PGW(Gd)21(GWY)

Craflwyn  

II  

01/02/2022  

Designated  

Gwynedd  

Beddgelert  

260090  

349083  

Gardens, Parks and Urban Spaces  

Ornamental garden with ponds, plantings of trees and shrubs in sheltered dell; two drives lined with trees; kitchen garden; orchard; woods.  

Nineteenth century  

Registered for its historic interest as a nineteenth-century park and garden laid out probably as a whole, with good survival of plants, extensive plantations and a good use of a steep hillside site. Craflwyn lies at the lower end of Nantgwynant, not far from Beddgelert, in a dramatic setting at the foot of a steep, craggy hillside, in the shadow of the hillfort of Dinas Emrys. Most of the house (NPRN 26335) visible at present was built by Llywelyn England Sidney Parry in 1877-78, shortly after inheriting the estate, but there may be an older core. The present park was laid out in the 1870s at the same time that the house was built. It was developed as a gentleman's residence with farm, park and gardens by Ll.E.S. Parry, but its heyday was short-lived. The park lies mostly to the south and east of the house, facing south-east towards the Afon Glaslyn. There are also extensive plantations on the hillside behind. These are based on natural oak woodland to which conifers have been added. Sweet chestnuts are planted around the edges. The house is approached by two tree-lined drives, both approaching the house from the main road (A498). The longer (with lodge) comes in from the south-west, the shorter (without) from the south-east. The long drive divides south-west of the house, one branch going north to the stables and the other north-east into the garden and to the house. The south-east drive divides the parkland into two areas of different character. The triangular area to the south and west is low-lying, level meadow with a row of trees along the road boundary, but otherwise uninterrupted. The larger area to the north and east of the house reflects to some extent the rugged hillside above, being uneven, with rocky hillocks, and sloping from north to south. Groups of oaks with under-planting of rhododendron and other shrubs, have been planted on the hillocks; and there are single large trees dotted about, including a monkey puzzle in the middle of the main view from the house. A stream in a natural rocky channel runs down the eastern boundary. The gardens and pleasure grounds lie mostly to the west and north of the house. The focal point is a large pond with an artificial island, encircled by a walk from which the best view of the plantings can be enjoyed (NPRN 414022). A second pond, now overgrown, was built lower down in 1889 and may once have been the focus of a Japanese garden. A rectangular, walled, kitchen garden (NPRN 414057) lies about 100m away to the north of the house, probably contemporary with the present house. A similar-sized walled orchard lies adjacent to it. Sources: Cadw 1998: Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in Wales: Conwy, Gwynedd & the Isle of Anglesey, 186-9 (ref: PGW(Gd)21(CON)) Ordnance Survey second-edition 25-inch map: sheet Caernarvonshire XXVIII.1