Early in March 1977 we got the News in Nottingham of a special gathering at Portmerion, the Village featured in The Prisoner. I can’t remember if it was announced in Alert or if we were told at a local meeting, anyway we were all excited. It was on a Sunday and we made plans to go as a local group. Our coordinator had been in touch with a few other groups and found out that the Coventry group had hired a coach to drive down to Wales, very early on the Sunday morning around 6 a.m. We drove from Nottingham to Coventry for the pick up point and we left around 8 a.m. It was great on the coach meeting other members – one of whom was Six of One’s oldest member at 68! – and people who understood the Prisoner. We had lots of conversations and there was lots of anticipation about what it would be like to be in ‘the Village ‘.
The journey was long and slow with lots of windy roads. We knew that Dave Barrie was giving a Well Come speech to members at 2 p.m. in the square and we eager to hear him, hoping for answers to our questions. We were getting worried that we would not get there in time, but as we were getting nearer lots of the signs were now in Welsh and we could see signs for Portmerion.
I had brought my cine camera (a present for my 18th birthday from my parents) and a Brownie camera for photos. I intended to record the day as I never knew when I would be able to come again. The bus rolled into the Portmerion coach car park just after 2 p.m. I rushed off the bus trying to find the square from what I could remember in the series. The first thing I saw was a blackboard with the words Well Come on it and details of the events, so I quickly filmed this for posterity.
As I was passing through the buildings I was so excited that I had already started filming. I rushed through an archway and I saw everyone gathered in the square. I saw Dave on the balcony of the Gloriette, then everyone started cheering and I realised I’d just missed his welcome address. I started talking to people who had badges on as I knew they were members and discovered that they were showing Arrival on the hour three times that day at the Hercules Hall. I was over the moon as I had never seen that episode before, as I hadn’t ‘found’ the Prisoner until the episode Many Happy Returns, which was the first episode I saw in the 1976 reruns, so I had missed the previous 6 episodes.
I then sent some time walking round Portmeirion taking pictures of the buildings, number six’s house and the green dome, I went to where the cafe was, I had seen it in stills and heard in the soundtrack I had in cassette tapes, and found out that it was a actually a shop, in one of the notice cabinets near the ice cream kiosk there was a close up still of Patrick McGoohan in his blazer.
I found the gypsy caravan where the Information board had been and I observed that lots of the buildings seemed to be in different places to where they had been in the series and some buildings looked they needed a coat of paint. I managed to find the Hercules hall in time for the 4 p.m. showing I think. Roger Goodman and Judie Adamson were there welcoming members to the screenings. I was very pleased to meet Roger, who I had corresponded with and the wonderful Judie, who was so kind to me. She took time to talk to me as she saw I was on my own and she remembered the paper I used to write in on (yellow with a small smiley face in the corner) and said it stood out from the others. We had a lovely chat and I told her that I was so excited to be seeing Arrival.
To gain entry to the screening you had to prove you were a member by showing a page of the first Alert and they put a circle round the staple at the back with a ballpoint pen so you could only go in once. We all sat down getting really excited when suddenly there was a commotion and someone was ushered into an empty seat in the front row. He looked very important and there was a murmur throughout the audience wondering who it might be. Then we had an announcement that Sir Clough Williams-Ellis was joining us for the screening. He got up to speak and said a few words about Patrick McGoohan. I remember him saying ‘that man’ and waving his hands in the air referring to Patrick’s passion for the Prisoner being similar to his own for Portmerion and that they had both realized their dream. Immediately after the episode Sir Clough rose to a standing ovation, with everyone clapping as he walked down the stairs, wearing his plus fours and with a stick. Some people followed and he proceeded to give an impromptu tour of Portmerion, walking around and pointing his stick while commenting on the architecture.
It was wonderful to watch the episode, it was so powerful and a special experience to watch The Prisoner and then walk around the village just afterwards, with the images of the episode in your mind, comparing the buildings and layout, which was amazing. But time was running out, the bus was leaving at 6 p.m. and I only had a short time left. I had used up all my cine film and taken all the photographs I could. I headed down to the Old People’s Home which I knew was now the Hotel. I didn’t dare go in, it was far too posh for an 18-year-old and there were lots of no entry signs and day trippers keep out, so I went down to the beach and the Stone Boat. I was amazed at how different it looked to photo’s that I’d seen (at this time I had yet to see Free For All).
There was one last thing I had to do before I left and luckily the tide was out and I was wearing my boating shoes especially for the occasion. I had to run on the beach and shout ‘ I am not a number, I am a free man!’ with these people around me. I did not feel out of place or self-conscious and I felt sure that I would finally be understood!
I managed to get back to the bus on time for the departure. Everyone was buzzing with excitement, telling all their stories of the day. We had a long journey back to Coventry and then a drive back to Nottingham, arriving home about 2 a.m. Monday morning. It was well worth it for the memories that we all had. I have since been back to Portmerion many times and to many conventions, but nothing could compare to the sense of amazement and belonging that I felt on that day. I hope that you too have special memories of Portmeirion and the conventions, and that you enjoy appreciating The Prisoner as much as I do.
Photo credits: Andy Radford and Mike Mclester
