Villagers in Efailnewydd, Gwynedd, have forced a travel company to restore the original Welsh name of an 18th-century manor after the firm marketed the property under an anglicised title.
The Grade II-listed Georgian house Plas Bodegroes, on the Llŷn Peninsula near Pwllheli, had been listed by Cheltenham-based Big House Experience as "Bromfield Hall" on its booking site. After a wave of complaints from the mainly Welsh-speaking local community this week, the company has reverted the listing to Plas Bodegroes.
Plas Bodegroes dates from the 1780s and sits in roughly five acres of gardens and woodlands. Once a hotel and at one stage home to Wales's only Michelin-starred restaurant, the property closed as a hotel in early 2021 and reopened months later as a self-catering holiday home that can accommodate large groups. Listings describe the house as having accommodation for more than 20 guests, numerous bathrooms, a dining room seating around two dozen and parking for up to 20 cars.
Several local residents and community representatives called the renaming a cultural affront. Councillor Anwen Davies said she had received a number of calls from unhappy locals and described the move as disrespectful to the Welsh language and the site's history. She noted that some 72.5% of residents in the Efailnewydd a Buan ward are Welsh speakers and said any perceived misappropriation of place names should be challenged to prevent further incidents.
Residents told reporters they had been frustrated to see the Welsh name replaced by an English one, which some interpreted as a pattern of anglicisation of traditional local names. Responses on social media were mixed; some users said an anglicised marketing name might help bookings, while others wrote that there could be no justification for giving the property an English name "this day and age." One commenter contrasted the reaction in Wales with how a similar change might be received in France.
Big House Experience director Gareth Allen said the change had been a marketing decision and denied any intention to show malice or disrespect. Allen told media the firm sometimes uses alternative names for security reasons and to deter people from searching for properties online and then booking directly with owners. He said pseudonyms are approved by property owners and that the true name is revealed to guests after they have booked. Allen added the firm had chosen a "less Welsh sounding name" because, in his view, some English clients struggle with Welsh-sounding names.
An archived social media advertisement from August 2023 used the Bromfield Hall name and invited visitors to "discover a piece of Wales' wild magic at Bromfield Hall (sleeps 22)." The company's current public listing again uses Plas Bodegroes and highlights the house's Georgian architecture and proximity to local attractions such as Abersoch, Portmeirion, Caernarfon Castle and Snowdonia.
Local reaction and the swift reversal underline the sensitivity surrounding place names and language in communities where Welsh remains the dominant tongue. The property has historically been known by its Welsh name despite changes in use and ownership over the years, and the recent episode prompted renewed scrutiny of how national and regional identities are presented in holiday and tourism marketing.