PGW(Dy)3(CAM)

Maesycrugiau Hall  

II  

01/02/2022  

Designated  

Carmarthenshire  

Llanllwni  

247829  

240614  

Gardens, Parks and Urban Spaces  

Formal terrace, pond and garden area in front of (to the south of) house; ponds, summerhouse and woodland walks. Reasonable survival of woody species.  

Early features pre-1840s; about 1904, utilising wall of previous mansion.  

Maesycrugiau Hall, a Grade II Listed early twentieth-century house on a more ancient site (LB 81240), is located on a hill flanking the Teifi valley. It is registered for its contemporary garden with some pre-1891 features and for the remains of its extraordinary Edwardian summerhouse. It is also notable as having formerly been the residence of the local Lloyd and Mansel families. At the turn of this century, the Hall could be reached by one of four drives, two on the east, one on the north and the original main drive to the west. The property is now reached by one of the drives to the east. It is flanked by low red stone walls and paths lead from the drive to garden areas and walks, all of which remain. The hall is masked from view by a bamboo hedge until the final sweep round from drive to forecourt on the south front. The formal garden is south of the house, below the forecourt terrace, a substantial difference in level between the two suggesting the retaining wall was part of the earlier house. It is a geometric design in three sections linked by flights of steps. To the east is a paved area with circular beds edged with box, the whole divided diagonally by a concrete rill that feeds the pond. Next is a central area that consists of a massive rectangular pond. The third area, on the west, is lawned. Japanese Cedars and Western Red Cedars were planted in this lawn, again in a geometrical pattern. Two further grass terraces to the west are reached by steps known as the `Elizabethan steps'. By 1905 the walled garden and formal walks to the south-east of the Hall, present in the late nineteenth century, had been replaced by a level area used for tennis, a quartz rockery, an arrangement of two towers, or belvederes, and two ponds, one formal the other less so. Now, only the rockery, one of the ponds and one of the towers remain. The tower stands to about 10.5m (35 ft) with the central stone core built to a five-sided plan. An octagonal-shaped room `hung' on to the central core is of wood with windows all round. From it, most of the estate lands within the valley would have been visible. South of the tower, across the drive, is a large pond, shown on early maps. The water is retained by an extensive red stone wall so that the water lilies would have been almost at eye-level. Setting - Maescrugiau is located in a rural area on the south side of the Teifi valley, about 6km east of Llandysul. Significant views - From the west side of the house there are views north-west across the Teifi valley and the countryside beyond. The tall belvedere in the garden allows spectacular views across the estate and the surrounding valley landscape. Source: Cadw 2002: Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in Wales, Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire, 48-9 (ref: PGW(Dy)3(CAM)). Ordnance Survey 6-inch map, sheet Cardiganshire XLVII.NW (1906)