PGW(C)64(WRE)

Wynnstay  

I  

01/02/2022  

Designated  

Wrexham  

Ruabon  

330115  

342405  

Gardens, Parks and Urban Spaces  

Landscape park; informal garden; terrace garden.  

1768-85; c. 1819-30.  

Wynnstay is registered at grade I as an outstanding eighteenth-century landscape park, one of the largest and most important in Wales. Although now cut in two by the A483 trunk road the park still retains many of its historic features, some of which are attributed to Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown, Richard Woods and James Wyatt. Although Brown's lake has gone half of a large rockwork cascade remains at its lower end. An exceptional and rare survival is the pleasure ground or shrubbery designed by Brown. The park also contains some important monuments, lodges and other built structures, some by leading architects. Wynnstay is also the former principal seat of the Williams-Wynn family, one of the most powerful families in North Wales. Wynnstay is a large Victorian mansion (LB: 1627) built of stone in French Renaissance chateau style. It stands on a plateau to the north of the Dee valley, south-east of Ruabon, and from it there are fine views to the Ruabon Mountains to the west and the Vale of Llangollen and Berwyn mountains to the south. Wynnstay Park is an eighteenth to nineteenth-century landscape park attached to the Williams-Wynn estate mansion and situated on high ground near Ruabon. It extends down to the River Dee, with views to the Berwyn mountains and the Vale of Llangollen. The core of the park lies on the rolling plateau around the house and its gardens. The park has survived in its entirety except in the north-west corner where roads and housing estates have encroached upon it, and the A483 trunk road which effectively cuts the park in two. The first park that is recorded at Wynnstay is the deer park enclosed in 1678 by Sir John Wynn. Of this there is no trace. As well as building a new house it appears that Sir Watkin Williams Wynn, 3rd bt., made improvements to the park. The map of the estate in A Pocket Book of Mapps of Demesne Land & c. belonging to Sir Watkin Williams Wynn Baronet (c.1740) shows that the park had already been given a formal layout by 1740, and that much of this was retained or only modified in later landscaping. The chief features were the diagonal avenue running south-east across the park from the Ruabon gate, the double avenue flanking the entrance drive north of the house (both retained by later landscapers), and a long formal canal (already in existence in 1693/94) on the site of the present lake west of the house. Major alterations were undertaken by Sir Watkin Williams Wynn, 4th bt. to the park and garden between 1768 and 1789. This began with the building of a road and park wall (still largely intact) in 1768. From 1771-74 the canal was given a more naturalistic form by the landscape designer Richard Woods. A bridge, probably designed by him, and shown in an engraving of c.1775 by Sandby, was never built. The rustic arched 'boat house' (LB: 15745) at the north end of the lake is probably by Woods, and is very similar in style to one that he designed for Cusworth (Yorkshire). The Ruabon gateway was the original main entrance to the park, but is now disused and cut off by new roads from the rest of the park. In 1777 Sir Watkin commissioned Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown to make further improvements. Brown visited at least five times, and produced designs for the house and offices (unexecuted), a dairy (1782), pleasure grounds, and the park, including a new lake in the valley to the north-west of the house. On Brown's death in 1783 the work was continued by an assistant, Midgley, and then by a local cartographer, John Evans, who finished a lake, the Belan Water, in the valley to the north-west of the house, by damming the Belan stream. A large rockwork cascade (LB: 15749) was constructed at the foot of the lake and can be compared to a similar one by Brown at Bowood (Wiltshire). Although the lake itself has gone most of the features associated with it have survived in Bathground Wood (LB: 15748 – sluice outlet). The Bath House (LB: 1628) built in about 1785 by James Wyatt, survives. It is a small classical pavilion with a central portico, in front of which is a rectangular bath-tank (LB: 15750). It is situated on the north-east side of Bathground Wood, on the slope at the north end of the former lake. Other remains in the wood include the footings of a moss house, near the north end, and a ruined ice-house (LB: 15747) near the eastern edge of the wood, to the south of the column. The park was embellished with numerous lodges and commemorative structures in a wide variety of architectural styles, most of which survive. There were ten lodges in all (including Waterloo Tower); one has now gone. The most prominent monument is the column (LB: 15746) to the north-west of the house, on the eastern edge of Bathground Wood. This is a tall Doric fluted column, erected in 1789 in memory of Sir Watkin Williams Wynn, fourth baronet, on his untimely death, designed by James Wyatt. It forms a prominent landmark both in the park and in the area around. Planting in the park includes some clumps, plantations, and perimeter belts, mainly of deciduous trees, around the north, east and south sides of the central core of the park. An estate map of 1800-20 shows the main areas of woodland more or less as they are now, plus narrow perimeter belts along the boundaries most of which have gone. A great straight avenue, now including fine mature limes, sweet chestnuts, horse chestnuts, and sycamores was planted before 1740 and much survives. It runs from the Ruabon entrance at the north end of the park (where an entrance arch replaced earlier lodges in 1783) to School Lodge on the south-east side of the park. The gardens lie to the south and east of the house, made as part of the improvements of the 1770s and 1780s, which swept away its predecessor garden first recorded c.1740. The garden is shown on an estate map of 1800-20 in its present form. On the south is a large formal terrace, while to the east is an informal garden, or pleasure ground, of about one and a half acres. The latter, a rare survival of Brown’s work in this field, forms an integral part of his scheme for the area to the east of the house which also includes the kitchen garden, all within one extensive ha-ha (LB: 15744). The terrace is bounded by a dressed stone revetment wall, with a small corner pavilion in the south-east corner. It is mostly laid out to lawn. From the terrace there are magnificent views southwards over the park to the Welsh hills beyond. Wide stone steps lead down from the central gravel path at the east end to the informal garden. The pleasure ground is roughly D-shaped, with the straight side along the north boundary. It lies on level ground and is laid out to lawn with scattered specimen trees. These include fine mature cedars, oaks, fern-leaved beech, wellingtonias, monkey puzzles, hollies, a tulip tree, and a golden oak. The boundary is wooded, with under-plantings of laurels and other evergreens. The garden is surrounded by a long, substantial ha-ha, which extends from the terrace south of the house around the south and west sides of the garden, and on northwards to enclose the area of outbuildings and the former kitchen garden. Where the drive enters from the west it forms a massive bank through which the drive passes in a tunnel (LB: 15743). A path along the west side of the garden passes the chapel, a former garden orangery by John Evans and James Wyatt but converted to a chapel c. 1876 by Benjamin Ferrey (LB: 15739). Near the east end of the garden, facing south, the ornamental Dairy by Brown (LB: 15742) also forms part of the scheme. The former kitchen garden at Wynnstay Park lies to the north-east of the house, and north of the Pleasure Ground. It is D-shaped, the south side being straight. The curved brick walls stand to their full height of c. 3.5 m (LB: 15741). The curving north end wall has a blocked doorway and cavity wall, with heating flues. The walls were restored in the early 2000s. Significant Views: From the mansion there are fine views across the park and to the Ruabon Mountains to the west and the Vale of Llangollen and Berwyn mountains to the south. . From the garden terrace there are magnificent views southwards over the park to the hills beyond. Views in all directions from the Wynnstay Column - a spiral staircase inside leads to a railed walkway at the top. The column is also a prominent feature in the parkland and wider landscape. Source: Cadw 1995: Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in Wales, Clwyd, 286-91 (ref: PGW(C)64).