Garden Terracing, Steps, Pool, Pergola and Summerhouse at Wyndcliffe Court

Cadw's description

Location

Mostly to the south and west of Wyndcliffe Court.

History

The garden was designed in 1922 on a bare hillside by Eric Francis and H Avray Tipping, who had already collaborated on the gardens at Mathern Palace and Mounton House (qv Mathern Community).

Exterior

All these features are built in red sandstone rubble with stone slates to roofs. The south side of the house is fronted by a retaining wall supporting the terrace. This has a stone balustrade in the centre with a double staircase leading down to a lower terrace at the head of a flight of semi-circular steps down to the bottom level. The central terrace contains a semi-circular pool fronting a hemispherical niche with carved head fountain, all in the Lutyens manner. The upper terrace wall continues east to a pergola of stone piers with stone slated beams. The lower terrace continues to the east to include a small revetted sun trap and to the west is ramped up to form the enclosing south wall of the sunken garden and then again to the corner summerhouse. This is two storeyed, with the lower level once a mushroom house with an arched door. The upper level has a three bay loggia on the south side, while the two faces to the sunken garden have arched keyed doorways flanked by 2 x 4 pane windows. Pyramid roof with stone ball finial. The sunken garden has further terraces and steps and a rectangular stone edged pool. There is also a further archway and a flight of stone steps on the north side of the house.

Interior

The summer house is featureless as it is not enclosed. The mushroom house was not seen at resurvey.

Reason for designation

Included at a higher grade as the formal centre of an exceptional garden of 1922 which survives unaltered. It is a part of the overall design of Wyndcliff Court by Eric Francis, with help on the garden by H Avray Tipping.