Tollgate

Portmeirion's twin Palladian tollbooths were built over twenty years apart. The right hand one was Clough's very last building, completed in 1976. Its companion was not built until 1999.

 Clough's design for wrought iron gates were used at this time between granite pillars to form the northern boundary of the village. The location of Portmeirion's tollgate has changed over theyears. In the early days the toll barrier was at Toll House in Battery Square where day visitors were invited to ring a bell for the gatekeeper. Numbers grew during the 1950s and new car parking an catering facilities had to be developed along with a new tollgate was built in the style of a truncated tower, perhaps in memory of the demolished medieval tower of his ancestors the sons of Cynan that had stood nearby. This now houses a public telephone. A 1930s sheet metal mermaid once used on the Observatory Tower now occupies an archway here up a flight of cobbled steps.

Clough's method of controlling numbers was by means of a circular hole in his entrance board behind which a disc bearing a graduated sequence of prices could be revolved. It was set at a prohibitive 10/- when King Edward VIII was a guest as Prince of Wales. This system lasted until the early 1970s when decimal prices had to be added to the disc.

Portmeirion now welcomes around 240,000 visitors per annum. The admission charge levied at the tollgate contributes directly to the maintenance of the village and grounds. All the cottages in the village are let as holiday accommodation.