Faenol Fawr Tudor mansion, Bodelwyddan
This mansion, now a country house hotel, was built from 1595 to 1597 by John Lloyd, registrar for the St Asaph diocese. That date is inscribed at two fireplaces inside. The original house cost £1,000 and featured a single-storey Great Hall, with a central entrance.
The house was enlarged in 1725. It’s thought the main entrance was moved then to the chamber end of the Great Hall, which was subdivided. The frontage was also remodelled, with dormer windows and distinctive stepped gables. The drawing of the house is shown here courtesy of the National Library of Wales. It was made to illustrate one of the books of travel writer Thomas Pennant (1726-1798).
One of the rooms, now a dining room, retains its original 1597 fireplace surround, intricately carved in wood and featuring two shields, side by side (see photo). The walls are lined with wood panels, also from the 16th century.
Joined to the main building’s rear wing is a dovecote, thought to have been built c.1597. Other buildings at the site may also date from the same period. Near the main forecourt is the Old Farmhouse, which may originally have been home to the estate’s steward.
An ancient stone coffin, covered in carvings, was discovered in the Faenol Fawr grounds. It was moved to Downing, Thomas Pennant’s former home, in 1808, and from there to Whitford church in 1936. It was thought to have been, in medieval times, inside the St Asaph chapel of ease, which was at Faenol.
Postcode: LL18 5UN View Location Map