Aberglaslyn Hall is an outdoor learning centre near

Beddgelert Beddgelert () is a village and community (Wales), community in the Snowdonia area of Gwynedd, Wales. The population of the community taken at the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 census was 460 (rounded to the nearest 10). This includes Nan ...

North Wales North Wales ( ) is a Regions of Wales, region of Wales, encompassing its northernmost areas. It borders mid Wales to the south, England to the east, and the Irish Sea to the north and west. The area is highly mountainous and rural, with Snowdon ...

on the edge of the

Snowdonia Snowdonia, or Eryri (), is a mountainous region and National parks of the United Kingdom, national park in North Wales. It contains all 15 mountains in Wales Welsh 3000s, over 3000 feet high, including the country's highest, Snowdon (), which i ...

National Park. The hall was purchased by

Leicestershire County Council Leicestershire County Council is the upper-tier local authority for the non-metropolitan county of Leicestershire, England. The non-metropolitan county is smaller than the ceremonial county, which additionally includes Leicester. The county coun ...

in 1962. It offers dormitory style accommodation for up to 48 people and serves as a residential centre for groups wishing to participate in

outdoor activities Outdoor recreation or outdoor activity refers to recreation done outside, most commonly in natural settings. The activities that encompass outdoor recreation vary depending on the physical environment they are being carried out in. These activitie ...

and

environmental education Environmental education (EE) refers to organized efforts to teach how natural environments function, and particularly, how human beings can manage behavior and ecosystems to live sustainably. It is a multi-disciplinary field integrating discipli ...

Early history

In 1873 the land was used as a copper mine run by John Greaves. Aberglaslyn Hall was originally built in 1880 as a private dwelling by John Ernest Greaves. In 1891 Aberglaslyn was sold to John Albert Alexander Williams (born 1863) of Glangwna; he enlarged and improved the property, including installing an organ in the current dining room which was powered by a generator from the stream. Williams resided at Aberglaslyn Hall and was Sheriff of Carnarvonshire in 1895. His musical compositions included the march "Cambria" which was played at the investiture of the Prince of Wales at Carnarvon in 1911. In 1914 Aberglaslyn was sold to Horace Raven from Leicestershire; he supplied London Zoo with bamboo during World War I. During the 1920s Aberglaslyn was sold to Gordon Hayward from Derby. He was a timber merchant and intended to use the woodland for his business, however within two years a preservation order was placed on the woods preventing him from using the timber. The house has a lodge, Bridge House or Ty Bont, at Pont Aberglaslyn. It is listed at Grade II.

Purchase by Leicestershire County Council

In 1962, Ron Swann, deputy Director of Education under Stewart Mason, was asked by Mason to go to Wales and find a suitable building for an outdoor education centre. In Donald K. Jones’s biography of Mason the author writes: "The acquisition of the Aberglaslyn Centre is one of the 'epics' of the Mason era. One day in 1962 he sent Ron Swann off 'with orders not to come back from Wales until he had found something'. Never one to fail on a mission like this, Swann found three possible houses, one of which was in an extremely dilapidated condition, nearly a 'romantic ruin', in fact, and this was the one Mason chose." When the former country house was bought by the council in 1962, it cost just £7,000. It was converted by the council to a residential outdoor education centre opening in 1965. The Hall provided a high-quality outdoor education experience for thousands of

Leicestershire Leicestershire ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It is bordered by Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire to the north, Rutland to the east, Northamptonshire to the south-east, Warw ...

students, youth groups and adults.

Current use

Since 1962 the hall has continued to be an

outdoor education Outdoor education is organized learning that takes place in the outdoors, such as during school camping trips. Outdoor education programs sometimes involve residential or quest, journey wilderness-based experiences which engage participants in a v ...

centre, visited by schools in Leicestershire and from further afield. Aberglaslyn Hall offers

canoeing Canoeing is an activity which involves paddling a canoe with a single-bladed paddle. In some parts of Europe, canoeing refers to both canoeing and kayaking, with a canoe being called an 'open canoe' or Canadian. A few of the recreational ...

, coastal activities, coastal studies, gorge walking, mountain activities,

mountain biking Mountain biking (MTB) is a sport of riding bicycles off-road, often over rough terrain, usually using specially designed mountain bikes. Mountain bikes share similarities with other bikes but incorporate features designed to enhance durability ...

, outdoor and adventurous activities and

rock climbing Rock climbing is a climbing sports discipline that involves ascending climbing routes, routes consisting of natural rock in an outdoor environment, or on artificial resin climbing walls in a mostly indoor environment. Routes are documented in c ...

and

abseiling Abseiling ( ; ), also known as rappelling ( ; ), is the controlled descent of a steep slope, such as a rock face, by moving down a rope. When abseiling, the person descending controls their own movement down a static or fixed rope, in cont ...

Team building Team building is a collective term for various types of activities used to enhance social relations and define roles within teams, often involving collaborative tasks. It is distinct from team training, which is designed by a combination of busin ...

courses are also offered by the staff at Aberglaslyn Hall for both student and adult groups.

Current situation

In 2011 Leicestershire County Council signalled its intention to close Aberglaslyn as it was making a loss of around £56,000 per year. A community group is currently working with the council to form a trust or charitable organisation which will continue to run the hall as a not-for-profit enterprise.

Friends of Aberglaslyn

The Friends of Aberglaslyn formed in 2004 to work for the future of Aberglaslyn Hall. In 2012, with Leicestershire County Council planning to close and sell the Hall, the group are looking to work to ensure that this facility remains available for the people of Leicestershire. To this end the group has proposed setting up the 'Aberglaslyn Hall Trust', a Charity dedicated to managing the Hall on a commercial basis but for an educational and social purpose. The group has assembled a strong professional shadow board of Trustees ready to take over management of the Hall in 2013. The Friends group developed a business plan to lease the Hall from the County Council. This bid was rejected and the Friends group are now taking advice on the possibility of raising funds to purchase the Hall. If successful, the work of the Hall would continue much as present but it would be run through a Charitable Trust on a not-for-profit basis.

References

External links

Friends of AberglaslynLeicestershire County Council
{{Authority control Outdoor education organizations Environmental education in Wales Education in Leicestershire