Context:
Portmeirion is an Italianate Village that lies at the estuary of the River Dywryd in Gwynedd, North Wales, designed and built between 1925 and 1975 by Sir Clough Williams-Ellis. Nowadays the village is a tourist attraction owned by a charitable trust but there are still permanent residents. Although Portmeirion’s style would appear out of place amongst the Welsh Mountains it seems to work very well for the many visitors.
In the 1960s Portmeirion was used as the location for “The Prisoner” a bizarre British TV series that went on to achieve cult status; watch out for number 6 in the white-braided black blazer!
Portmeirion (Blog)
In this entry I have put together an account of my photoshoot at Portmeirion and some additional information about this unique location, which I hope you will find interesting. I was lucky with the weather when I visited Portmeirion in March 2017 and shot a series of photos in and around the village
I was lucky with the weather when I visited Portmeirion in March 2017 and shot a series of photos in and around the village. It had been a few years since my last visit and it is always good to occasionally return. I visited in the afternoon and many shots downriver were difficult due to the bright sunshine coming from this direction. However, I shot a representative set of images of many key locations which I trust are entertaining and informative.
The set of images that I have added into the Gallery are shown in the order of a typical visit to Portmeirion, if you visit the chances are that you will walk one of either of two routes through the village. After passing through the archway under Cliff House everyone enters Battery Square where the route splits in two; the choice is to follow a direct line to descend to Salutation Square or loop right and pass through the Central Piazza before arriving at the same place. From Salutation Square you can easily walk down to the waterside and Portmeirion’s Hotel which is at the bottom of the hill. If you’re energetic you can climb from the Hotel through the woods to the top of the hill, which overlooks the whole site, or return by one of the (less strenuous) routes already described.
Many films and TV programs have been made at Portmeirion and the best known is “The Prisoner”, a television series that was shot in the 1960s at Portmeirion by ITC, which nowadays enjoys a cult following. The series featured Patrick Mc Goohan as No.6 and The Prisoner Shop (in Battery Square) was used in the TV Series as No.6’s cottage. In the series No.6 is a former government agent who abruptly resigns his job only to be imprisoned in a beautiful location with a bizarre community of eccentric residents. The series (17 episodes) was first broadcast in Canada before airing in the UK from September 1967 and in the USA in 1968.
Rick Spurgeon, 10-Jan-2021
Portmeirion Contact Sheet for Reference:
