| Ddisgrifiad / Description | four different aspects of the exterior and two of the interior. [6 images]
Bodysgallen is situated on the west of Pydew mountain, almost invisible except for its chimneys which overtop the trees. In 1810, the historian Fenton noted that it is 'embosomed in woods of noble growth, which suffered to luxuriate their own way without any fear of the axe'.
Despite the gradual addition of one wing, then another, during a building history of 600 years, the whole house is built in the same sturdy and conservative style. The name may mean either 'house among thistles' or 'the abode of Cadwallon', a 6th century chieftain. The oldest part of the house is a five storey tower, probably dating from the late 13th century, and possibly built as a watch tower for Conwy Castle.
The long connection between the house and the Mostyn family started in the 16th century. In the early 17th century Margaret Mostyn married Hugh Wynn; and it is their son, Robert Wynn whose initials, with those of his wife Katherine, appear on the datestone with the year 1620 on the south gable.
The two main storeys of this early 17th century building comprise a large entrance hall, and an equally large room above, now the Drawing Room. Both rooms have two fireplaces, one in a bay in the corner. In the Drawing Room on the first floor, there are 17th century coats of arms of the Mostyns, Wynns and Vaughans. The kitchen wing was added in 1730. During this period the gardens were being established, with the gradual development of the pattern of walled gardens, which are to be seen today. In 1832, the Mostyns pioneered the installation of a water closet from one John W. Williams of St. Asaph.
By the end of the 19th century, Bodysgallen had become something of an architectural jumble, with brick chimneys and Georgian sliding sash windows. It was rescued from this state by the formidable Lady Augusta Mostyn, who restored and enlarged it around the turn of the century for her second son, Colonel Henry. The sensitivity of her work is remarkable in restoring the vernacular architecture of the house, which plays such an important role in creating its atmosphere today.
During the First World War, Colonel Henry Mostyn raised the 17th Battalion of the Royal Welsh Fusiliers, whom he paraded in the park to the north of the house. The oak tree in the centre of the field commemorates this.
Following the death of Colonel Henry in 1938, and his widow in 1949, their eccentric son, Iven Mostyn, succeeded and the house entered a long period of gradual decline. His niece sold the property in 1969 when it became a private guest house. After purchase, Historic House Hotels commenced their restoration in 1980, and the house opened as a hotel, in its present form, between 1981 and 1983.
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