About

Back in 2007, we bought a neglected old house in the Conwy Valley. It had been a care home for many years, until it fell into obsolescence, and when we first saw it it was rapidly succumbing to damp, the creep of brambles and ivy. And under sustained attack from battalions of Sycamore and Rowan saplings.

In 2010 we opened the Ffin y Parc gallery in one and a half rooms, with temporary flooring, and no heating. And one brave artist who thought it might be worth the risk of exhibiting her work with a couple of bedraggled unknowns!

 Over the course of the following months and years, the gallery grew, and Ffin y Parc became a destination with a café, accommodation, and a gallery which exhibited the work of nearly 50 artists from across Wales and the North-West of England. Eventually, we came to be regarded as one of Wales' most successful and well-regarded commercial Contemporary Art galleries.

 In 2023 we decided that it would be 'fun' and 'exciting' to make a few small changes! So when we closed for Christmas at the end of 2023, we decided to forego our usual ten-day escape to the sunshine and relative warmth of Tenerife, and instead, to spend two months adapting and renovating this elegant Victorian townhouse at 24 Trinity Square, Llandudno to create a regenerated Ffin y Parc. A bit like Jon Pertwee becoming Tom Baker or David Tennant becoming Peter Capaldi, depending on your age…but considerably more tiring!

 The place had been Llandudno's JobCentre for many years before being converted into half a dozen separate small business premises. We hoped that some of the building's original style and grace might still be intact beneath the suspended ceilings, behind the partitions. Our deadline was irrevocably set for March 1^st 2024. Any delay would disrupt the crowded programme for the year ahead! We were somewhat surprised to find that while fifteen years had done little to ambitions or imagination, it had eroded our energies and stamina!

 But, thanks to a small, resourceful team of workers and some punishingly long days and late nights. We just about got it ready in time. Except for the heating - some things never change!

 We are very proud of our new gallery. We work with a talented and diverse group of artists. The place is bright, relaxed and fully accessible thanks to the lift, which was gilded for us by Ralph's brother (who is, by the way, one of the UK's premier gilders), and provides some completely unnecessary bling!

The shows will be changing every four weeks, as before, and we have tried to preserve the feeling and atmosphere that we had at the old place. But here, the focus is more fully on the art and our artists. The work looks better than ever, I think, in this building that is warmed and flooded with light throughout the day.

 Please pop in to see us. There will surely be something fascinating and beautiful here to tempt you…

 Ralph & Roland.