Royal Cambrian Academy of Art

[2] The Royal Cambrian Academy of Art was eventually founded in 1881, by a group of mainly English painters led by Henry Clarence Whaite, many of whom were now based in the Conwy Valley.

[3] Ever since political unrest had made the Grand Tour hazardous for travellers, the wilds of North Wales became a fashionable alternative for English artists,[1] in particular the area around Betws-y-Coed which attracted the likes of David Cox.

Originally based in Llandudno, where there were already a number of commercial art galleries in the town, catering for the growing tourist trade, the academy later moved its operations to Plas Mawr in Conwy.

[2] Plas Mawr, an Elizabethan town house which the Academy shared with a local junior school, was offered to the group under lease by Lord Mostyn.

In 1994, inspired by the efforts of their then President, Sir Kyffin Williams, the Academy broke its ties with Plas Mawr opening a new gallery close to their old headquarters in Conwy.