Clough William-Ellis

Born at Gayton in Northamptonshire on 28th May, 1883, Clough Williams-Ellis is often referred to as being a self taught, natural architect and landscape designer, he certainly had an amazing gift and affinity to his work.

After attending Trinity College, Cambridge he undertook only a few months in formal architectural training before opening his own architectural practice in London when he was 22 years old. He was a life long advocator and protector for the environment which led to a knighthood in 1971 for his services ‘to architecture and the environment’.

Perhaps many when they hear the name of Clough Williams-Ellis will immediately think of Portmeirion, the village he built between 1925-1975 on his own private land in Snowdonia, Wales. Portmeirion rose into the spotlight of the world when the filming of the ‘cult’ drama series ‘The Prisoner’ starring Patrick MaGoohan was filmed there in 1967.

Today it is a site for tourism and a lasting tribute to his vision and work.

Clough Williams-Ellis left his distinctive designs throughout the United Kingdom and further afield. We are fortunate enough to have several of his designs here in North Antrim and close to the Giants Causeway.

The Memorial School in Bushmills (The Old Grammar School, now the Residential Centre) and the Giants Causeway School. The Giants Causeway School was designed before the First War and the Memorial School in Bushmills was designed after the War. Clough Williams-Ellis served from 1915-18 in France and Flanders in the Welsh Guards and Royal Tank Corp and was awarded the Military Cross.On his return, along with other works, he produced designs for war memorials and at the same time the Bushmills Memorial School.

Further round the coast in Cushendun we can find several more of his designs in the centre of the village (1923), he was also commissioned to undertake designs for Glenmona House in Cushendun. For more detailed 'in depth' reading on Clough Williams-Ellis and Portmeirion please follow this link - Clough Williams-Ellis

Photograph is published by kind permission of Robin Llywelyn, Portmeirion Ltd, it shows Clough Williams-Ellis, front lawn at Portmeirion in 1961.

After his father's death Shane crowned himself King of Ulster and demanded his father's title, Earl of Tyrone from the English, they refused and mounted a campaign to unseat him which failed. Shane was already recognised in Ireland as the Gaelic Lord in Ulster and was almost untouchable in his power base - the English needed his powerful allegiance as he was perceived as the main threat to their power in Ireland. The crown and Shane finally agreed to meet and bury their differences after the death of Brian. Shane went to the English court on January 5th 1562 and left in April, he was reputed to have got on well with the Queen and gained some favours and guarantees which would eventually led to the English crown officially, if reluctantly recognising him as the Chieftain of Tyrone. The two powers embarked on an uneasy and doomed alliance - meanwhile and behind the scenes, the Earl of Sussex who detested Shane, having been defeated twice in battle by him, had been stirring discontent and re-arranging clan allegiances against him back in Ireland. On his return Ulster was back into factional fighting and Shane forced into another campaign to re-assert his authority, during this period the English under Sussex seized their chance to once again try and unseat him. The challenge resulted in a third defeat for the Earl of Sussex at the hands of Shane and subsequently led to his resignation.

Elizabeth was becoming more pre-occupied with France than Ireland and entered into an agreement with Shane which resulted in a year or so of peaceful allegiance between the two. During this time Shane turned his sights on the MacDonnell's whom he seen as the only real threat to his power base, this campaign went on for nearly three years and saw many battles and massacres - it also led to the breakdown of any agreements between Shane and the crown. The English played the two cards, one with Sorley Boy MacDonnell and the other with Shane - it is fair to say that that the English had over many years tried everything to get rid of Shane O'Neill including attempts to poison him with gifts of wine - to which he was extremely partial, he had even been lured by the promise of a safe passage to Dublin and marriage to the sister of the Earl of Sussex whom he had met at court and was attracted too - this had been another ploy by the then Lord Deputy to capture him.

Shane sealed his own fate in turning against the English, although he had some spectacular victories such as the 'Battle of the Redcoats' his allies where declining and enemies who were once against each other where to allying against him, eventually after his defeat at the hands of the O'Donnell's in Donegal, was left very weaken and forced to make a stark decision for his own survival - to either submit to English demands or make his peace and allegiances with the Scottish McDonnell and negotiate with them for rule in Ireland. He chose the latter and returned to Ulster and the north Antrim Glens - here a banquet and meeting had been arranged by the McDonnell's to discuss and seal a new era for the two clans. He was subsequently murdered and his head sent to Dublin, there are two accounts of how this came about - one refers to his body being exhumed by English soldiers a few days after its burial and the head cut off and taken to Dublin. The other, to an agent who was under the pay of the Lord Deputy and attending the same banquet - while enjoying the drinking and merriment, he was murdered and his head taken to Dublin and displayed on a pike outside Dublin Castle, the agent is reputed to have received one thousand marks from the crown treasury for the act - given by Sir Henry Sidney.

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