Hidden within the northern Welsh countryside is a manor unbeknown by most people having faded from memory given its unfortunate circumstances. The estate has been used as far back as four centuries ago and a number of country manors have existed here, the most recent being one of the proudest remaining examples of a bygone Victorian era. It’s easy to see why it has earned the nickname ‘The Welsh Versailles’, having been one of many stately homes to have existed in Abergele at the time, Kinmell was built and designed as a unique neo-palladian style chateau by the Nesfield family in 1870 drawing heavy influence from the architectural prevalence of central Europe. This calendar house (a title fittingly given to mansions with exactly 365 rooms) was built on the riches of a flourishing copper mining industry in North Wales during the 19th century. It was the next inevitable step in a long tradition of extravagance to come from the upper class in Britain, as for centuries these stately homes were gradually getting bigger and bigger, in many cases rebuilt half a dozen times by their competitive owners. Surrounding the manor are the original venetian walled gardens that cover 18 acres of secluded land, stretching to what was once 5000 acres of encompassing open fields, parkland and forests. Ownership of the house was dominated by the Hughes, Lewis and Fetherstonhaugh and Gill families. These families lived in absolute luxury, with rooms dedicated to even the smallest of tasks such as ironing newspapers. There are many heraldic shields displayed throughout the house which show evidence of the unions between these families.
What nobody could predict, however was that merely decades after this building was complete, a so-called ‘cultural tragedy’ would hit Britain in the form of social revolution, and these beautiful yet inessential buildings became collectively known as ‘the lost houses’. The property was last used as a private home in 1929, and the surrounding land was eventually reclaimed by Denbighshire county council, after which the hall itself was converted to a 'rheuma spa', a health centre for the treatment of people with rheumatism. The spa remained until the outbreak of World War II, when the hall was taken over as a hospital. Post-war the hall became Clarendon Girls' School, but after extensive fire damage in 1975, the school was forced to close. It was then restored in certain sections by businessman Eddie Vince and used as a christian conference centre before being sold at auction in 2001. A proposed redevelopment by Derbyshire Investments failed to materialise, and from then onwards Kinmell became a victim of its own extravagance. The hall has been locked up and stripped of all furniture leaving only an empty shell. The sad reality is that such a luxurious home is no longer suited to an area that once thrived with upper class culture, Now sitting dormant in the middle of the Welsh countryside, it’s a travesty to think that it only existed as a private dwelling for seven decades. Anonymous millionaire bidders remain ambitious in theory rather than practise, leaving this beautiful building to head further into decay, with the number of owners to change hands since its closure now reaching double figures, but despite their wealth, none have had the ambition to do anything beyond board up the windows and absolutely smother it in security traps. The story of Kinmell is truly one of death by riches.
Our first visit to Kinmell hall was in autumn 2015 at a time when security was at its highest. There was a gentleman living on the estate whose primary role was to inform the police of any trespassers, and the buildings were plastered with cameras and PIR sensors. We were also greeted by the famous ‘fake music’ playing in the foyer blasting out to give people the impression the building was in use. After a brief run-in with the police, we decided to keep our external shots and leave the site for another day, or as it turned out, another year. Three years later and in early 2018 that day arrived, as word had spread that the sites security had all of a sudden gone flat. Trees had become overgrown, security switched off and the site fallen silent. We were able to wander the corridors without interruption, and on our way out ran into an Eastern European chap in a white van who told us that he was looking after the site on behalf of the ‘new’ owner, and he was making preparations for work to begin and Kinmell was soon to be converted into a hotel. “Finally!” we thought, a future in sight for this wonderful place – but our joy was short-lived. Some weeks later whilst photographing a restoration project elsewhere in Wales we spoke to a property developer who had attempted to purchase the hall himself. He informed us that the lady who owns Kinmell was infact the same owner as before, but had apparently fallen out of sorts with the law over in Turkey and was serving time behind bars and a formal sale was no longer possible. So this posed the question, who was the gent we met on site during our visit? The lack of security on site and sudden lack of maintenance and attention surrounding the manor now clearly a result of payroll having been cut due to an otherwise absent owner. Our suspicions now lie with the fact that there are now unauthorised persons taking liberties at Kinmell Hall – one source of ours even told us that the keys to the hall were stolen from the previous groundskeeper. The likelihood is that the site will now be used for illegal tenancy away from the prying eyes of the law, and a place this big could host an absolutely ginormous drug farm if it fell into the wrong hands. One thing is for certain, the future of this beautiful building is now at even more risk than when we visited for the first time, and despite our frustrations at not gaining access we were at least confident that someone was protecting its future back in 2015. With an owner who clearly earned their fortune unlawfully and inhabitants with equally unsavoury intentions, this could well be the most at-risk listed building in the country that still holds potential of a full restoration. I hope that my article will somehow achieve more awareness about the delicacy of this building, and for now the pictures remind people of what is at risk of being lost forever.
