Llangollen: The Two Ladies

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We had read about the "Two Ladies" of Llangollen, and our interest raised. So, today we visited their house in Llangollen. To start with, we believed they were just eccentric ladies, but the story that began to fall into place was far more than that! An abridged version of their life appears HERE and its worth reading before looking at the images. However, below are the first two paragraphs to wet the appetite!

This is the story of two aristocratic ladies who eloped together to Wales in 1778 and lived happily ever after in a cottage ornée,(decorated cottage) surrounded by gardens full of Gothic follies. Their names were Lady Eleanor Butler and Sarah Ponsonby, but they were better known as the Ladies of Llangollen, "the two most celebrated virgins in Europe".Although the Ladies wished to live in "delightful retirement" - reading, writing, drawing and gardening - the fashionable world soon beat a path to their cottage door. Their visitors included the Duke of Wellington, Lady Caroline Lamb, Josiah Wedgwood, William Wordsworth, Thomas de Quincey, Prince Paul Esterhazy and the Duke of Gloucester; their pen-friends included Queen Charlotte, Lord Byron and Louis XVI's aunt. There were many days when the Ladies had up to 20 visitors in relays, entertaining literally morning, noon and night.

Why did two country spinsters become so famous? It is hard to imagine today how sensational it was in the 18th century for unmarried ladies to live independently, whether singly or together. In addition, the circumstances of Eleanor and Sarah's elopement were positively melodramatic.


So, here is my first view of the house. A rather dull, drizzly day, but it shows off the frontage and the formal gardens. These are kept beautifully, even if they are awaiting funds to renovate the rest of the gardens.


The front door - not the usual front door seen today! 


The rear of the property


And one of the ends of the property, but it is the interior which is really magical!. As it is forbidden to take photos inside, I hope these exterior images, plus the text, will give you some idea of amazing interior. 


Unfortunately, the garden has not been fully restored as yet. Awaiting funds I believe. To the left you can see, just inside the grotto they had built, you can see the font from Crucis Abbey. The Summer house is at the top of the picture. On a damp, miserable day like today it rather shows its unkempt nature. No doubt it will be revived to its 1800s splendor sometime. 


The ornate gate on another small summer house? 



An unusual pagoda-like garden tower. A really entertaining morning wandering through this quirky house and listening to the story. Well worth a visit if you are in the area. 
Location: Hill St, Llangollen LL20 8AW

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