“’Tis pleasant through the loopholes of retreat
To peep at the great world—to see the stir
Of the great Babel, and not feel the crowd.”
Plas Newydd, situated at the east end of the town of Llangollen, has long
been the residence of two eminently distinguished ladies, the Right Hon.
Lady Eleanor Butler and the Hon. Miss Ponsonby, {99} who came to
Llangollen, and after a time purchased the domain, and planted and
decorated the grounds. It has attained its present beauty under their
own superintendence.
Many years have elapsed since these ladies withdrew from the world, to
which, from their rank and accomplishments, they would have been
distinguished ornaments, and secluded themselves in this beautiful
retreat, where they have uniformly been the benefactresses of the poor,
the encouragers of the industrious, and the friends of all in their
neighbourhood. The peculiar taste and beauty with which these noble and
highly distinguished ladies have decorated and adorned both the exterior
and the interior of their far-famed retreat, exites universal admiration
from the first characters and families, who are continually visiting
them.
A palisade, ornamented with antique and grotesque figures, carved in oak,
encloses the front, before which a profusion of the choicest flowers and
shrubs is tastefully arranged. The entrance and the windows, which are
formed after the manner of ancient religious houses, are decorated with
carving in the same material. The entrance-door is unique, and a great
curiosity, being beautifully ornamented with well polished carved
figures; the whole of which are of black oak, and kept particularly
bright, giving the retreat a very uncommon appearance. The
entrance-hall, stairs, and passages, are chastely in character; and the
windows are ornamented with painted glass in the most appropriate manner.
The gardens, in which nature and art are judiciously united, are
extensive, and display much taste. The thick and umbrageous foliage of
the lofty forest trees, that occupy a part of the lawn and gardens, is
the safe asylum of numerous birds, which in this calm seclusion revel
unmolested. A pair of beautiful wood-owls have found a safe and quiet
shelter in the trunk of an old ivy-covered tree; and on a lawn a little
further, is erected a pretty moss-covered alcove, furnished with a few
well-selected books: it is nearly in the centre of the garden, and is
open in front. The confidence of the birds is shown by some of them
every year building their nests in this recess: indeed, these airy
inhabitants appear to be quite tame and familiarized by the kindness of
their amiable protectors. I believe the birds have much the larger
portion of the produce of these beautiful gardens, as none of them are
suffered to be molested.
Through the lower part of the shrubbery, a brook, called Cyflymen, i.e.
Speedy, murmurs over its pebbly bed, and is crossed by a rustic bridge,
which leads to a bank covered with lichens, and furnished with
appropriate seats, near which rises a pure fountain, whose waters are as
clear as the crystal glasses which ornament its margin: in short, the
beauty of the scenery, aided by a little enthusiam, might inspire the
idea that
“Here in cool grot and mossy cell,
The rural fays and fairies dwell:
Though rarely seen by mortal eye,
When the pale moon, ascending high,
Darts through yon limes her quiv’ring beams,
They frisk it near these crystal streams.”
The carved stone brought from the Abbey Crucis, and mentioned as being
dug up at the time the bodies were discovered, stands near the entrance.
I have thus completed the circuit I proposed at the commencement of my
labours. To hope the attainment of perfection in a work of this nature
would with justice be deemed presumptuous; but I trust any inaccuracy
will be treated with lenity, and that due allowance will be made for the
disadvantage under which verbal information is at all times collected by
a person who does not understand the native language. Thus far I can
with truth say, that, from a desire to combine correctness with
intelligence, I have in no case given that on heresay, which might be
readily ascertained by ocular demonstration.
With regard to the quotations which I have thought proper to introduce, I
must here again draw upon the kind indulgence of my readers. Not having
an extensive library at my command, I have sometimes been obliged to
quote from memory. This will also, in some degree, account for omissions
of which I may in places be deemed guilty.
I will now take leave of my friends, assuring them that, if I have not
done all I might for their information and amusement, it must be
attributed to any other cause rather than a want of desire and endeavour
on my part. It would, indeed, be unpardonable in me to deserve such an
imputation, after having received so many marks of attention from friends
whom I have had occasion more than once to consult in the progress of my
researches, and being furnished with information from quarters where I
had not the least claim.
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