The structure of Bodnant house was built by Colonel Forbes between 1770 and 1821, at a small distance from the original house called Old Bodnod. The late Georgian house was bought in January 1875 by Henry Pochin, a wealthy industrial chemist and china clay magnate from Lancashire. The house was progressively rebuilt from 1875-6 in Old English style by W J Green of London, who refaced the house with hard blue local stone, used Talacre sandstone for window dressings and quoins and replaced the sash windows with stone mullions and casements. An architectural drawing of 1880 by G Richards Julian shows the remodelled exterior before the Drawing-Room wing and conservatories were added. The conservatory attached to the SE corner was built for Pochin by Messenger & Co in 1881-2, and the adjoining fernery was in place and planted by 1883. The conservatory originally had a gabled porch to the south side and there were double doors to the fernery. Henry Pochin's daughter married the first Lord Aberconway and she, her son and grandson have further developed the house and hugely improved the gardens. The large Drawing-Room wing was added to the north-west tower in 1898 to designs by Ould of Grayson and Ould, architects of Chester. The Dining-Room was extended in 1911, including the bay towards the terraces, and the upper room over the porch (chimney-piece dated 1911) was added at that time. Other dates appear in the Drawing Room plasterwork - 1935 when the Shobdon panelling was inserted - and the Turret Room of 1936 which has panelling from Wheatley Hall, Doncaster.

(Source; Cadw listing database) S Fielding RCAHMW 18/01/2007