Brynbella is a neoclassical

villa A villa is a type of house that was originally an ancient Roman upper class country house. Since its origins in the Roman villa, the idea and function of a villa have evolved considerably. After the fall of the Roman Republic, villas became s ...

built near the village of

Tremeirchion Tremeirchion (previously known as ''Lleweni'') is a small residential community in Denbighshire, Wales. It lies on the B5429 road, to the north east of Denbigh and to the east of St Asaph. The community includes the village of Rhuallt. The tow ...

Denbighshire Denbighshire ( ; cy, Sir Ddinbych; ) is a county in the north-east of Wales. Its borders differ from the historic county of the same name. This part of Wales contains the country's oldest known evidence of habitation – Pontnewydd (Bontnewy ...

, northeast

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

, by

Hester Piozzi Hester Lynch Thrale Piozzi (née Salusbury; later Piozzi; 27 January 1741 or 16 January 1740 – 2 May 1821),Contemporary records, which used the Julian calendar and the Annunciation Style of enumerating years, recorded her birth as 16 January ...

and her husband, Gabriel Piozzi. It was the seat of the Salusbury family from 1794 until 1920. The name is part

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...

and part

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

, meaning "Beautiful Hill" (''bryn'' + ''bella'').

Early history

In 1794, Hester Piozzi began the construction of Brynbella with her husband in order to provide the family with a new seat after the destruction of

Lleweni Hall Lleweni Hall (Welsh: ''Plas Lleweni''; sometimes also referred to as Llewenny Palace) was a stately home in Denbighshire, northeast Wales, around north-east of Denbigh on the banks of the River Clwyd. It was the principal seat of the Salusb ...

, which had reverted to the ownership of

Stapleton Cotton, 1st Viscount Combermere Field Marshal Stapleton Cotton, 1st Viscount Combermere (14 November 1773 – 21 February 1865), was a British Army officer, diplomat and politician. As a junior officer he took part in the Flanders Campaign, in the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War an ...

due to

primogeniture Primogeniture ( ) is the right, by law or custom, of the firstborn legitimate child to inherit the parent's entire or main estate in preference to shared inheritance among all or some children, any illegitimate child or any collateral relativ ...

. It was built out of

Portland limestone Portland stone is a limestone from the Tithonian stage of the Jurassic period quarried on the Isle of Portland, Dorset. The quarries are cut in beds of white-grey limestone separated by chert beds. It has been used extensively as a building sto ...

in the style of the

Palladian Palladian architecture is a European architectural style derived from the work of the Venetian architect Andrea Palladio (1508–1580). What is today recognised as Palladian architecture evolved from his concepts of symmetry, perspective and ...

villas which she had seen during her self-imposed exile in

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

. There, Gabriel Piozzi became accustomed to British society, although his position as a

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

continually undermined his position amongst the local gentry. The building was designed by Clement Mead who exhibited the design at the

Royal Academy The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly in London. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its pur ...

in 1794. Construction took place between 1792 and 1795 at a cost of £20,000. Letters between Clement Mead and the Piozzi family about the construction of the hall can be found in the

University of Manchester Library The University of Manchester Library is the library system and information service of the University of Manchester. The main library is on the Oxford Road campus of the university, with its entrance on Burlington Street. There are also ten other ...

Use by the Salusbury family

After her death in 1821, the house became the possession of her adopted son, Sir John Salusbury Piozzi Salusbury. Like his namesake, John Salusbury, Hester's son had little idea of estate management and continued to dabble in politics and the emerging

banking A bank is a financial institution that accepts deposits from the public and creates a demand deposit while simultaneously making loans. Lending activities can be directly performed by the bank or indirectly through capital markets. Because ...

industry then erupting in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. Piozzi Salusbury spent relatively little time on his estate and as a result, it languished. He later sold off much of the original furniture made by

Ince and Mayhew Ince may refer to: *Ince, Cheshire, a village in Cheshire, UK *Ince-in-Makerfield in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan, UK *Ince (UK Parliament constituency), a former constituency covering Ince-in-Makerfield *Ince (ward), an electoral ward covering ...

and

Thomas Chippendale Thomas Chippendale (1718–1779) was a cabinet-maker in London, designing furniture in the mid-Georgian, English Rococo, and Neoclassical styles. In 1754 he published a book of his designs in a trade catalogue titled ''The Gentleman and Ca ...

in order to modernize the house in accordance with the then-popular Victorian style of furniture. After Piozzi Salusbury's death in 1858, it became the property of Rev. Sir Augustus George Salusbury who was then participating in the settlement of

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

. The decision to rent Brynbella full-time was undertaken by Salusbury's son, who continued to live in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. After his death in 1918, it fell into the hands of Frederic Salusbury who sold the estate two years later due to the extensive repairs that were necessitated after half a century of neglect.

Recent history

After its original sale in 1918, Brynbella was continuously sold to a number of different families. The hall was given Grade II* listed building status in 1951. In 1994, it was purchased as a private residence and remains so today.

References

Citations Sources * Hyde, Mary. The Thrales of Streatham Park. Boston: Harvard UP, 1977.

- A genealogical website which discusses the history of Brynbella in relation to Mrs. Piozzi

External links

National Garden Scheme
{{coord, 53.2410, -3.3771, type:landmark_region:GB, display=title Houses in Denbighshire Country houses in Wales Tremeirchion Salusbury family Grade II* listed buildings in Denbighshire Registered historic parks and gardens in Denbighshire

Early history

Use by the Salusbury family

Recent history

See also

References

External links