Walls to Kitchen Garden at Merthyr Mawr House

Cadw's description

Location

On the E side of the stable block (which forms the W wall of garden), which is E of the main house.

History

Sir John Nicholl purchased the Merthyr Mawr Estate in 1804 and planned a new country residence away from the old manor house, Merthyr Mawr Hall (now the site of Home Farm). A new site was chosen below Chapel Hill which overlooks the Ogmore valley. The house was built in the period 1806-9 and the park and gardens laid out later, with a garden on the S and W of the house, a kitchen garden to the E and wooded pleasure grounds to the N on Chapel Hill and to the SW.

The kitchen garden was begun in the period 1806-9 but was probably not completed until after the house. A vinery was completed in 1822. Pigsties were added against the E wall late C19 and a greenhouse made by Skinner Board & Co of Bristol was built against the S wall in 1900.

Exterior

High kitchen garden walls with brick inner faces and random rubble outer faces, except the S wall which has stone inner and brick outer faces. There are no internal dividing walls. The N and S walls have doorways on the W side at the rear of the stable block, both inserted with segmental heads and a boarded door on the N side, cast iron gate to S. Against the N inner wall are brick foundations of the former peach house and a vinery with vine arches. To the R of the vinery is a further doorway. On the outside of the N wall is a lean-to stove house behind the peach house of random rubble with a slate roof, inside which is a fireplace and a flue leading to a cavity in the wall. Further E is another lean-to bothy and stove house of rubble stone with a roof of renewed slates and corrugated plastic. The E wall has, on its outer side, 2 small lean-to pigsties with walled pens. In the SE corner is an attached rubble stone wall, set back from which the S garden wall has a doorway with a segmental head and cast iron gate. Against the S wall is a greenhouse on a brick plinth with vine arches, and with an asymmetrical gable formed of curved cast iron trusses and curved glass. A door is inserted in the S wall to the greenhouse under a segmental head.

Reason for designation

Included as a well-preserved and integral component of Sir John Nicholl's new house and gardens at Merthyr Mawr House.