Fonmon Castle near Barry in the Vale of Glamorgan has launched a new snail race game for visitors. The game commemorates the incredible story of how one of the castle’s previous owners, Robert Jones III, lost Barry Island in a snail race.
Robert Jones was responsible for some major redevelopments of Fonmon Castle in the 18th Century, including the addition of render and battlements. At the time, the family owned a significant amount of land in the Vale of Glamorgan. However, their estate reduced in size after Robert bet on the wrong snail in a snail race, losing Barry Island in the process.
Sir Brooke Boothby, the castle’s former owner and a descendent of Sir Robert, shared the story with a reporter before selling the castle, saying that the snail race was probably held in Cardiff and would have involved encouraging snails along a one-yard course by attaching lettuce to their shells.
Fonmon’s new snail races don’t involve actual snails: instead, model snails are moved along a board. Visitors can play the game with the castle’s resident magician, John the Story Wizard, on Saturdays, Sundays, Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays in the castle’s main hall.
Fonmon Castle’s owner Nigel Ford, who purchased the castle from Sir Brooke Boothby in 2019, said:
“Fonmon Castle has so many incredible stories, and the snail race story is one of the best. As soon as we heard about it, we knew we wanted to commemorate it in some way. Well done to the creative team at Fonmon for coming up with such an entertaining new game – we hope visitors to the castle will enjoy playing it. Just don’t play for high stakes!”
