PGW(Po)46(POW)

The Hall, Abbey Cwmhir  

II  

01/02/2022  

Designated  

Powys  

Abbey Cwmhir  

305539  

271083  

Gardens, Parks and Urban Spaces  

Monastic ruins in steep wooded valley. Victorian mansion house and gardens; estate village.  

Abbey c. 1200; Hall c. 1867 on.  

Registered for its historic interest as an important ancient monastic site in a magnificent picturesque setting overlooked by a Victorian Gothic Hall which extended its formal gardens to include the abbey ruins. The building of the Hall also saw the remodelling of the abbey hamlet, including the church, in a similar style; the hamlet now contributing to the group value of the site. The estate of Abbeycwmhir, to the north-east of Rhayader, dates at least from 1200 when part of the Cistercian order founded the abbey (scheduled monument RD012; LB: 8717). Just to the north of the abbey lay two deer parks, Great Park and Little Park, on the east and west sides respectively of Cwm Poeth, above the Clwyedog Brook to the south. These are possibly of Norman origin but it is unknown how long deer remained in the parks. Following the Dissolution in 1536 the Abbey lands were passed to Walter Henley and John Williams and then to the Fowler family. Major changes in the estate landscape began by the late eighteenth century when large scale tree felling was embarked upon. A survey commissioned in 1822 recorded the previous felling of '4,000 oak and other timber, cut for £300', the hillsides recorded, in 1842, as 'sadly denuded' and previously 'once covered with forests of oak'. However, it was also recorded that the deer parks were not denuded of trees, still being 'partly protected', perhaps as Crown lands following the Dissolution. Since about 1950 the park woodland areas have been managed as commercial forestry, however a few ancient oak and elm remain. The gardens lie around The Hall (LB: 83105 – built 1865-7 by J.W. Poundley & D. Walker, architects who also built the contemporary parish church LB: 9346) and around the abbey ruins to the south. The gardens cover about 10 acres (4.1ha), most of which is woodland. The house is approached by a curving drive through a formal gateway (LB: 83094) in a stone wall, with lawns south and south-east of the house. A 2m high rockwork bank rises above the forecourt on the north, and above it on the east are two parallel curving terraces. To the east is mostly woodland, uphill to the north-east garden boundary. In the midst of the wood is a steep-sided terrace, formerly a grass tennis court; the ground above the court is also terraced. The garden continues around the kitchen garden to the north, through a service area containing the gardener's house and bothies, to descend to the west, along a path, to a fish pond. This fish pond is set at the southern end of the valley between Great and Little Park. An earth dam at its south end retains the water. Victorian pipes and brick-lined channels carry the water down a steep-sided gulley to the south-east where it exits the garden area between the east side of the churchyard and the west drive in a stone-lined channel. The west drive enters the site opposite the pub between a set of stone gate piers. It runs north below a steep bank dotted with the stumps of seven large wellingtonias, before heading back south-east in a sharp dog-leg to enter the service area on the west of the house. The early history of the garden area is unclear. Prior to the building of the Hall, and by at least 1837, the area was probably either pasture or rough woodland, set between the southern boundary of Great Park (NPRN: 24599) and the village road. The garden is first described in sale particulars of 1837 which record improvements made to the site after 1822 when the estate was sold to Thomas Wilson. The garden was described as having ' a lawn' and 'shrubberies' with a 'fish pond' to the north-west, the pleasure grounds extending up to and around this feature. By 1903 the low walled enclosures to the south of the house had been constructed and the planting along the south-west garden boundary and up the west drive established. A tennis court had also been constructed on a high level terrace to the north-east of the house and circular flower beds to the south of the main drive. The steep bank to the south of this feature is clearly noted on the second edition Ordnance Survey map. A summer house/pavilion and rock garden, immediately to the east of the house, are even later additions. Few changes appear to have taken place in the garden since 1919. South of the road, the abbey precinct was taken into the garden by Thomas Wilson. When he purchased the estate in about 1822 the area around the abbey contained a rabbit warren and 'a garden', probably a simple productive garden, in addition to the monks' fishpond and the abbey ruins. By 1837 he had cleared this area and laid out walks around the pond, ornamental flower beds along the north side of the pond and at least one rustic bridge over the Cwm Hir stream. A second dam/weir was constructed near the confluence of the Cwm Hir stream and the Clywedog between 1844 and 1889. A line of oak and beech trees was also planted along the north of the pond and flanking the north of a track which ran alongside the north of the Abbey connecting the farm with pasture in the east. A group of trees was also planted on the west of the sloping hill. It is not clear if the viewing mount dates from this period. The ruins became a popular Picturesque destination and a watercolour of about 1840 shows a milk maid standing in the ruins which are clothed in ivy and creeper. This use of the abbey precinct as pleasure grounds is believed to have lasted until at least 1900. To the immediate north of the hall is a walled garden. It dates from at least 1844 when it appeared on a tithe map. It was probably built by Thomas Wilson from 1822. By 1888 the garden contained the north platform and greenhouses and the central area was divided into four quarters. In the sale catalogue of 1919 the garden was recorded as containing a heated peach house, melon house, and three vineries along the south-facing north wall on either side of projecting conservatory, which was also heated. In addition there was a further unheated peach house, a cucumber house, a mushroom house and a free-standing greenhouse. The vine house on the centre of the south-facing wall and a peach house, in the north-east corner survived until the mid-1970s but were dismantled following storm damage. Significant Views: Views south from the house and terrace overlooking the village and picturesque abbey ruins in the secluded, rural valley setting. Views west towards the church and backdrop of wooded hills. Source: Cadw 1999: Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in Wales, Powys, 118-22 (ref: PGW (Po)46(POW)). Ordnance Survey, first edition 6-inch map: sheet Radnorshire XVI.NW (1888)