Have any of you been watching the TV drama Cold Feet? If you have you will remember that the first episode of this series started with a wedding reception in a beautiful hotel. What you may not realise is that the venue for the reception was Chateau Rhianfa, which is a two minute walk from where I live on Anglesey and that my house was in the establishing shots! The TV crew were stationed at Chateau Rhianfa for about 2 weeks last summer. Curious to know what was happening, my husband walked down to see what was going on and whilst the answer was that he didn’t get to see anyone famous, he did get wind that it was the new Cold Feet which was being shot there. As ardent fans, we have waited with baited breath to see if what had been shot on Anglesey actually made it into the series and were therefore delighted to see Church Island, the Menai Bridge and Chateau Rhianfa in all their glory.
Château Rhianfa was built in 1849 by Sir John Hay Williams, Baronet of Bodelwyddan as a gift for his wife Lady Sarah. The Château was originally built as a dower house, beautifully positioned on the water. However, inspiration and artistic imagination influenced the design from the couple’s travels in the Loire region of France, where they were particularly enamoured with the architectural style favoured in the region during the reign of Francois I (1515 – 1547). The Château tells an exciting history both inside and out, following Lady Sarah’s dream that everything would be perfect and no detail overlooked. The magnificent interiors were chosen by her own hand, and to honour her exquisite taste and connect the French style Château to its newly formed Welsh roots, the house was christened “Rhianfa” (put forward by the local vicar), which means ladies abode. When I moved to Anglesey the Chateau was for sale having been used for many years as apartments. It was not in the best repair and was eventually sold and after a multimillion pound refurbishment, turned into an award winning 16 bedroom hotel. I have been lucky enough to dine there a couple of times, the building is truly beautiful and the food was excellent. The Chateau also hosts weddings and parties and often have magnificent fireworks displays of which we get a grandstand view. The New Year’s Eve display was particularly good this year – maybe not at long as the display over the Thames but certainly as colourful!