PGW(Po)47(POW)

The Dderw  

II*  

01/02/2022  

Designated  

Powys  

Rhayader  

296201  

268300  

Gardens, Parks and Urban Spaces  

Enlarged farmhouse set in old farm land. Victorian garden with later additions enclosed with woodland belts.  

c. 1840; terraced garden c. 1920s.  

The Dderw is located a short distance to the north-west of Rhayader. It is a nineteenth-century house on a more ancient site. It is notable for its well-preserved wooded grounds and its fine Arts and Crafts terraced garden, established by the 1920s and reflecting the influence of the designer Thomas Mawson. House and gardens are set within a small park. Its history is unknown but the surviving plantings within it date from the late 1800s. Once the centre of a vast estate the property remains in the hereditary ownership of the Prickard family. The park is roughly circular, of about 10 acres (4ha.), and lies to the south of the house on ground falling away to the south-east. It is bounded by curving belts of mixed woodland along the east and west sides, natural deciduous woodland on the south-east, and by the public road to Cwmystwyth on the south. The drive enters the site through a formal stone gateway on the west of the park, from which it is separated by a high planted bank. Within the park, which is not partitioned, are isolated plantings of Scots pine, noble fir, lime and copper beech. A few large ancient oaks flank a hollow way near the park’s eastern boundary. Set in a rocky and wooded dell in the south corner is a large pool, now overgrown. The gardens of the Dderw lie to the south and east of the house. They cover about 3 acres (1.2 ha) and are enclosed on the north, west and east by ornamental mixed woodland belts which extend to the park boundary. The house is approached from the west to a forecourt partly bounded by yew hedges with topiary. On the south side of the house are two wide open grass terraces accessed by steps from a hardcore terrace alongside the house. Their east and west sides are flanked by shrubberies blending into woodland beyond. The upper grass terrace is revetted, the lower one, which extends east along the full length of the garden, terminates at a ha-ha with a sundial on its south-east corner. On the east side of the house is a rectangular Arts and Crafts terraced garden descending the south hillslope in five tiers. The uppermost is a lawn surrounded by narrow borders and enclosed variously by high stone walls, a yew hedge, and a raised walk on the north. An ornamental iron gate on the south connects the remaining four levels on a central axis, linking them by sets of dressed stone steps, in addition to steps down the west side. The second level is a wide stone-flagged terrace enclosed on the south by a low wall, a narrow border along its north side. From this level the garden is enclosed on the west by a high clipped yew hedge. The third and fourth levels are similar, both with narrow strips of grass set between narrow borders on each side of the central path. The fifth, lowest, level is a lawn set with small box-edged beds around a central sundial on a stone column, enclosed on the south by a high yew hedge with an iron footgate as well as a gate on the west. Like the forecourt, the angles of the garden hedges are marked with clipped topiary balls. The plantings within the terraced garden is typically 'English' including lavender, old roses, fuchsias and heathers. No significant changes to the gardens are believed to have taken place since the 1920s. The kitchen garden lies to the north-east of the house. It is a lozenge shaped area, about 1 acre (0.4 ha), and slopes to the south. Its date is uncertain. It is now mostly enclosed by fencing with only the north wall upstanding. To the rear of the garden are the brick footings of a lost glasshouse or bothy; abandoned brick cold frames; and a small lean-to glasshouse carrying the maker's mark of 'Walker's patent'. Setting - Y Dderw is situated in a magnificent rural location part way up a spur of land between the River Wye on the north and its tributary valley of the Nant Gwynllyn on the south. The house is set on a level terrace looking south towards the Elan Valley. Significant views – Y Dderw lies at about 230m AOD giving spectacular views across the park and the Elan and Wye valleys beyond to the south. Source: Cadw 1999: Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in Wales, Powys, 52-5 (ref: PGW (Po)47(POW)).