About Brynbella
Brynbella is a neoclassical villa built near the village of Tremeirchion in Denbighshire, northeast Wales, by Hester Piozzi and her husband, Gabriel Piozzi. It was the seat of the Salusbury Family from 1794 until 1920. The name is part Welsh and part Italian, meaning "Beautiful Hill" (bryn + bella). Early historyIn 1794, Hester Piozzi began the construction of Brynbella with her husband in order to provide the family with a new seat after the destruction of Lleweni Hall, which had reverted to the ownership of Stapleton Cotton, 1st Viscount Combermere due to primogeniture. It was built out of Portland limestone in the style of the Palladian villas which she had seen during her self-imposed exile in Italy. There, Gabriel Piozzi became accustomed to British society, although his position as a Catholic continually undermined his position amongst the local gentry. Use by the Salusbury FamilyAfter her death in 1821, the house became the possession of her adopted son, Sir John Salusbury Piozzi Salusbury. Like his namesake, John Salusbury, Hester's son had little idea of estate management and continued to dabble in politics and the emerging banking industry then erupting in London. Piozzi Salusbury spent relatively little time on his estate and as a result, it languished. He later sold off much of the original furniture made by Ince and Mayhew and Thomas Chippendale in order to modernize the house in accordance with the then-popular Victorian style of furniture.
Brynbella Description
Brynbella is a neoclassical villa built near the village of Tremeirchion in Denbighshire, northeast Wales, by Hester Piozzi and her husband, Gabriel Piozzi. It was the seat of the Salusbury Family from 1794 until 1920. The name is part Welsh and part Italian, meaning "Beautiful Hill" (bryn + bella). Early historyIn 1794, Hester Piozzi began the construction of Brynbella with her husband in order to provide the family with a new seat after the destruction of Lleweni Hall, which had reverted to the ownership of Stapleton Cotton, 1st Viscount Combermere due to primogeniture. It was built out of Portland limestone in the style of the Palladian villas which she had seen during her self-imposed exile in Italy. There, Gabriel Piozzi became accustomed to British society, although his position as a Catholic continually undermined his position amongst the local gentry. Use by the Salusbury FamilyAfter her death in 1821, the house became the possession of her adopted son, Sir John Salusbury Piozzi Salusbury. Like his namesake, John Salusbury, Hester's son had little idea of estate management and continued to dabble in politics and the emerging banking industry then erupting in London. Piozzi Salusbury spent relatively little time on his estate and as a result, it languished. He later sold off much of the original furniture made by Ince and Mayhew and Thomas Chippendale in order to modernize the house in accordance with the then-popular Victorian style of furniture.