“We want people’s reaction to be, ‘This is friendly, this is fun,’” says Charlie, who’s been known to host parties in the main house that rival Beaton’s gatherings of Bright Young Things at Ashcombe. That sense of play extends to the décor in both the family’s quarters and the West End’s rambling guest accommodations: if Knights of the Garter banners and Van Dyck oils remain in situ, the rooms have been brightened with Schiaparelli-pink velvet, technicolour David Shrigley prints and spearmint-green paint (Caroline, a Laura Ashley designer in the ’80s, has an eye for colour).
Now, as part of a joint venture with Welsh designer Sarah Hellen and their six children, Charlie and Caroline are funnelling their taste into Gladstone/Hellen, a clothing and homeware collection that puts “provenance and beauty on equal footing”, Charlie says: think willow baskets handwoven by Scottish makers on the Isle of Eigg, fitted chore jackets stitched from Huddersfield flannel and staghorn-handled penknives crafted by Sheffield artisans. For Hellen, the line is a chance to showcase the diversity of heritage crafts in Wales. “When some people think of North Wales, they just think of Snowdon,” she says, “but there are so many makers here. It’s buzzing with creativity – we just don’t always shout about it.”
The Gladstone guide to North Wales
Visit
Gladstone’s Library is the UK’s only residential library, where guests can sleep among 22,000 volumes read and annotated by the former PM during his lifetime. Meanwhile, the Victorian mansion of Oriel Plas Glyn-y-Weddw boasts an extensive collection of Swansea and Nantgarw porcelain.
Explore
On Anglesey’s Llanddwyn Beach, cross the dunes to Twr Mawr, a lighthouse that gives out onto Snowdonia’s peaks. Inland, Llyn Tegid in Gwynedd is home to a vast glacial lake fed by the River Dee.
Dine
Reserve a table at Ynyshir, nestled beside a nature reserve, where Gareth Ward’s multi-course tasting menu has won him two Michelin stars. For something more rustic, stop into Pen-y-Gwryd, the 19th-century mountain inn where Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay stayed while prepping for their Everest trek.
