"I am not a number, I am a free man!"
For those of a certain age, maybe just UK based folk, maybe not, as it was released in other countries; that phrase needs no explanation. For others....
"The Prisoner" was a British television series, (I am sure it can still be found on that goontube platform) it was devised and created by the lead actor Patrick McGoohan, infamous as "Number Six"; thats it, he was a nameless former British intelligence agent who was abducted and imprisoned in a mysterious coastal village, known to its residents simply as "the Village".
He spends his time trying to escape from the surreal surroundings and weird and wacky fellow captives, the series was a mish mash of science fiction and spy fiction.
Just a single series of 17 episodes was made between September 1966 and January 1968; the exterior location filming taking place in the coastal village of Portmeirion. North Wales
So, here we are, Portmeirion, Lying on the estuary of the River Dwyryd now quite a popular tourist spot in Gwynedd, North Wales.
The village was designed and built by Sir Clough Williams-Ellis in two stages between 1925 and 1975. It is now owned in trust by a charity the Ymddiriedolaeth Clough Williams-Ellis Foundation.
A number of the buildings in the village are listed by Cadw, which is the Welsh historic environment service, "for their architectural and historical importance."
The four start Hotel Portmeirion, was originally built in 1850, stands on the estuary at the edge of the village it was developed by Williams-Ellis in 1925. the average price to stay here is £300 per night and if you think that is expensive just pop in for afternoon tea at £36 per person, style over substance! Get me to Macadees.
Just down from the hotel along the coastal path is The Observatory Tower, the structure was built from reclaimed stone in 1937. The tower has four floors, and on its top floor is a camera obscura. It was locked sadly so whether it still operates is open to speculation.
With a clash of ornamental features and architectural styles, it is classed by a lot as a "folly" (A folly is a decorative structure, often whimsical or eccentric, that is built without a practical purpose. Basically something that has little or no function, and which pretends to be something that it is not. In this case an Italianate village.)
It really is a quirky place, you will quickly realise that no two buildings are the same. At £20 per person entry fee though I have to say it is a rip off. It can easily be seen in its entirety in an hour or so.
Apart from the souvenir shops (cashing in on the prisoner), the foodie shops and a couple of coffee shops and restaurants none of the buildings are accessible as they are all holiday rental accommodations part of the Hotel ownership. Plenty of "no entry", "private" and "hotel guests only" signs present!
Over the decades the village has seen many "famous" people visit and stay, Noel Coward visited wrote a play called Blythe Spirit (nope nor me). A couple of other writers H G Wells and G B Shaw. A couple of luvvies, Gregory Peck and Ingrid Bergman.
I guess the most famous visitors were Paul McCartney and George Harrison (who enjoyed his 50th birthday here).
"I will not be pushed, filed, stamped, indexed, briefed, debriefed, or numbered!"
Another classic line from the TV series, we should all live our lives by its mantra.
[//]:# ([//]:# (!worldmappin 52.91453 lat -4.09755 long d3scr))
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The building is colorfull 😆
It's a place that I have wanted to visit for a long time. But never got round to it. Now I think that I will just enjoy your fantastic photos. Cos for 20 quid, I would need to see huge bubbles coming out from the sea.
Thanks for the happy memories of watching the telly with my family.
!BBH
I watched a program on telly the other week about Portmeirion and they hold this massive Prisoner conference every year, kinda surreal to see how many people are still so into it.
The whole place sounds smaller than I thought if you can walk around in an hour. Well, you saved me £20, or rather £40 ✌️
Beauty post 🚩🌏
PS Great blog! I enjoyed reading and would love to visit it.
That was a good show, although I must say have only seen it once. The chess board is very recognizable. Many other photos seem familiar, but I can't say for sure.