Our renovation plans
Plas Gunter Mansion is a capsule of stories from the past 400 years.
From peaceful domesticity to Catholic resistance, commercial use to historic revival, the building is now embarking on a new chapter in its history.
New spaces
- A welcome space on the ground floor, leading to an exhibition on the first floor and access to the hidden attic chapel on the second floor.
- A new extension to the first floor, housing a plant room, toilets and lift.
- A first-floor flexible meeting space, available to hire.
- Upgraded ground floor commercial units for local businesses.
- Two office spaces on the second floor, for the Trust and/or local business.
- A garden and event space, full of native planting to encourage biodiversity and a peaceful environment.
The stories we will tell
1 About the house
Plas Gunter Mansion was built in about 1630 and the Gunter family lived here for around 150 years. The house is full of fascinating architectural details which give clues to life in 1600s Abergavenny and beyond.
A once hidden chapel used for celebrating Catholic Mass was uncovered on the top floor after being boarded up for 200 years.
2 The Gunter Family
Gunter was owned by a Catholic family at a time when Catholicism was illegal and dangerous to stick to the old faith. The house is linked to the life and death of two Welsh martyrs.
The Gunter family's story is one of mixed faiths, changing fortunes and a sweet twist which takes us to 1700s high society London.
3 Tolerance and reconciliation
Gunter Mansion and the lives of those who lived here offer a glimpse into 1600s Abergavenny. The town seems to have had a tolerant attitude towards people's chosen faiths which made it a place of sanctuary.
Interpretation
Below are some visual representations of how we might interpret an exhibition and the various rooms. They are not the finished article, rather ideas which bring the spaces to life.
