Shropshire Star

Tributes paid after 'popular and colourful' Lord Harlech dies, aged 61

Tributes have been paid following the death of Conservative peer Lord Harlech who owned a large estate in Shropshire.

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Francis Ormsby-Gore, 6th Baron Harlech, died at The Glyn Estate, near Harlech, on Monday, aged 61.

His ancestral home was at the Brogyntyn Estate, on the edge of Oswestry.

Councillor Caerwyn Roberts, who represents Harlech and Talsarnau on Gwynedd Council and knew Lord Harlech for over 20 years, said he was shocked by the news.

He said: "He was a very knowledgeable person and very friendly.

"I was always happy to see him and every time I did see him I always felt like I learnt something new, he was that kind of man.

"He was charismatic, and would dress very differently, wearing his black hat and a cravat. He'd had his troubles, but the feeling locally was one of sympathy rather than condemnation.

"Over the years he use to visit me to discuss twinning Harlech with Kosovo, it was around 10 years ago he approached the subject last with me, because of all the trouble the country was having at the time he thought by twinning the areas together it would create stability over there.

"Unfortunately the process of twinning towns costs a lot of money and at that point the community council didn't have the funding to go ahead with this. It was a shame as I know he was very passionate about it.

"He will be remembered very fondly – he will remain in the memory for some time."

The Harlech family moved out of Brogyntyn the 1950s and the house was then let to British Telecom for an exchange.

Ormsby Gore inherited the property and the Harlech title from his father, a former British ambassador to Washington and the founding chairman of Harlech Television, in 1985.

But he was immediately hit by crippling death duties of more £1 million, forcing the family to sell some of their art treasures to pay for maintenance of the estate.

Lord Harlech put his ancestral home for 200 years on the market in 2000 for £5 million, and it is now owned by JR Pickstock.

A spokesman for the Conservative Party in the House of Lords said: "Lord Harlech was a Conservative member of the House of Lords for 14 years inheriting the title from his father in 1985 until the passing of the House of Lords Act in 1999.

"He was a popular and colourful figure and will be much missed by his many friends."

North West Wales coroner's office said the death was from natural causes.

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