Llangollen and the Ladies

I had heard of the Ladies of Llangollen but knew nothing more.  We headed west into Wales to this pretty town, which I was surprised to find was heaving with tourists.  Shows I know nothing! As it was so busy we headed up a hill, out of town, a short walk to Llangollen House, or Plas Newydd.  The two women, Eleanor Butler and Sarah Ponsonby escaped repressive families in Ireland and arrived here in 1780, where they lived as partners for 50 years.  They were very much part of society, and visited by notable people like Wordsworth and the Duke of Wellington.  But also integrated into the life of the town where they were considered to be kind and supportive of people in difficulty. They did extraordinary things to an ordinary sandstone house, filling the inside and outside with a kind of patchwork of wooden carvings collected from old houses and churches, a kind of repurposing I guess.  They also made patchworks of old bits of stained glass. A really great place to visit - also a beautiful garden. And a nice history of women who lived as themselves over 200 years ago.