Plas Mawr in Conwy is the finest surviving Elizabethan townhouse in Britain. The house was built between 1576 and 1585 by wealthy merchant Robert Wynn. Wynn’s initials can be found in almost every room; painted, carved or decorated in the colourful, ornate plasterwork to celebrate his own success and wealth. The simple frontage of the gate house hides the wonders of the house behind, including a impressive suite of rooms with most of their original furniture and decoration as well as a reconstruction of the 16th century parterre garden. Wynn left complex instructions for the division of his estate upon his death in 1598. The years long legal case that followed, dragging on until 1630, ensured the house was not redeveloped and remains in its original condition. In the 18th and 19th the house was a school, cheap lodgings and finally the home of Royal Cambrian Art Academy. Cadw acquired the property in 1993 and undertook a 42 month long restoration project to save the building. It is often overlook in favour of Conwy Castle but it is a far more interesting site.