Kitchen garden walls, gatepiers and gates at Gwernyfed High School

Cadw's description

Location

Located approximately 200m W of Gwernyfed High School, to the S of the main approach driveway.

History

Gwernyfed Park was erected by W Eden Nesfield for Capt Thomas Wood from 1877 to 1880. W.A.Nesfield, the architect's father and well-known garden designer worked in the office, and may have been instrumental in the design of the kitchen garden, then considered a necessary element in a gentleman's estate.

Exterior

The garden is approximately square in plan, opening into another square walled garden to the SE, erected c1880 by W E Nesfield to enclose the kitchen gardens of Gwernyfed Park. Rubble stone walls, 55cm thick, 3m high, buttressed externally each side and with angle buttresses at the corners, the offsets tiled and the wall lined internally with heat-retaining brick on the inner face as advocated by Loudon. Tiled coping set on two brick offset courses. Axial entrances on the E and W sides defined by tall gatepiers of ashlar limestone, alternating courses larger, and inset angles. The piers are capped with moulded cornices, enriched with egg and dart moulding. The eastern opening has a wrought iron frame and overthrow with decorative crestings, and a pair of decorative wrought iron gates. The ironwork to the W gatepiers is missing. The E wall continues from the gatepiers to the junction with the smaller walled garden, where there is a small coped rock-faced stone garden store with a stone mullioned window; the W wall continues for 7m S of the W gatepiers, before being replaced with a low modern wall. On the N side of the garden, the wall rises to 61 courses (approximately 4.6m) as back wall to the glasshouses.

The southern enclosing wall is attached to the Gardener's Cottage.

Reason for designation

Included as a fine example of a kitchen garden on a large scale, a necessary adjunct to the gentleman's estate of Gwernyfed Park. Of group value with the gardener's cottage and glasshouses.