Plas Madoc, near Llanrwst

Records indicate that there has been a house on the site since the fourteenth century. The last house was built on a site levelled partly by cutting back into the slope and partly by building out on a terrace with gardens on all sides. This house was built in the nineteenth century and subsequently enlarged three times; firstly, when it was sold in 1857, secondly when Mr Higson, a mining engineer, bought the property in 1890 and finally in 1910-11 when the house was further enlarged and lavishly panelled. Mr Higson completely remodelled and extended the house in 1890-93, under the supervision of Dawes and Hoyland, architects of Manchester architects. After this work the number of bedrooms increased from 10 to 22. During the Second World War it was requisitioned and used as a factory, afterwards being sold again two or three times until it was eventually bought by a builder, who demolished it about 1954, the panelling being removed and installed in Caernarfon Castle. The Higson family bought back the park in 1957 having been unable to prevent the demolition of the house.

PLAS MADOC (the residence of Colonel John Higson), which is being altered and added to from designs prepared by Messrs. Dawes and Hoyland, of Manchester, is now approaching completion so far as the structural work is concerned. The decorative features internally are in course of preparation and it is expected will shortly be completed. The arrangement of rooms is shown on the plans. That arrangement has naturally been governed by the constructive lines of the old building which, as far as possible, have been utilized. A comparison of the elevation of the old house with the new will clearly convey the improvements that have been made. The finishings of the dining-room are in oak, the drawing-room in American walnut, the library, morning-room, billiard-room and staircase- hall of pitch-pine. These rooms have open-timbered ceilings with moulded ribs and sunk panels. The dining-room walls are panelled in oak, and like the other entertaining rooms have ornamental wood chimney-pieces and over-mantels in harmonious combination with tiles and marble. Between the large and smaller drawing-rooms there is a highly ornamental screen in American walnut, and round the fireplace Other ornamental screen work forming an ingle-nook with settees tastefully upholstered. The small divisions in the upper part of the windows in the principal elevations are filled with delicately-tinted lead lights. The glazing of the entrance-doors, internal screens, staircase-ball windows and other portions are entirely filled with richly-tinted glass in leaded patterns.  The main roofs and roof of the veranda extending round three sides of the house are covered with red tiles, which, in combination with the half-timbered work and lattice-work on walls and in window-shutters, form a pleasing effect of color in the midst of the rich foliage around the house. Throughout the building quaint features meet he eye, from the redstone and half-timbered porch to the mullioned windows of the attics, which command one of the finest views in North Wales, embracing the village of Trefriew and the picturesque gorge leading far away into the lofty mountains beyond.  [American Architect and Building News 1893 Issue 926].

See also Plas Madoc (2) for alteration work by Maxwell and Tuke