|
Plas Dinas is Grade II listed and dates back to the mid-seventeenth century but with extensive Victorian additions. The original house was built around the substantial stone arched fireplace which can still be seen in the Gun Room today.
The house, surrounded by its farmland, came into the possession of the Armstrong-Jones family in the nineteenth century through marriage. In 1899 Sir Robert Jones, who subsequently altered his name to Armstrong-Jones, had a son named Ronald. The family was, at that time, living in the London area and retained Plas Dinas as their country home.
Ronald Jones married Anne, the daughter of a sophisticated European family. The marriage produced a son, Anthony, who in 1961 married HRH Princess Margaret, the Queen's sister. Lord Snowdon, who suffered a major attack of polio in his youth built a reputation for photography and has portrayed many famous people in his career, including members of the current House of Windsor.
In 1963, he was appointed to the honorary post of Constable of Caernarfon Castle and when the young Prince Charles became Prince of Wales, he was largely responsible for organising the Investiture ceremony in the castle. Princess Margaret spent a considerable amount of time at Plas Dinas during this period.
Royal visit to Plas Dinas, May 1962.
by the Earl and Countess of Snowdon, HRH Princess Margaret.
Today Plas Dinas still retains many family portraits, memorabilia and original pieces of furniture. It presents an opportunity to enjoy the ambience of a genuine Welsh gentleman's residence largely unspoilt by its conversion to a country house hotel.
|
