Temple Druid
Introduction
The photograph on this page of Temple Druid by Natasha Ceridwen de Chroustchoff as part of the Geograph project.
The Geograph project started in 2005 with the aim of publishing, organising and preserving representative images for every square kilometre of Great Britain, Ireland and the Isle of Man.
There are currently over 7.5m images from over 14,400 individuals and you can help contribute to the project by visiting https://www.geograph.org.uk
Temple Druid
Image: © Natasha Ceridwen de Chroustchoff Taken: 30 Mar 2008
This is the third house on this site. There was an original farmhouse called Bwlch-y-clawdd that was demolished for the construction of a gentleman's hunting lodge in 1795. The famous architect John Nash was engaged to design it, according to Richard Fenton "on an elegant plan, finished and furnished to accommodate itself to the tastes and habits of its first late modern possessors, accustomed to fashionable life". Nash gave it a grand stone staircase and other splendid features but it passed through a succession of owners before being partially dismantled in 1824 and rebuilt. During WW2 it was taken over by the writer Leo Walmsley who took in evacuees and others in need of refuge (including the novelist Nevil Shute), and wrote about the place, as Druid's Castle, in his book 'Happy Ending'. In the same spirit, the mansion's latest function is as a therapeutic retreat for those who have suffered trauma.
Images are licensed for reuse under creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0
Image Location
Latitude
51.910527
Longitude
-4.769389