PGW(Gd)20(GWY)

Bryn Gwynant  

II  

01/02/2022  

Designated  

Gwynedd  

Beddgelert  

264121  

351312  

Gardens, Parks and Urban Spaces  

Steeply sloping park and woodlands; long drive with good plantings; small ornamental garden with interesting features; kitchen garden; orchard; terrace with views.  

Mid nineteenth century.  

Bryn Gwynant is situated about 7km north-east of Beddgelert on the south side of the Nant Gwynant valley overlooking Llyn Gwynant. It is registered for the good survival of an interesting range of trees, its extensive planted woodlands, the remains of a Japanese garden, and superb views. The parkland lies on a steeply-sloping, north-west-facing hillside, with the house near the bottom and large areas of woodland behind, bounded on the north by a wall. It was once more extensive, and included the lake, but is now about 40 acres. The park was probably laid out in the 1830s when the house was built. The woodland was formerly managed commercially, the rest of the park is rough grazing. The house is approached by two drives, from east and west. The main entrance is off the A498 road, at the east end of the site, with a lodge and disused entrance gates. The drives meet in front of the house and were the focus for most of the ornamental plantings, especially exotic conifers. Between the drives and the road a further small area of parkland also planted with specimen trees including a huge giant sequoia. The higher park area is south-west of the house, steeper and rougher with occasional rocky outcrops. It is an open area dotted with parkland trees, including specimens. At the top there is a cottage, still occupied, called Pen-y-bryn, the original name of the farm that became the Bryn Gwynant estate, protected from nearby planting to preserve the views. The woods to the west, south and east of the house are planted over the steep and rocky hillside and contain an extensive system of walks, including some original ones. The garden was probably laid out in the 1830s. It now consists of a lawned terrace around the house, without plantings, and a Japanese garden and two rockeries. The house is surrounded on three sides by a sloping grass terrace, retained by a stone wall, which once supported statues, with a short flight of steps at the western end. A small stream is culverted under the lawn near the western end of the terrace. Below the terrace wall, between it and the drive, a grass slope is planted with conifers and shrubs. The small Japanese garden is to the east of the house, beyond the orchard, and is reached up a steep rocky slope, via a zig-zag path created by the addition of rocks to an already rocky surface. Shrubs and small trees have been planted in keeping with the Japanese theme. At the top of the rockery, is the pool, and beyond it a hexagonal gazebo, or summer-house, designed to appear oriental. The overflow from the pool has been trained into miniature waterfalls. Although overgrown the garden retains a tranquil atmosphere. The other rockery is on the far side of the setting-down area west of the house, and decorates the approach to the (disused) tennis court which lies above. Larger than that near the Japanese garden, it still covers only a small area, and all the planting has been shaded out by large trees above. It has a picturesque walk along the top. The enclosed orchard, which may once have been the kitchen garden, is sited on the steep slope behind the house. It is sub-rectangular, long axis north-west by south-east, with a rounded top, and surrounded on all but the north-west with a wall up to 2m high. The orchard is reached by a steep flight of steps up to the north corner. Accessed by three entrances, the one towards the south-east top giving on to the Japanese garden. Inside there are four levels of sloping terraces retained by dry-stone walls with steps up at either end. Traces of some paths remain. The kitchen garden lies immediately to the west of the stables/coach house and is now used as a car park with a mostly gravelled surface. The garden is enclosed in a stone wall 1.5m-2.5m high, and is an irregular, elongated shape to fit the only fairly level space available on an irregular site. There is a western extension, similarly walled, smaller than the main garden and built later. No buildings survive within the garden though both parts once had glasshouses, lean-to on the north wall of the main garden, and a building in the south-east corner of the extension. Externally, boiler houses for each lean-to survive outside the north wall, and another building lies externally at the far western end. Nothing is known of the planting or layout. Setting - Bryn Gwynant is located in the mountain landscape of Snowdonia, overlooking Llyn Gwynant. Significant views - Bryn Gwynant, with its park and gardens, is a site chosen for its spectacular views, in a valley famous for its beauty. The best views of Llyn Gwynant, Nant Gwynant and the Snowdon range are obtained from the open parkland south-west of the house. Above it is a cottage, Pen-y-bryn, from where the view over the lake and towards Snowdon is spectacular. It has clearly been protected when planting as there are no large parkland trees in the way. Source: Cadw 1998: Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in Wales: Conwy, Gwynedd & the Isle of Anglesey, 166-9 (ref: PGW(Gd)20(GWY)).