Leaving The Village

A shame that Patrick McGoohan has finally left the village, aged 80. He was the star and occasional writer / director of the cult 60s TV series The Prisoner, set in Portmeirion, an Italianate community designed by the architect Sir Clough Williams-Ellis, in north Wales. The original facade of Bristol Omnibus Station was dismantled, moved and rebuilt there. (Bottom right in photo)

In the late 80s I was lucky enough to spend a few days in one of Portmeirion's astonishing self catering chalets. My then girlfriend, a radical feminist who'd made me read Valerie Solanas' S.C.U.M. Manifesto (Society for Cutting Up Men) had been invited there by a couple of her friends and I was allowed to come too.

I took my bike on the train while my girlfriend went with the others by car. Perhaps there wasn't room for me ? Whatever, I remember taking the last part of the journey on the Blaenau Ffestiniog railway.



Portmeirion has since been used as the location for an episode of Doctor Who, Cold Feet and a Supergrass video. Paul McCartney and Jools Holland have both visited, the latter reportedly basing the design of his studio and home on that of the village. Patrick McGoohan, who turned down the role of the first James Bond, apparently not liking the way the character treated women, later appeared in Scanners, Braveheart an episode of The Simpsons and much more besides.

Be seeing you ; )