Why Portmeirion can still turn heads ... and a profit
THE Welsh village of Portmeirion – one of the strangest and most beautiful places in Britain – is still attracting hordes of visitors 90 years after its creation. The latest accounts show turnover up 8 per cent to £7.5 million.
Designed by architect Bertram Clough WilliamsEllis, Portmeirion resembles a quaint Italianate resort – despite being on the North Wales coast.
The brightly-coloured village, famed for being the location where cult television series The Prisoner was filmed in the 1960s, attracts thousands of tourists every year.
Accounts just filed for Portmeirion Ltd for the year ending January 31, 2016, show pre-tax profits up 35 per cent to £274,200.
Portmeirion is owned by a registered charity called Ymddiriedolaeth Clough Williams-Ellis Foundation and it cannot be bought or sold. All of its buildings have listed status and the grounds are a designated Conservation Area.
The village hosts an annual arts event called Festival No6 named after Patrick McGoohan’s character in the TV show.
Famous visitors over the years include Noel Coward, who wrote Blithe Spirit in one of the houses.