'The House Likes To Have People In It

Bringing the crumbling family home and estate back to life took years and has cost millions... but it's also a labour of love that's now seen Lord Harlech's Glyn Cywarch become first-ever Welsh winner of the Historic House Restoration Award. Joanne Ridout and Andrew Forgrave report

- Joanne Ridout and Andrew Forgrave

ON LEARNING of his father's death, Jasset Ormsby-Gore found himself confronted by a life-changing decision. Working in London at the time, he needed to make a choice over the future of the family's 17thcentury manor house in Gwynedd.

Glyn Cywarch is a Grade II*- listed gem between Talsarnau and Harlech which had been owned by the Ormsby-Gores for centuries. But was in a terrible condition, almost at the point of no return.

At the age of 29, the new Lord Harlech was suddenly at a crossroads in his life. Should he leave behind London to take on a restoration project that would eat money and cause years of stress?

Jasset said: "Very sadly the house got into a bad way and various forms of wildlife, both flora and fauna, had moved in - all manner of creatures. Many of the ceilings had fallen down and there was a lot of water ingress in places - not just damp but water pouring in. The house felt very sad."

The property, dating back to 1616 and afectionately abbreviated to "Glyn", was awarded the higher star-level listing by Cadw in 1952. The Welsh heritage body recorded it as a "major early 17th-century gentry house, its architectural ambition and social status marked in a fusion of regional traditions and renaissance ideas, retaining original interior detail of exceptional quality".

Despite its poor condition, the property's historic value and the family's long connection meant Jasset felt dutybound to take on its restoration, reports WalesOnline. It was 2016 and Jasset's life was about to shift to an entirely path.

"I stopped what I was doing, gave notice on my job, and drove up to Glyn," he said. "Obviously I was dealing with my grief but also having to make some big decisions pretty quickly and at 29 it was a lot to get my head around.