Probably won't be going back here to tromp through the woods to Baron HIll as now it will be so sloshy and muddy and I hear thata the owner doesn't like people tromping through his property and he never answered my email asking for permission.
Baron Hill has a fascinating history. Built in 1612 or 1618 by Sir Richard Bulkeley, it was finally damaged by fire during WWII and has been vacant since. At the age of 14, Sir Richard was called Mishipman Richard Bulkeley and he is famous for being the very last person to speak to Lord Nelson on HMS Victory. He said, “Sir, the ship has been struck” and Nelson replied “and who are you sir?” and Sir Richard replied. “I am midshipman Richard Bulkeley.” Nelson replied either “kismet hardy” or “Kiss me hardy” and then died.
During the English civil War, Col Thos Bulkeley invited King
Charles I to take possession of house and set up court there. 18th c. saw Lord Viscount Bulkeley
who had Jacobite sympathies. Richard was 1st Mayor of Beaumaris.
Reconstruction in 1776 in Neo-Palladian style with curved
façade and follies, terraces, and balconies.
Also an icehouse and a lodge house.
During WWI, death duties soaked up the family fortune to
keep the house up. In WWII, Royal
Engineers were stationed at the house and it was later damaged by fire. The present Sir Richard Williams-Bulkeley
lives at neighboring Red Hill and evidently doesn't answer emails.
There are stables with enormous wooden doors and overrun with
brambles. Stonework is covered in moss and you can see the foundations of the greenhouses Beams and
windows and door frames are damp and rotten.
Sir Rowland Bulkeley b. 1465 Beaumaris (15 GGF)
Sir Richard Bulkeley b, 1495 Beaumaris (14 GGF)
Jane Bulkeley 1531 Beaumaris-1553 Caernarvon (13 GGM) +
Morys Wynne, MP b. 1522 Gwydir d. 1580 Gwynedd (15GGF)
Sir Richard Bulkeley, KT, MP
1515-1572 born & died at Baron Hill, Beaumaris (14gu)
Richard Bulkeley, d. 1546-7 was knighted about 1534 (14 GGF)
His brother, Arthur Bulkeley d. 1552 bec bishop of Bangor
(15 GU)
Richard d. 1621 head of family fr 1572 t0 1621, friend of Q
Eliz and bitter antagonist to earl of Leicester schemes in Wales. Richard d. 1645 poisoned and m. of his widow to alleged
poisoner, Sir Thos Cheadle
Thomas d. 1659 who had been sent to supervise Bulkeley lands
in Arllechwedd and thought of emigrating to Virginia but but deaths in family
brought him back to Baron Hill. He was
created Viscount Bulkeley of Cashel in Ireland in 1644. Lost his eldest son, Richard, and heir in
1650 to a duel on Lavan Sands. This sent
Richard Cheadle (son of poisoner) to scaffold.
Robert d. 1659 2nd son of Thomas married a rich lady.
The 2nd viscount’s grandson Richard 4th
viscount d. 1724
Toryism of the 4th (d. 1724), 5th (Richard, d. 1739) and 6th (James, d. 1752) viscounts
so high that they were suspected of being Jacobites.
7th and last viscount Thomas James Warren
Bulkeley raised to peerage in 1784 but had no children when d. 1822.
In 1405, final destruction of Llanfaes Friary, a great stone
coffin found with tragic Princess Joan, wife of Llywelyn the Great on its
lid. Removed to Baron Hill but now in
parish church of St. Mary at Beaumaris.
William Bulkeley of Cheadle—constable of Beaumaris Castle in
1440. Son Edmund associated with Ireland.
Son Rowland (15GGF) was ancestor of Bulkeleys of Baron Hill
In 1774, Dr. Samuel Johnson visited Baron Hill and it was a
centre of culture and grace with a vast library. Lavishly entertained. Lord Bulkeley spent more time in London and
Windsor, commissioning many works of art.
Had a large garden
Edward VII was a personal family friend and called for tea
when he came to christen University College of N Wales. The gun salute given to Royalty with a brass
cannon created in the Baron Hill foundry in Beaumaris to commemorate these
visits was part of local folklore
In 1912, the William-Bulkeley Hotel was lit by acetylene
gas, boasting a billiard room, croquet lawn, and handsome suites furnished in a
costly manner. Charge was 5 guineas a
week.
