Carregfellen

“Carregfelen” means “Yellow Stone.”

Carregfelen’s oldest section, between the dining room and main bedroom, dates back to the 12th century. Though modest, it was considered a Manor House for its time in rural North Wales. The main structure, from the sitting room to the hall, was added in the late 17th century. In 1926, architect Clough Williams-Ellis (designer of Portmeirion) renovated the house for Lady Grosvenor, adding dormer windows, a new sitting room window, and internal glass features. The attached flat was originally built for the housekeeper.

David and Nikki, the current owners, inherited Carregfelen through the Williams-Ellis and Greaves families. Richard Greaves, owner of the Wern Estate and co-owner of J.W. Greaves & Son (Llechwedd Slate Mines), purchased it in the late 19th century. The mines are still family-run today.
The garden, designed by Clough Williams-Ellis in 1926, remains largely unchanged.

What looks like a cottage near the parking area is actually an early 20th-century Engine House, built by Martyn Williams-Ellis to power the house. Upon his death in the 1960s, the original wiring was found untouched.
Artefacts in the house reflect Martyn’s time in South Africa, where he worked in gold and diamond mining after his brother’s death in the Boer War. He returned to fight in WWI, surviving capture and meeting Lawrence of Arabia in Damascus. He later ran the family slate business instead of returning to Africa—an internal debate captured in a letter displayed in the house. A mysterious tale of lost diamonds in South West Africa lingers from that era.