PGW(Po)7(POW)

Treberfydd  

II*  

01/02/2022  

Designated  

Powys  

Llangors  

312997  

225624  

Gardens, Parks and Urban Spaces  

Ornamental garden; walled kitchen garden; ha-ha; small area of parkland planting.  

House from late eighteenth century, Raikes house from 1848. Garden; Nesfield 1850.  

Treberfydd is registered for its historic interest as a good example of a garden designed and laid out by eminent garden designer William Andrews Nesfield (1793-1881) in 1850. W.A Nesfield designed the gardens as part of the extensive redevelopment of Treberfydd by Robert Raikes who bought the estate in 1848 and employed John Loughborough Pearson (1817-1897) to build a new house on the site of the former Treberfedd Villa. The gardens and park have group value with the grade I listed house (LB: 6757) and other listed estate buildings and structures at Treberfydd. The tithe map of 1840 records a garden, pleasure grounds and kitchen garden apparently already in place and it would seem that Nesfield’s designs incorporated some of the existing ornamental layout. The gardens lie to the north-west, west and south of the house and in total cover about two acres (0.8ha). The gardens are accessed either through the conservatory from the house or through a pinnacled, Gothic arch set into a high stone wall, which creates the northern boundary of the gardens. Immediately south of the conservatory are two small, square lawns which are divided by a small central gravel path, bordered on the south by the main garden path and on the south-by a large circular parterre with four symmetrical, cut rose beds around a circular fishpond with central fountain. To the south of the main north-west/south-east axis path are terraced lawns, one a croquet lawn, another with a sundial set on an angled bastion, flanked by gravel paths, some with flower borders, and interconnected via flights of stone steps (LB: 20291). Towards the south-eastern extent of the garden is a linear rock garden with low rock ‘beds’ either side of a narrow path. Formal gardens, to the west of the house, of approximately half an acre (0.2ha) slope uphill to the boundary wall along the road. The pleasure grounds lie to the south-east and north-west of the gardens. On the south they are dominated by a central paddock with ornamental plantings of wellingtonia, cedar, tulip tree and willow. The northern pleasure grounds are reached from the north-west end of the upper garden terrace via stone steps which lead into a serpentine woodland walk between ornamental trees under-planted with rhododendrons and similar shrubs. The first known reference to the park comes on a tithe map of 1840-41 when approximately 50 acres (20.2ha) to the east of the house was so described. The area increased gradually until 1904 when further acquisitions led to the present park boundary. The park covers a relatively small area of about 100 acres (40.5ha) to the north-east of the house. It is roughly rectangular. The western park boundary is defined by the eastern forecourt wall, serving as a ha-ha, to the north-west and south-east of which runs a wooden fence, which replaces earlier iron park fencing. Some parkland planting, of oak, remains dotted about the area. Other isolated trees, ash and sycamore, could be relics of earlier field boundary plantings. The north-west and east boundaries of the park are defined by a stone wall, about 1m high, topped with a live hedge. The north boundary wall/hedge runs along the lane towards Llangasty-Talyllyn. The eastern boundary is defined by a hedge and fence connecting with a farm track to the south-east of the site. The walled kitchen garden at Treberfydd Park (LB: 20289) is presumed to have been established here sometime between 1840 and 1857. It lies about 100m to the north-west of the house and is approximately one acre (0.4ha) in extent. It faces north-east, descending the hillside in three wide terraces divided by paths. It is surrounded by a stone and brick wall up to 2m high which descends in three levels in accordance with the ground. No original glasshouses or ranges survive inside, although areas of whitewash were recorded on the east face of the west wall. There was no evidence of a heating system. The main entrances to the garden are on the south-east and north-west walls through ornamental, stone gateways with Bath stone detail. Central service entrances exist on the south-west and north-east. The north-east garden entrance is presently abandoned. Outside the walled garden is a grass 'strip' to the south-east enclosed by a yew hedge which runs from the south corner around to the north-east. Access to the walled garden, through this hedge, is by way of a small Victorian iron gate. There is some ornamental planting along the south face of the south-east wall. To the north-west of the garden is a second strip, now the family's vegetable plot, formerly the frame yard. The nursery also includes the old service area south-west of the garden, including the old potting shed and the head gardener's cottage, a detached, stone house with pantile roof (LB: 20288). Since 1960 the walled garden has been leased to a nursery with commercial greenhouses and polytunnels. Setting: Treberfydd lies to the south-west of Llangorse Lake on land gently sloping north-east, down towards the water. It is enclosed by woodland to the north-west and south-east, but has views to the north-east over the park and farmland to the lake and towards the Black Mountains beyond. Significant View: North-east across the park and farmland and towards the Black Mountains. Source: Cadw 1999: Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in Wales, Powys, 202-5 (ref: PGW (Po)25(POW)).