Bryn Bras Castle

Bryn Bras Castle
View across fields to castle on a ridge.
TypeHouse and garden
LocationLlanrug
Coordinates53°08′25″N 4°10′44″W / 53.1404°N 4.1789°W / 53.1404; -4.1789
ArchitectThomas Hopper
Architectural style(s)Romanesque Revival
Governing bodyPrivately owned
Official nameBryn Bras
Designated1 February 2022
Reference no.PGW(Gd)41(GWY)
Listed Building – Grade II*
Official nameBryn Bras Castle
Designated29 May 1968
Reference no.3804
Listed Building – Grade II
Official nameGladiator statue (north) at Bryn Bras Castle
Designated29 August 1999
Reference no.22259
Listed Building – Grade II
Official nameGladiator statue (south) at Bryn Bras Castle
Designated29 August 1999
Reference no.22260
Listed Building – Grade II
Official namePan figure and pool in walled 'knot' garden at Bryn Bras Castle
Designated29 August 1999
Reference no.22258
Bryn Bras Castle is located in Gwynedd
Bryn Bras Castle
Location of Bryn Bras Castle in Gwynedd

Bryn Bras Castle is a Grade II* listed country house located on the old road between Llanrug and Llanberis in Caernarfon, Gwynedd. The house, which remains privately owned, is a Grade II* listed building and its gardens and landscaped park are listed at Grade II on the Cadw/ICOMOS Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in Wales.

History

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The castle was built in a neo-Romanesque style between 1829 and 1835 on the site of an earlier structure by architect Thomas Hopper for Thomas Williams (1795–1874), a lawyer. It was bought in 1897 by Capt. Frank Stewart Barnard, High Sheriff of Caernarvonshire for 1903–04, who stayed at the castle until his death in 1917, running it as a stud. It was later owned by the oil millionaire Duncan Elliot Alves (1870–1947), who was Mayor of Caernarvon for six years and High Sheriff of the county for 1931–32. After Alves' death in 1938 the estate changed hands a number of times and much of the surrounding land was sold off.[1] The site of the first motorcycle Dragon rally in 1962, the house has been converted into apartments.

Architecture and description

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The castle is a Grade II* listed building.[2] Two elements of the castle's structure have their own listings, the boundary walls [3] and the gates and turrets.[4] The gardens are designated Grade II on the Cadw/ICOMOS Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in Wales.[5] A number of features within the gardens have their own listings; a pair of statues of gladiators,[6][7] a statue of the god Pan in a pool,[8] and the knot garden in which it stands,[9] and an observatory.[10]

References

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  1. ^ "Bryn Bras Castle". Archived from the original on 4 July 2015. Retrieved 22 July 2013.
  2. ^ Cadw. "Bryn Bras Castle (Grade II*) (3804)". National Historic Assets of Wales. Retrieved 18 February 2023.
  3. ^ Cadw. "Boundary wall, screen and gateway, SW side of Llanrug-Llanberis 'Mountain' Road at Bryn Bras Castle (Grade II) (22262)". National Historic Assets of Wales. Retrieved 18 February 2023.
  4. ^ Cadw. "Boundary wall, gateways & turrets at Bryn Bras Castle (Grade II) (22261)". National Historic Assets of Wales. Retrieved 18 February 2023.
  5. ^ Cadw. "Bryn Bras Castle (PGW(Gd)41(GWY))". National Historic Assets of Wales. Retrieved 6 February 2023.
  6. ^ Cadw. "Gladiator statue (north) at Bryn Bras Castle (Grade II) (22259)". National Historic Assets of Wales. Retrieved 18 February 2023.
  7. ^ Cadw. "Gladiator statue (south) at Bryn Bras Castle (Grade II) (22260)". National Historic Assets of Wales. Retrieved 18 February 2023.
  8. ^ Cadw. "Pan figure and pool in walled 'knot' garden at Bryn Bras Castle (Grade II) (22258)". National Historic Assets of Wales. Retrieved 18 February 2023.
  9. ^ Cadw. "Walled 'knot' garden at Bryn Bras Castle (Grade II) (22255)". National Historic Assets of Wales. Retrieved 18 February 2023.
  10. ^ Cadw. "Observatory at Bryn Bras Castle (Grade II) (22256)". National Historic Assets of Wales. Retrieved 18 February 2023.
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