In 1914, two Belgians employed at Baron Hill were arrested
as spies. Baron Hill was sold in 1920
Also in 1920, houses
owned by the Baron Hill estate on New St. were offered up for sale. Nos 1-11 with 3 BRs each, fetched £120
each. Some on Chapel St. were sold
for as little as £50.
1920 The
Williams-Bulkeley Hotel was sold for £5000
Also drove by the Bulkeley Hotel where we stayed once before. during our stay here in 2011, one evening the church bells
went crazy for 2 hours. At that time, it
was sunny at 9pm. We had a corner room
and we looked out the front window onto Castle St.—the sun was shining brightly,
air warm, winds had died down—it was lovely.
I walked to our bathroom only a few feet from that window—the wind was
howling, raining, cold & dark.
Our room was on the top floor in the corner--#215 The literature at the time was that a ghost
named George roamed around room 211, across from the elevator. Now the website says he’s around room 23 and
sadly calls out a lady’s name. He is
amiable though.
The Queen’s Room=Regent Suite Queen Vitoria in 104 right over the
revolving doors of the hotel.
The only thing above our room was the attic. At 10 pm Saturday night, we kept hearing a
ball rolling above us. It kept bouncing,
like a child skipping a little rubber ball across the floor while playing
Jacks. Sounds of a child running across
the floor and a young lady’s voice humming.
For an hour! Ray went to investigate
but the door to the attic was locked.
Others have heard the young lady ghost but in the cellar.
Paperwork online now says a young maid (now a ghost) has
been heard happily humming because it’s Saturday nite for her.
In 1829, Sir Richard Bulkeley got a request from Buckingham
Palace asking if he could accommodate a future Queen of England on a state
visit to Beaumaris. Told him she was
coming in 1832 and Sir Richard replied that he would be delighted to and would
build a house especially for the occasion, a beach villa in affect. So he did. He knocked down 450 houses on
Beaumaris green that he owned. He did it
for the view from the hotel he was building.
Opened in 1831. He wanted the
Royal Family to feel at home, so he had offices built next door to hotel, which
are now flats. They look exactly like
Buckingham Palace but smaller.
Princess Victoria was to visit in 1832. She would enter from Castle Street which has
the coat of arms above the steps. Head
up grand staircase to Room 104. Wide
corridors so ladies could walk thru without damaging wallpaper. Room 104 has 3 windows with panoramic views
from Llandudno to Bangor and Snowdonia Mtns.
Lord Angelsey was jealous that he hadn’t been included in any of the
plans so as the Royal family came over the Brittannia Bridge, he rode up on
horseback and told them that there was an outbreak of smallpox in Beaumaris
which was a lie. He offered them to stay
the nite at his humble abode, Plas Newydd.
To this day Lord Anglesey doesn’t speak to Sir Richard Bulkeley. Queen Victoria heard about the lie and in
1851 she came bk and DID stay in room 104.
So Anglesey only got her as Princess, Bulkeley got her as Queen.
Also saw Beaumaris Castle which was built as part of Edward I's campaign to conquer north Wales after
1282. Beaumaris Castle was taken by
Welsh forces in 1403 during the rebellion of Owain
Glyndŵr, but recaptured by
royal forces in 1405. Following the outbreak of the English
Civil War in 1642, the castle
was held by forces loyal to Charles I, holding out until 1646 when it surrendered to
the Parliamentary armies. Despite forming part of a local
royalist rebellion in 1648, the castle escaped slighting and was garrisoned by Parliament, but fell into ruin around 1660,
eventually forming part of a stately home and park in the 19th century. In the
21st century, the ruined castle is still a tourist attraction. Lord Thomas Bulkeley bought the castle from the Crown in 1807 for
£735, incorporating it into the park that surrounded his local residence, Baron Hill.
Beaumaris Castle was never fully built, but had it been completed it
would probably have closely resembled Harlech
Castle. Both castles are concentric in plan, with walls within walls, although
Beaumaris is the more regular in design.
Interesting sign at Beaumaris Castle--
I understand the first 3 warnings, I think, but the fourth one has me stumped--Beware of Zombies!?!
No other photos worth posting today as it was so rainy you can't see anything between the drops on the windows of the car. Flood warnings everywhere.
Ate again, as last night, at the Penrhos Arms pub. This time I shared the Tortillas with Ray then got the Honey Mustard Chicken Skewers appetizer as my meal so that I could still have room for the Hot Lemon Squidgy Cake with custard again!
