iKnow Wales
- Abersoch & Pwllheli
- Colwyn Bay
- Conwy
- Criccieth
- Isle of Anglesey
- Llandudno
- Llandudno Prom
- Lleyn Peninsula North
- Menai Strait
- Porthmadog
Criccieth Accommodation
Statue of David Lloyd George in front of Caernarfon CastleDavid Lloyd George Museum & Highgate Boyhood Home, Llanystumdwy near Criccieth
Most will be aware that David Lloyd George (1863-1945), a previous Liberal British Prime minster from 1916 to 1922 was brought up in Wales. What you might not know is that his boyhood home at Highgate is situated in Llanstumdwy near Criccieth.
Lloyd George's boyhood home with adjacent museum is a superb exhibition, and opportunity to view an extensive collection of archives on this famous Welshman.
David Lloyd George Biography
David Lloyd George was actually born in Manchester (Chorlton-on-Medlock) in 1863. However his father died in 1864, so Lloyd George's mother packed up and moved with her children to stay with her brother, a non-conformist and cobbler by profession, in Llanystumdwy near Criccieth North Wales.
Lloyd George's talents, particularly as a orator, soon became apparent and he was encouraged to enter politics and study law. He went on to set up his own law practice in Criccieth, and he joined the local Liberal Party, becoming alderman on Caernarvon County Council. (note the statue of Lloyd George in Caernarfon's main square by the castle if you visit Caernarfon). he married Margaret Owen, daughter of a local wealthy farmer, in 1888.
An opponant o the Poor Law, an instigator in the introduction of pensions, a supporter of women's suffrage and an a public opposer of the Boer War, Lloyd George certainly pulled on his non-conformist roots and contemporary radical reformists like Stuart Mill, the Fabians and Bernard Shaw throughout his political career. You can find out more about his life, and visit his boyhood home Highgate in Llanystumdwy near Criccieth.
David Lloyd George Museum & Highgate Boyhood Home
This museum, plus adjacent boyhood home of Lloyd George, is a fascinating insight not just into the life of Lloyd George, including his non-conformist upbringing here near Criccieth, but also offers interesting insights into the history of the Liberal Party.
Exhibits and archives include a film about David Lloyd George's life, plus animated history courtesy of an animated 'talking head'. There's a Victorian schoolroom here too, alongside a library, internet access point and on-site shop. Included in the Lloyd George collections here are caskets and scrolls presented to him when he was Prime Minister, and various documents such as the Versailles Treaty signed by him at the end of the First World War. Also here is his pension introductory document - one of his notable achievements. Letters and photographs are also on display, taken during his political period in Caernarvonshire.
Lloyd George lived at Highgate from 1864 to 1880, and as well as the preserved home you can view his uncle's shoemaking workshop and a Victorian cottage garden. It's a good museum for children, with opportunity to dress in Victorian costume and play with period toys.
Lloyd George Museum, Llanystumdwy, Criccieth, Gwynedd, LL52 0SH. Tel: 01766 522071. See Lloyd George Museum weblink right for more details.
Click Search
