Walls to kitchen garden, including gardener's cottage, at Mostyn Hall

Cadw's description

Location

Located W of Mostyn Hall and the farmyard, with woodland walks to the E.

History

Mostyn Hall is a large country house, the seat of the Mostyn family and its antecedents since the C15. The house, mainly of the C16 and C17, was extensively remodelled by Ambrose Poynter, architect, in 1846-7. A Tudor gate-house range is located to the SW of the house and is dated 1570, while further SW is substantial quadrangle of farm buildings of late C16 origin.

The early C19 compartmented kitchen garden, including glass-houses, head gardener's cottage, bothies, potting sheds and boiler rooms attached to N wall. The glasshouses included vineries and peach-houses.

Exterior

Large rectangular kitchen garden bound by red brick walls with flat stone copings. Doorways with segmental brick heads and boarded doors to E and N; wider entrance to S. The walls are double-skinned with cavities to increase heat retention. The garden is currently unused but is divided into quadrants by former paths; decorated black kerbing tiles survive in places. Circular water storage pool (formerly with fountain) to centre. Two smaller enclosed gardens of unequal size adjoining to N, and reached by N doorway. That to the L has full-width lean-to glass houses along the N wall; red brick plinth, opening lights with large panes, and roof with wooden vertical struts and glazing bars and overlapping panes. Doorway offset to R to through-passage, which leads to exterior N wall of gardens, against which is an exceptionally long range incorporating bothies, potting shed and boiler house, of red brick with corrugated asbestos roof and truncated lateral brick stack. Segmental-headed openings with boarded doors, the windows mainly 2-light wooden casements; skylights. Adjoining the E end of the range is a gardener's cottage: symmetrical 2-storey, 3-window, whitened, and with tall brick lateral end stacks. Lower storey openings with segmental brick heads; central panelled door with 3-pane overlight under a canopy, flanked by 2-light small-pane casement to L and 3-over-6-pane hornless sash to R. Three similar sashes to upper storey with flat lintels. To the R is an extension to the cottage, probably part of the bothy originally, and with late C20 windows. It has a pair of tall round arches to the ground floor; infilled doorway to R and a window inserted beneath to L; further window to upper storey. Rendered bay to R with window to each storey. East gable end has 2-light casement offset to R. Private garden to rear, the 2nd of the small enclosed gardens.

Reason for designation

Listed as a substantial integrated C19 walled garden and accommodation buildings that makes an important contribution to the historic integrity of Mostyn Park.