FRONGOCH hit the headlines in 2016 with the 100th anniversary of the Easter Rising in Ireland.

The whisky distillery was used to imprison Irish rebels following the rising in 1916, and has been dubbed the birthplace of the IRA.

The building had a varied history before this, and staff at Meirionnydd archives in Dolgellau have been digging through the vaults for Timewatch.

In 1897, a Whisky distillery was built in the village of Frongoch by Mr R Lloyd Price, owner of the Rhiwlas estate, near Bala and Robert Willis for the sum of one hundred thousand pounds, a substantial sum at the time.

Fron-goch was chosen for the purity of the water from the river Tryweryn which had a soft taste due to the peaty nature of the soil. It was also situated conveniently next to the railway so that goods could be transported easily.

Unfortunately however, the venture was not successful and the company were declared bankrupt in 1900. The buildings remained empty for many years until the First World War, when they were turned into a Prisoner of War camp for soldiers from Germany and Ireland.