Gwendoline Elizabeth Davies and Margaret Davies.

Gwendoline Elizabeth Davies and Margaret Davies.

The Misses Davies of Gregynog were Gwendoline Elizabeth Davies (1882-1951) and Margaret Davies (1884-1963) of Gregynog who were art collectors and benefactresses. They were the granddaughters of David Davies of Llandinam, Montgomeryshire, whose fortune was derived from contracting, coal, railways and docks. The sisters had a Calvinist background, and acquired Gregynog mansion near Newtown, Montgomeryshire, after the First World War. Their original intention was to build an art centre there. They established the Gregynog Press which became one of the foremost private presses of the inter-war era, producing fine examples of book craft, containing excellent illustrations. From 1908, the Davies sisters began to collect the work of the French Impressionists, and bought paintings by Cezanne ('Still life with teapot'), van Gogh ('Rain at Auvers'), Monet, Renoir and others, as well as Rodin, JMW Turner and Augustus John (many can be seen at the National Museum of Wales in Cardiff). The sisters funded the National Council of Music for Wales. At Gregynog, they hosted conferences about contemporary issues.