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Broneirion is a
Victorian house In Great Britain and former British colonies, a Victorian house generally means any house built during the reign of Queen Victoria. During the Industrial Revolution, successive housing booms resulted in the building of many millions of Victori ...
and grounds on the hillside across the River
Severn The River Severn (, ), at long, is the longest river in Great Britain. It is also the river with the most voluminous flow of water by far in all of England and Wales, with an average flow rate of at Apperley, Gloucestershire. It rises in t ...
from the village of Llandinam. It was built by Welsh industrialist David Davies. It has been used as a training centre for
Girl Guides Girl Guides (or Girl Scouts in the United States and some other countries) are organisations within the Scout Movement originally and largely still for girls and women only. The Girl Guides began in 1910 with the formation of Girlguiding, The ...
since 1946 and has been owned since 1992 by Girlguiding Cymru. In 2022, they announced the mansion had been put on sale and the centre would be closed.


History

The house was built in the
italianate The Italianate style was a distinct 19th-century phase in the history of Classical architecture. Like Palladianism and Neoclassicism, the Italianate style combined its inspiration from the models and architectural vocabulary of 16th-century It ...
/ Romanesque revival style in 1864-5 by the architect David Walker It is set on four and a half acres. The roof is Welsh slate. In November 1996, Broneirion House, Coach House, and the Lodge all became
Grade II listed buildings In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...
. The bridge from the main road towards Broneirion was the first iron bridge constructed in
Montgomeryshire Montgomeryshire ( ) was Historic counties of Wales, one of the thirteen counties of Wales that existed from 1536 until their abolishment in 1974. It was named after its county town, Montgomery, Powys, Montgomery, which in turn was named after ...
, designed by
Thomas Penson Thomas Penson, or Thomas Penson the younger, (c. 1790 – 1859) was the county surveyor of Denbighshire and Montgomeryshire, and an innovative architect and designer of a number of masonry arch bridges over the River Severn and elsewhere. Fa ...
and built by Davies. It spans 90 feet (27.5 m). The Davies family moved into the house in 1864. In 1940, Davies' grandson, David Davies, 1st Baron Davies, offered the use of the house to
Gordonstoun Gordonstoun School ( ) is an elite co-educational Private school (United Kingdom), private school for boarding and day pupils in Moray, Scotland. Two generations of British royalty were educated at Gordonstoun, including Prince Philip, Duke of Ed ...
school, which needed a new home due to
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
.


Guiding Centre

Lord Davies and his son, David Michael, the succeeding 3rd Baron Davies, both died in 1944. The latter's widow, Lady Eldrydd Davies, was a supporter of Guiding. Her friend, Heather Kay was enthusiastic about a training centre for Welsh Guides, so Lady Davies offered Broneirion for this purpose. Broneirion became the Welsh Training Centre for the Girl Guide Association in 1946 and was opened by the World Chief Guide,
Olave Baden-Powell Olave St Clair Baden-Powell, Baroness Baden-Powell (; 22 February 1889 – 25 June 1977) was the first Chief Guide for Britain and the wife of Robert Baden-Powell, 1st Baron Baden-Powell (the founder of Scouting and co-founder of Girl Guides). ...
, in 1947. In 1992 it became the property of Girlguiding Cymru after a campaign that raised £510,000 for the purchase and an endowment fund. At the same time, a much-needed campsite was purchased close to the house and named Cae Gwenllian. In 1995, the opportunity unexpectedly arose to buy Broneirion Lodge, on the property boundary. Both the house and grounds are used for training and camping activities, and the site is used by Guides, other organisations and private groups. The Brownie house, originally the Davies children's
summer house A summer house or summerhouse is a building or shelter used for relaxation in warm weather. This would often take the form of a small, roofed building on the grounds of a larger one, but could also be built in a garden or park, often designed t ...
is now a Pack Holiday facility.


Cae Gwenllian

Broneirion's campsite, Cae Gwenllian, was purchased in 1994. It is named after Girlguiding Cymru's Treasurer and former Chief Commissioner, Gwenllian Philipps. It has a toilet block and an equipment store.


Future of Guiding Centre

In October 2022, Girlguiding Cymru offered the 30-room Broneirion mansion up for sale for £3 million, in addition to its Lodge House, Coach House, Summer House and approximately 10 acres of grounds, and announced they would close the Centre. The Chief Commissioner of Girlguiding Cymru gave as their reasons for sale the decline of Girlguiding membership and use of the centre, increased running costs and the effects of the recent
Covid pandemic Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fev ...
on business. It was hoped to invest the proceeds into improving Girlguiding facilities elsewhere in Wales.Report by Sue Austin.


Broneirion Gallery


See also

*
Foxlease Foxlease Park is an outdoor training and activity centre near Lyndhurst, Hampshire, UK. The site is now owned by Foxie's Future CIO, a charity set up to save Foxlease for future generations following Girlguiding's decision to sell it in May 202 ...


References


External links


Broneirion home pagePhotograph of Broneirion Lodge
{{Authority control Grade II listed buildings in Powys Grade II listed houses in Wales Girlguiding Montgomeryshire