Portmeirion—A Hidden Tourist Treasure

Hidden treasure

When you take a trip to Britain， what do you visit？ You probably start in London and then go on a day trip to Oxford or Stratford-upon-Avon. If you’ve got time， you might go up to Scotland， but not many foreign tourists have been to the little village of Portmeirion in north-west Wales.

Portmeirion

Portmeirion was built in the style of an Italian village by the eccentric architect Clough Williams-Ellis. It has a beautiful position on a hill overlooking the coast. Visitors can stay in one of the apartments in the village or just visit for the day to see the wonderful architecture， have a snack or a meal， visit the shops and walk around the beautiful gardens.

The architect

Clough Williams-Ellis was born in England in 1883. He studied natural sciences at Cambridge University but gave up and went to work for an architect instead. He worked as an architect for most of his life， but he also campaigned hard to protect the environment， particularly in North Wales. He died in April 1978 at the age of 94.

A brief history

Clough bought the site for the village in 1925. It was relatively cheap because the buildings which were there at the time were in ruins. His goal was to show that you could develop a site without losing its natural beauty. Many old statues and buildings were rescued and brought to North Wales， so Clough described Portmeirion as ‘a home for fallen buildings’. He worked on and off on the project until 1975.

The gardens

The village is surrounded by woodlands. Because of its protected position between two rivers， the climate of Portmeirion is very mild and subtropical plants can grow there. As well as the exotic plants， a walk through the gardens takes you past lakes， pagodas， statues and even a dogs’ cemetery.

Famous visitors

Although not well known outside Wales， Portmeirion has had a series of famous visitors， including the American actor Gregory Peck and Paul McCartney of the Beatles. But Portmeirion is perhaps best known as being the setting for a 1960s spy drama called ‘The Prisoner’. Fans of the show still visit the village， which holds annual ‘Prisoner’ events and even has a ‘Prisoner’ souvenir shop.

With so many attractions， how long will this little treasure continue to be ‘hidden’？

Activity 1

Before you read， match the word or phrase to a definition.

1. eccentric 2. campaigned 3. in ruins

4. rescued 5. mild 6. setting

a. destroyed; badly damaged

b. fought; worked for a political goal

c. gentle; moderate

d. location; site

e. saved; moved out of danger

f. slightly strange; different

Activity 2

Now complete the sentences using words and phrases from the text.

1. I thought the weather would be really cold in London at Christmas， but in fact it was very （____）.

2. The firemen （____） ten people from the burning building.

3. The （____） for the Shakespeare play ’Romeo and Juliet’ is in northern Italy.

4. My friend likes to eat chips with honey， but I think that’s a bit （____）.

5. Barack Obama （____） hard to win the American elections.

6. After the terrible storm， the little village was left （____）.

Activity 3

Read the text and decide if the following sentences are true or 1. Can you correct the 1 ones？

1. Portmeirion is a popular tourist destination with foreign visitors.

2. It is in north-west England.

3. There are cafés and restaurants in the village.

4. Clough Williams-Ellis studied architecture at Cambridge.

5. He also worked to protect the countryside of North Wales.

6. In 1925， Portmeirion was in perfect condition.

7. Williams-Ellis saved old buildings and rebuilt them in Portmeirion.

8. The weather in Portmeirion is very cold in winter.

9. There are dogs buried in the gardens.

10. One of the Beatles visited Portmeirion.

Activity 4

In the text we are told that Portmeirion has a dogs’ cemetery. Do you remember when we use an apostrophe in English？ Do this exercise to see if you can put one apostrophe in the correct place in each sentence：

1. Cloughs goal was to build a village without damaging the environment.

2. Before becoming an architect， hed studied at Cambridge University.

3. Visitors apartments can be rented in the village.

4. Not many tourists have heard of Portmeirion， but its a great place to visit.

5. Stratford-upon-Avon is famous as Shakespeares birthplace.

6. If you visit Portmeirion， you mustnt miss the beautiful gardens.

7. Most tourists plans include a visit to London， Oxford and Stratford.

8. After reading this text， Id like to visit Portmeirion.

Activity 5

Would you like to visit Portmeirion？

Do you have any ‘hidden’ treasures in your home country – tourist sites that are not very well known？ What is special about them？ Can you explain why they are not more famous？

If you worked for a tourist organisation， how would you advertise your hidden treasure？

Answers

Activity 1

1. f; 2. b; 3. a; 4. e; 5. c; 6. d

Activity 2

1. mild; 2. rescued; 3. setting; 4. eccentric; 5. campaigned; 6. in ruins

Activity 3

1. False （F） - Not many people have heard of Portmeirion;

2. F - It’s in north-west Wales;

3. True （T） - You can have a snack or a meal;

4. F - He studied natural sciences;

5. T - He campaigned to protect the environment;

6. F - Portmeirion was in ruins;

7. T - They were rescued and brought to North Wales;

8. F - It’s mild;

9. T - There’s a dogs’ cemetery;

10. T - Paul McCartney visited Portmeirion

Activity 4

1. Clough’s goal was to build a village without damaging the environment.

2. Before becoming an architect， he’d studied at Cambridge University.

3. Visitors’ apartments can be rented in the village.

4. Not many tourists have heard of Portmeirion， but it’s a great place to visit.

5. Stratford-upon-Avon is famous as Shakespeare’s birthplace.

6. If you visit Portmeirion， you mustn’t miss the beautiful gardens.

7. Most tourists’ plans include a visit to London， Oxford and Stratford.

8. After reading this text， I’d like to visit Portmeirion.