Former HF Houses - Conwy.
I think it was a sad day when HF chose to close the house at Conway (now Conwy). I was disappointed about all the houses that closed but, if I could magically only bring back one into HF ownership it would be Conway (even with Dolgellau back nearby). The wing HF built in the 1960s was a bit cold and the refurbishment HF did just before the house closed didn't seem to improve it much. it did include a proper history archive though, now it has moved to Malhamdale the archive seems to get smaller every time I see it. HF also built a conservatory, complete with 3 buckets, just before the house closed.
There were lots of stone structures in the grounds. On one holiday my room was in an out-building which was originally the toilet block for one of the dormitories and was converted into accommodation.
This was the view from my room in the house. Can't remember what the white building is, I would guess it might be the managers house? I remember she had horses, when we were gathering for the led walks we often saw her starting off on her horse ride. She was very proud of the layout of the tables and chairs in the lounge, she had evolved the layout over many years until it reached perfection. If any guest moved a chair, even by a small amount they were in serious trouble. I wish I had taken a picture of the configuration of the tables and chairs so that other HF house managers could learn from it.
I liked the view down to the town at dinner time when the town was all lit up.
One thing that is important for me is that its possible to walk from the train station. They knew how to build railways in those days, just go through the town walls.
We always had the introductory walk round the top of the town wall on the first evening.
People said that the house closed because of the long coach ride to the main peaks of Snowdonia but it didn't seem to long to me. Judging by this picture I took I would avoid Snowdon anyway. Also there were good walks from the house, I liked getting the train to Llanfairfechan then walking back to the house over various peaks then Sychnant pass. Or could go to Llandudno and the Great Orme. I think they closed the house as they were so embarrassed because they bodged the conservatory.
I tended to go outside of the main season so that I could get an en-suite room and avoid queueing for the bathroom.
HF had the house on the market for a long time and they had to reduce the asking price a lot. In the end they sold it to a local builder who built some houses on the land behind it, demolished the various HF extensions and restored it to a private house.
Further discussion about this house on forum here.
Other Documents on this site
Click on the following for more information
| Former HF Houses | |
|---|---|
| Conwy (1914- 2011) | |
| Newlands (1914- 1987) |  |
| Swanage (1947- 1995) |  |
| Isle of Arran (1925- ) |  |
| Scarborough (1954- 1998) |  |
| Lulworth |  |
| Beddgelert |  |
| New Inns |  |
| Penrith |  |
| Milford-on-Sea |  |
| Web page design and content © 2025 M J Baker.. |
About This SiteHere is some history of former HF houses I have visited (there are also some pages about getting to, and walking from, HF houses without using a car). Over the years I have had holidays in houses that HF have closed. I think it would be good if there were somewhere on the HF website where peoples memories could be stored and made available online. I know that HF have a paper history archive at Newfield Hall and there is an online book by Harry Wroe but I would see this as something HF could do which is more of a online community thing. If you find any errors why not let others know by putting a post on the HF Holiday Fans ( unofficial) Facebook forum. I will try to quote such posts here so they don't get lost. |