by the dogs of a Lord of Nannau. Siwsi gets revenge by turning into an animal, a doe or a hare, and luring the dogs to leap over a ravine, causing the dogs to leaps to their deaths.[119][120] A 2003 book titled Gwrach y Gwyllt by Bethan Gwanas is based on this legend.[121]

Moel Offrwm (Hill of Sacrifice)

[edit]

The mountain at which Nannau Hall currently sits at the base of, Moel Offrwm, is known as the 'Hill of Sacrifice' due to legends of human sacrifice by druids.[122] The mountain was also said to be home to a giant called Ophrom Gawr in ancient times.[123][124] It is home to two ancient Iron Age hillforts, one at the summit and another further down the hill.[62]

[edit]
  • Nannau estate frontage
    Nannau estate frontage
  • The road toward the main house
    The road toward the main house
  • Aerial view of the property before the demolition of the wings
    Aerial view of the property before the demolition of the wings
  • Main hall today
    Main hall today
  • The gatehouse
    The gatehouse
  • Nannau painted by Moses Griffith c. 1808.[125]
    Nannau painted by Moses Griffith c. 1808.[125]
  • Old Nannau sketch by Moses Griffith 1797, built by Huw Nanney, circa 1697.[46][126]
    Old Nannau sketch by Moses Griffith 1797, built by Huw Nanney, circa 1697.[46][126]
  • The ancient Nannau estate seen from the summit of Moel Offrwm
    The ancient Nannau estate seen from the summit of Moel Offrwm
  • Y Garreg Fawr Arch of Nannau
    Y Garreg Fawr Arch of Nannau
  • Hywel Sele Lodge of Nannau, the upper Deer Park gatehouse
    Hywel Sele Lodge of Nannau, the upper Deer Park gatehouse
  • Llyn Cynwch, a natural ancient lake of Nannau
    Llyn Cynwch, a natural ancient lake of Nannau
  • A Celtic hillfort on the summit of Moel Offrwm, part of the ancient Nannau estate
    A Celtic hillfort on the summit of Moel Offrwm, part of the ancient Nannau estate
  • Coed Y Moch Lodge of Nannau, the old main gatehouse of Plas Nannau
    Coed Y Moch Lodge of Nannau, the old main gatehouse of Plas Nannau

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c "Dolgellau – Area 11 Nannau estate (PRN 19190)". www.heneb.co.uk. Gwynedd Archaeological Trust. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
  2. ^ a b "Nannau, Brithdir and Llanfachreth". britishlistedbuildings.co.uk. Retrieved 28 November 2021.
  3. ^ a b c d (Williams 2016, pp. 161–162)
  4. ^ Cadw. "Nannau (Grade II*) (4710)". National Historic Assets of Wales. Retrieved 19 February 2023.
  5. ^ a b c (Williams 2016, pp. 141–163)
  6. ^ a b (Williams 2016, pp. 17, 35)
  7. ^ "RCAHMW | Nannau". rcahmw.gov.uk. Retrieved 2 August 2025.
  8. ^ Cadw. "Nannau (PGW(Gd)34(GWY))". National Historic Assets of Wales. Retrieved 6 February 2023.
  9. ^ Annals and Antiquities of the Counties and County Families of Wales at Google Books
  10. ^ a b c d (Chisholm 1911)
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Notes

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  1. ^ Tradition suggests that having invited him to a hunting party to effect a reconciliation, Sele attempted to shoot Glyndŵr but was himself killed and had his body hidden in an oak tree on the estate.[25]
  2. ^ Sir Robert Willames Vaughan, 2nd Baronet, was famed for his generous hospitality and prodigious appetite.[88][89] The cleric and wit Sydney Smith wrote that" "He sees from his windows Cadair Idris and Snowdon, both of them inferior to himself in height and bulk."[90]
  3. ^ To celebrate the coming of age of his son in 1824, Vaughan slaughtered and roasted the White Ox of Nannau, the last of an ancient herd of such oxen bred on the estate.[91]

Sources

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