Tuesday
22
July
Historic Davies home opens private museum
24/11/2014 @ 10:00
One of the area’s historic homes has opened a private museum charting and recording it’s place and that of its owners.
Author and broadcaster Trevor Fishlock opened the museum at Plas Dinam in Llandinam, home to descendants of famous Victorian railway and mining entrepreneur David Davies for five generations.Today it is enjoying a new lease of life as a five star luxury venue for weddings, holidays, corporate events and special occasions.
When the owners, Lord and Lady Davies, downsized to smaller accommodation in the village in 2011, their daughter, Eldrydd Lamp and her family decided to return from near Perth, Australia to breathe new life into the historic property.
Now with the help of Lord and Lady Davies, heritage consultant Chris Delaney and local resident, Phil Freeman, Eldrydd and her husband, Tyson, have created a small museum, outlining the fascinating history of Plas Dinam and its inhabitants, which is located in the former estate office within the house.
“Hopefully, the museum will go some way towards explaining the origins of some of the paintings, historical facts and furniture in the house,” said Eldrydd, who revealed that most of the information on display is from family archives. “I am sure it will develop in years to come.
“The museum will primarily be for the benefit of Plas Dinam guests but we will also open it to groups by private appointment when the house is not occupied. We also plan to find a date for an open day when the house will be open to the public.”
Mr Fishlock, whose book, ‘A Gift of Sunlight: The Fortune and Quest of the Davies Sister of Llandinam’, was launched earlier this year, thanked everyone who had helped him with his research and given him ideas for the book.He said sisters Margaret and Gwendoline Davies loved living at Plas Dinam. When travelling in Europe, they always looked forward to returning to what they described as ‘home sweet home’ and the Montgomeryshire landscape, where they grew up.
The sisters lived at Plas Dinam for 38 years until 1923 when their brother, David, who had remarried, moved there to start a new family. The sisters then moved to Gregynog Hall, Tregynon.
Mr Fishlock said Plas Dinam, which he described as a “Victorian dream country house”, was purchased by David Davies, known as ‘Top Sawyer’, in 1884 for his son, Edward and his family.
“It’s a house with many overlapping stories, many of them happy and some of them tragic and sad,” he added. “It is a house that has the character of Downton Abbey and it’s great that it has a new beginning under the direction of Eldrydd and Tyson.
“I wish Eldrydd and her family good fortune and fun in running the house in a way that makes the Davies family feel happy.”
To help market the business, Eldrydd has joined MWT, an independent organisation representing around 600 tourism and hospitality businesses in Powys, Ceredigion and Meirionnydd.
Picture caption: Trevor Fishlock (centre) views old ledgers with Lord Davies and Eldrydd Lamp in the new Plas Dinam Museum.
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