Cochwillan Old Hall

Medieval Cochwillan Hall or Llys Hynafol Cochwillan is situated near the village of Tal-y-Bont, Bangor and is well worth a visit.

The hall stands in the foothills of the Carneddau mountains and was built in around 1465 by William ap Gruffudd, who fought at Bosworth under Henry Tudor and was rewarded for his support by the latter by being appointed Sheriff of Caernarfonshire. In 1620 the hall was sold to the 3rd Earl of Pembroke and eventually passed into the hands of John Williams, Archbishop of York, who owned it during the reign of King Charles II. The Archbishop combined the hall to the Penrhyn estates.

The hall still retains many of its interesting original features, including the thirty feet high hammer beam roof of three open bays with its magnificent west screen of oak beams on which the master carpenters numbers and the daisy wheel markings of the master builder can still be seen.

It also boasts a side mounted fireplace, an innovation for the time. The fireplace has an imposing massive oak lintel. After a long period of sad neglect, during which it was used as a store for hay and a cattle shelter, the hall was restored in 1969/70 by CADW and Penhryn.

Cochwillan Hall commands views over Puffin Island and the the Menai Straits.