PGW(Gm)8(RCT)

Talygarn  

II*  

01/02/2022  

Designated  

Rhondda Cynon Taff  

Pont-y-Clun  

303181  

179924  

Gardens, Parks and Urban Spaces  

Formal terraced gardens; informal woodland garden; woodland park with informal lake and ornamental pond.  

1865-98  

Registered for its historic interest as a late Victorian terraced garden, informal woodland garden and woodland park comprising the extensive grounds to Talygarn mansion. It has historical associations with George Thomas Clark (1809-1898), a prominent industrialist and antiquary of Glamorgan. The house is largely the work of Clark, who also laid out the grounds after 1877. At Talygarn, he propagated tree seeds and bulbs recently introduced from South Africa and Japan. The registered area provides the setting to the mansion and has important group value with its associated estate buildings and structures, many of which are listed. Talygarn is a substantial stone mansion (LB: 13511) situated on elevated ground to the south-east of Pontyclun village. The house lies centrally within its grounds, which were largely created by Clark after 1877 and are shown in their fullest form on the Ordnance Survey map of 1914. The park is essentially a woodland park containing some rare specimen trees planted by Clark, and with extensive woodland areas beyond it. The park is bounded on the west by the A4222 Llantrisant to Cowbridge road, on the east and north by belts of woodland, and on the south by woodland and farmland. The entrance and lodge lie on the east side of the A4222, in the north-west corner of the park. The drive curves southwards, where a branch leads to Talygarn Farm to the east, and ends at the forecourt on the north side of the house. A subsidiary drive runs from ‘the Cot’ at the south end of the grounds north-eastwards through woodland, to join the main drive east of the house. To the south of the entrance lodge, on the western boundary, between the trees and the garden, is a bowling green and cricket ground with a wooden Boulton and Paul cricket pavilion of 1902 on its west side. The small woodland park lies to the south of the house on ground sloping down from the garden to an elongated informal lake. It consists of mostly deciduous woodland, with sycamore, beech and oak predominating, and with some cypresses, under-planted with rhododendron and laurel. Earthen paths with flights of stone steps on the steeper slopes, run from the garden through the woodland to the southern entrance and to the lake. The lake - an artificial, naturalistic, ornamental feature with a small island in its southern half - is elongated south-west to north-east, dammed at its northern end, and spanned by a narrow three-arched stone bridge. Further deciduous woodland flanks the south side of the lake. Within Cot Wood is a small informal ornamental pond, Adam’s Pond, with a single-arched ornamental bridge, dated 1897, at its north end (LB: 13514). The arch is flanked by tall inscription tablets bearing engravings of romantic poems. The gardens lie to the north, west, and south of the house, forming three distinct areas. On the north is a large sunken formal garden surrounded by trees and an informal shrubbery; on the south is a formal terraced garden on ground falling away to the woodland park; and to the west an informal arboretum area planted with specimen mixed trees. The sunken garden north of the house was created in 1888 and was subsequently enlarged, taking its present form by 1899. It is laid out to lawn, divided into four quarters by wide tarmac cross paths and with a perimeter path. In each corner is a square ornamental lead tub on a stone plinth. On the north, east and west sides the paths end in semi-circular alcoves with stone benches (LB: 23929; 23930; 23931). In the centre is an octagonal brick-lined pool with steps on the north side. In the centres of the four grass quarters are raised octagonal beds surrounded by low stone walls, reached by diagonal paths running from the centre. The garden is surrounded on all but the south side by belts of mixed ornamental trees, some of considerable size. On its south side is an open stone balustrade (LB: 23921) marking the boundary of the forecourt in front of the house. In the centre is a semi-circular recess with a stone bench.  To the east of the sunken garden is an area of large shrubs, mainly rhododendrons, through which narrow stone-edged paths wind. From the sunken area the woods are accessed by a flight of steps in its north-east corner. To the south of the house is a terraced garden, bounded by a rubble stone revetment wall and drive. A large level lawn in front of the house is planted with specimen trees. A path runs east-west across the lawn and another runs beside the house. On its east side the lawn is bounded by a yew hedge and a stone and brick wall with an ornamental stone arch and wrought iron ornamental gates at its northern end (LB: 13512). The gates are said to have been brought from Venice in 1892-93. Towards the east end of the lawn a flight of stone steps leads down to a lower, revetted terrace. The terrace revetment wall is built of rubble stone (LB: 23920) and the steps are flanked by pierced parapet walls terminated by piers. The terrace is laid out with a flagstone path flanked by narrow grass strips and flowerbeds up to the revetment walls. The lower revetment wall, is capped by a low arching balustrade (LB: 23919). On the south side of the terrace is a parapet wall at the east end of which is the site of a former tower, now gone. A flight of stone steps leads down to the lowest, third revetted terrace, a quadrilateral area of lawn laid out formally with island rose beds arranged around an ornate, central, sundial (LB: 23918) on an octagonal base. The terraces were created in 1893 and the terrace walls were mostly built by 1899 and are shown on the Ordnance Survey of that date. Steps were added to the lower terrace wall by 1914, by which time a sundial had also been added to the lower terrace, around which rose beds were laid. The third main area of the gardens, the woodland grounds, lie to the west and south-west of the house. This is a large, gently sloping informal area laid out as an ornamental arboretum, with specimen trees, both deciduous and coniferous, in grass with some laurel under-planting. Mature trees include plane, sweet chestnut, and ash, and conifers such as Californian redwoods, Wellingtonias and Japanese cedars. The kitchen garden lies to the east of the house on ground sloping to the south-east. It is roughly rectangular and is bounded by walls of stone ornamented with horizontal bands of yellow brick. Although of similar style, the west wall appears older than the other walls. Early mapping suggests that the entire east wall was rebuilt after 1878. The pre-Clark history of the garden is unclear. The first-edition Ordnance Survey map, surveyed 1874-8, shows a very irregular east boundary contrasting with straight walls elsewhere, clearly remedied on later editions. The enclosed area falls into two sections: the roughly square, lower, south-east section is laid out to grass with some old fruit trees. The north-west, upper, end of the garden is of irregular shape, and was once occupied by extensive glasshouses. It has since been developed as Talygarn Court. Significant View: From the lawn and terrace to the south of the house across the gardens and park. Sources: Cadw 2000: Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in Wales, Glamorgan, 148-52 (ref: PGW(Gm)8(RCT)). Ordnance Survey six-inch map, sheet: Glamorgan XLII (1885). Ordnance Survey six-inch map, sheet: Glamorgan XLII (1914). Additional notes: D.K.Leighton