The bizarre reason why an eccentric aristocrat installed the first telephone in a North Wales market town in 1881 has finally been revealed.
Local historian Clwyd Wynne discovered that Anglesey-born philanthropist Emily Fazakerley wanted to listen to an opera that was being staged in Denbigh but wasn’t able to be there in person.
The phone, which was installed just six years after Alexander Graham Bell’s landmark invention, was hooked up with the wealthy spinster’s plush mansion, Plas Castell, in the shadow of Denbigh Castle.
Clwyd uncovered the story while doing research for a lecture about the Buttermarket that’s undergone a £2.4 million makeover.
The historic building, which dates back to 1848, is now owned by the Vale of Clwyd MIND association and the museum is in the process of moving there from its old home at a former primary school, Ysgol Frongoch.
Clwyd will be giving the talk at the museum, where he is the chair of the board, at 7pm on Thursday, September 18.
It will be a timely event ahead of the annual Open Doors weekend from September 19 to 21 which will include lectures, guided tours and an opportunity to visit over 30 historic sites in the town.
“The reason for having the phone installed was because an Italian operatic evening was being performed in the Assembly Room next to the Buttermarket but she didn’t want to be there in person rather she wanted to listen on the phone with other local dignitaries present,” said Clwyd.
“She ordered the laying of a wire from her house to the Assembly Room by the Cheshire and Lancashire Telephone Company and had six ear tubes connected to it.
“Miss Fazakerley was clearly a remarkable if somewhat eccentric lady but she also had a heart of gold.”
A report in Y Genedl Gymreig (Welsh Nation) at the time revealed: “Through this medium, the lady distinctly and clearly heard the performance of the opera.”
Miss Fazakerley, whose main home was in Banwell Abbey in the Somerset village of Banwell, was known for her generosity.
She gave “several hundred pounds in charity” in Denbigh every Christmas and large crowds turned out to greet her whenever she visited the town.
Plas Castell, which has been run as boutique hotel in recent years and is currently on sale for £1.1 million, also has links with another key figure in Denbigh’s history.
It was once owned by the family of legendary preacher and publisher Thomas Gee and was visited by many famous people including Liberal Prime Minister David Lloyd George.
Gee, who was born in Denbigh in 1815, was one of the leading figures of the nationalist movement in Wales during the 19th century and used his various publications, most notably Y Faner, to promote his political campaigns.
He used the radical newspaper to argue for Home Rule for Wales, as well as advocating votes for women and secret ballots to stop landlords finding out which tenants had voted against them.
His old printworks, Gwasg Gee which closed in 2001, has fallen into disrepair and a campaign is underway to save the building.
The charity, Save Britain’s Heritage, have added it to their list of 1,000 important historic buildings which are at risk.
Telling Gee’s remarkable story will be a central feature at the new museum when it opens to the public next year.
Funding has been provided by the Heritage Lottery Fund and discussions are underway to determine how the Gwasg Gee artefacts and other memorabilia will be displayed.
In the meantime, there will be an opportunity for a sneak peek at the facilities in the Buttermarket with free guided tours during the Open Doors weekend which need to be booked beforehand.
It originally formed part of a larger Borough Market complex between Crown Square and Chapel Place and included an Assembly Room which could comfortably seat 700 people and was used for many important events.
The original Market Hall and Assembly Room were demolished in 1913/14 and replaced with the current town hall.
The surviving Buttermarket section served as a covered market and subsequently the area above it became a car park where Coleg Llandrillo’s Denbigh premises was later built.
In 2018, the building became empty and a group came together to discuss a project that could utilise the building to support the regeneration agenda of the wider town of Denbigh.
In December 2020 Vale of Clwyd Mind purchased the site with the aim of expanding its local services to the community and creating a hub for wellbeing, culture and heritage.
Denbigh Museum and other organisations including Menter Iaith Sir Ddinbych have become tenants in the building while a new café called Tu Mundo has opened on the bottom floor.
Ruth Williams, a member of the museum’s board, said: “We would like to acknowledge the recent support from Heritage Lottery Fund, Denbighshire Voluntary Services Council’s Key Fund and Clocaenog Forest Wind Farm , along with the Freeman Evans Trust , without whom the museum, as a charity, could not be developing its facility for the wider community.”
During this year’s Open Doors event free guided tours of the Buttermarketbuilding will be offered although these must be booked in advance by contacting Denbigh Library on 01745 816313.
The Open Doors brochure lists over 30 buildings opening their doors as well as walks and talks.
