Cof Cymru: National Historic Assets of Wales · Wales
Garden gatepiers to a cross terrace in the formal W gardens at Old Gwernyfed
Gwernyfed, Powys, Wales
The record
- Designation
- Listed building, Grade II*
- Broad class
- Domestic
- Date of designation
- 28 September 1961
- Locality
- Felindre
- Community
- Gwernyfed
- Unitary authority
- Powys
- Country
- Wales
- Coordinates
- 52.02147, -3.19373
- Cadw reference
- 6645
Slide toward Today to fade the historical sheet and see the modern map underneath.
David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries
Shown on 5 historical map sheets, the earliest the 1608 "(13) Cambriae Typus." (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries).
Cadw's description
Location
Located approximately 60m W of the SW wing of the W elevation of Old Gwernyfed house, on a cross terrace of the garden earthworks, laid out SSW to NNE, tangentially to and overlooked by the house.
History
The extensive (3.5 hectares) of gardens at Old Gwernyfed were laid out in 1604 at the time of the marriage of Harry Williams to Eleanor Whitney, a wedding poem in Brecon/Radnoshire border dialect of Welsh being written for the occasion. The gatepiers are the remains of a walled parterre, below three terraces at the N end, and flanked an axial drive leading NW beyond a fishpond to a round-point from which avenues radiated. The gardens contained various water features, some of which survive to the S of the piers.
Exterior
Ornamental garden gate piers of c1604, almost identical to those of Hay-on-Wye castle. The square piers are of channel-rusticated limestone ashlar, with stepped necking mouldings, an arcaded frieze and moulded cornice. Stepped pyramidal cap carries a fluted square pedestal to a ball finial. To either side the rubble garden walls survives for approximately 1.5m as piers within the garden, and contain one apse-headed niche each side facing back towards the house. Within the reveals, pintles for double gates opening into the gardens.
Within the garden, the terrace is approximately 100m wide, ending with a splayed gate opening 3m wide opposite the piers, set within a rubble garden wall, and taking the driveway out of the formal garden.
Reason for designation
Included at Grade II* as a important surviving element of one of the finest relict Jacobean gardens in Wales undamaged by later alterations.
Within the scheduled area of Scheduled Ancient Monument B193.
Nearby in the register
- Garden Earthworks at Old GwernyfedGardenunder 1 mi
- Old GwernyfedDomesticunder 1 mi
- South tower in the inner front garden with garden wall running to SW ring of the houseDomesticunder 1 mi
- Boundary walls, gatepiers and gate to forecourt and driveway at Old GwernyfedDomesticunder 1 mi
Other entries of the same register within about three miles of this one, by straight line.