A GWYNEDD tourist attraction has come under attack for its “lack of Welsh perspective” with additional calls for better bilingual provision.

A letter has been sent to the National Trust over the lack of Welsh speaking staff and the need for more references to Bethesda’s slate mining communities which helped fund construction of the lavish country house.

Penrhyn Castle, which attracts around 100,000 visitors a year, was built between 1820 and 1833 by famous architect Thomas Hopper – at a cost of around £49m in today’s money.

The Douglas-Pennant family had large slave-run sugar plantations in Jamaica, using the proceeds to buy the Penrhyn Estate and develop the north Wales slate industry.

Becoming the Douglas-Pennant family’s summer country seat, the castle was later handed over to the National Trust in 1951, becoming a popular tourist hotspot on the outskirts of Bangor.

But now, several local councillors are supporting calls from pressure group, Cylch yr Iaith, for the Trust to strengthen the Welsh perspective and ensure that the cultural history and heritage of Bethesda’s quarrymen is presented to visitors.

According to the National Trust, however, they are fully committed to providing an exceptional bilingual experience and positively confronting the complex and challenging history of the castle.

Cllr Dafydd Meurig of Plaid Cymru, who represents Arllechwedd, said: “The National Trust shows a lack of awareness of the historical heritage, which in turn leads to a lack of respect for the local community in presenting the history of the Castle and its context.

“Generations of local people still remember the distress and pain suffered by their families, their parents or grandparents, who faced severe hardship during the Great Penrhyn Quarry Strike.

“The National Trust receives public funds to convey the history, culture and heritage of an area. Surely it should do so with respect for the local community?

“Unfortunately, many people who visit Penrhyn Castle are unhappy with their experience.”

Cylch yr Iaith, in an open letter, has listed several concerns regarding the Welsh language provision, calling on the National Trust to ensure that staff can offer visitors information in Welsh or English.

They are also concerned that there is not enough information about the history of the development of Penrhyn slate quarry or the local community in and around Bethesda, in print or video format in either language.

But according to the National Trust, last year saw members of the local community and Côr y Penrhyn take part in a procession that transported a huge sculpture of the quarry and placed it in the Grand Hall at Penrhyn, bringing this part of its history into the heart of the castle.

They have also worked with local author, Manon Steffan Ros to create an exhibition of 12 Stories; an artistic reflection of Penrhyn’s difficult history and its relationship with the local community.

A spokesman added: “We will contact Cylch yr Iaith direct to discuss the individual points they have raised, and invite them to discuss ways in which we can improve our Welsh language provision and work together.

“Presenting the difficult history of Penrhyn Castle and giving its historical context is essential to its future. We are currently in the middle of a major project to transform how we present our history and make this local story the focal point of our visitors’ experience.

“We are fully committed to providing a bilingual experience and we have worked closely with the Welsh Language Commissioner’s office over the past three years to develop and improve our Welsh language provision.

“All our written material at the castle is bilingual and over recent years, numbers of Welsh speakers and learners within the team has increased.

“Today, there are more Welsh speakers at Penrhyn Castle than ever before, with three out of seven of our Visitor Welcome team fluent Welsh speakers and another two learning Welsh.”