Descriptive Gazetteer Entry for PENRHYN

PENRHYN, a place in Llandegai parish, Carnarvon; on the river Ogwen, in the E and the S E vicinity of Bangor. Penrhyn Castle here is the seat of Lord Penrhyn; occupies the site of King Roderic Malwynog'spalace, and of the subsequent palace of the Gruffydds of the time of Henry VI.; was erected by Wyatt, for Lord Penrhyn, at a cost of about £500,000; is of Mona marble, in the Norman castellated style, withtowers and turrets; includes a tall square donjon tower, five stories high, copied from Rochester castle; contains a drinking-horn of Piers Gruffydd, who was at the Armada with Drake; stands on an eminence embowered in trees; presents a very imposing aspect, as seen at adistance; and has very extensive offices, and a park ofabout 7 miles in circuit. Penrhyn slate quarries, to the S of the park, and belonging to Lord Penrhyn, have longbeen worked on so great a scale as to employ upwards of3,000 men and boys; and are said to be worth £80,000a year. A harbour, called Port-Penrhyn, about 6 miles from the quarries, was formed by the late Lord Penrhyn, for exporting their produce; and the quantity of slatesshipped there averages about 120,000 tons a year. Asmall church for the quarrymen is at Tregarth.


(John Marius Wilson, Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales (1870-72))

Linked entities:
Feature Description: "a place"   (ADL Feature Type: "populated places")
Administrative units: Llandygai CP/AP       Caernarvonshire AncC
Place: Penrhyn Castle

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