About Vaynol
Vaynol or Y Faenol, is a country estate dating from the Tudor period, near Y Felinheli in Gwynedd, North Wales. It comprises 1, 000 acres of park, farmland, and gardens on the estate, with more than thirty listed buildings, surrounded by a wall which is 7 miles long. \"Y Faenol\" means \"the manor\", and is a mutated form of the Welsh word maenol.
The estate's origins are in the 16th century when the bishops of Bangor sold property belonging to their manor, Maenol Bangor. The estate was developed during that century by the Williams family. It passed to the Crown on the death without issue of Sir William Williams in 1696. In 1723 it was presented to John Smith of Tedworth, and passed to his nephew Thomas Assheton Smith I in 1762. Assheton Smith was the 3rd largest landowner in Gwynedd. This area of Wales is known for its slate production, and the Assheton Smiths profited from slate quarrying, and owned the Dinorwic Quarry, which made a profit of £30, 000 in 1856. Even after farms were let on long leases to encourage good tenant behaviour, slate was the family's main economic interest.
Vaynol Description
Vaynol or Y Faenol, is a country estate dating from the Tudor period, near Y Felinheli in Gwynedd, North Wales. It comprises 1, 000 acres of park, farmland, and gardens on the estate, with more than thirty listed buildings, surrounded by a wall which is 7 miles long. \"Y Faenol\" means \"the manor\", and is a mutated form of the Welsh word maenol.
The estate's origins are in the 16th century when the bishops of Bangor sold property belonging to their manor, Maenol Bangor. The estate was developed during that century by the Williams family. It passed to the Crown on the death without issue of Sir William Williams in 1696. In 1723 it was presented to John Smith of Tedworth, and passed to his nephew Thomas Assheton Smith I in 1762. Assheton Smith was the 3rd largest landowner in Gwynedd. This area of Wales is known for its slate production, and the Assheton Smiths profited from slate quarrying, and owned the Dinorwic Quarry, which made a profit of £30, 000 in 1856. Even after farms were let on long leases to encourage good tenant behaviour, slate was the family's main economic interest.