A monument to the proposition that evil works pay well (Penrhyn Castle)

Member Name: fwsoames

Product:	Penrhyn Castle
Date:	29/10/09 (9 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: A time capsule of Victorian Britain

Disadvantages: Cant shake off the reasons why the wretched place was built

My wife and myself are both members of the National Trust and paid a visit to Penrhyn Castle a few weeks ago.

Firstly the place isnt a castle. It was built in the 1830s to satisfy the vanity of the first Lord Penrhyn, an attempt to give the fellow a veneer of respectability he did not deserve.

This chap was a Liverpool merchant who built his fortune on the production of sugar in the West Indies. More accurately he built his fortune on slave labour. As you wander through the rather sombre mock Norman halls you cannot shake off this essential fact. Everything that you see was built on the backs of slave labour.

The next owner of this pile, Lord Penrhyn, was a chip of the old block. The abolition of slavery had lead to the Penrhyns buying up large tracts of North Wales and so it came to pass that he owned the largest slate mine in the world at Bethesda.

An archetypal Victorian "mill owner" he proceeded to oppress a whole community for over 3 years in the longest ever shut out in working history. The Penrhyn lockout was a shocking example of Victorian Industrial relations which saw a community torn apart as low paid quarry workers fought for a better life against an intransigent owner who was hell bent on destroying any opposition. Sadly there was no ACAS in the 1890s and the small town of Bethesda has never recovered to this day.

For several years the town subsisted on handouts as industrial communities and chapels across North Wales and North West England supported them with handouts and food parcels. Most of the able bodied men left for jobs in South Wales and sent back what they could.

The National Trust take an even handed view of the strike, giving both standpoints in their meagre display. I believe that this is a dreadful cop out on behalf of the Trust and rather disappointing.

However there is a very good display which explains the nature and effects of the slave trade. The exhibition has many original artefacts from the grubby business including chains and manacles.

The interior rooms are well appointed as you would expect from the Trust and the staff are friendly and well informed. There is a quiz for youngsters to fill in as they move through the buildings. There is a Rembrandt and a Canaletto to see as well as works by less famous artists.

The gardens are fantastic, spacious and well appointed with plenty to see. The bogs are fascinating.

You really need a full day to get the best out of your visit.

Tip.
Do the gardens whilst the weather is fine and go indoors when the heavens open.

The car park is a distance from the house and I would recommend leaving all your traps there until you are ready to eat. Then send Dad back for the hamper while you make yourself comfortable and the kids have a run in the adventure park.

I have really mixed feelings about this attraction.

On the one hand I can appreciate that it captures, very well, the country house experience of the privileged few. But then on the other hand, if you close your eyes for a while, you can hear the screams of oppressed Africans and downtrodden welsh slate workers in every well appointed room.

Perhaps they should pull the place down and enlarge the garden ?

Summary: Take your children and explain to them what they are looking at, a legacy of less enlightened times.