Portmeirion

Portmeirion is a show village / folly built in a Mediterranean style, located close to Minffordd, near Porthmadog in Gwynedd.

Portmeirion was built by Sir Bertram Clough Williams-Ellis when he bought the site for £20,000 in 1925 from his uncle, Sir Osmund Williams. The site was originally called Aber Iâ, which means Ice estuary. It was a private estate built on a former boat yard and foundry.

Clough built a scale model of the village to attract potential investors and then started the build. Several buildings were salvaged from demolition sites, giving rise to Clough's description of the place as 'a home for fallen buildings'. By 1939, most of the village was complete, the refining touches were added between 1954 - 76.

Portmeirion is now owned by a charitable trust which runs it as a hotel, the various buildings let out as rooms or self-catering cottages. It also opens the site to the general public for a fee.

The village has been a location for many films and television shows including The Prisoner with Patrick McGoohan, as well as Doctor Who, Danger Man and Citizen Smith.