PGW(Dy)29(PEM)

Colby Lodge  

II  

01/02/2022  

Designated  

Pembrokeshire  

Amroth  

215741  

207871  

Gardens, Parks and Urban Spaces  

Late nineteenth-century garden of woodland walks with later additions of plant material.  

The drives & the ha-ha appear to be extant by 1889; the network of paths within the woodland is probably post 1918. The walled garden was developed in mid-1970's & revived from the mid-1980's.  

Registered primarily as a woodland garden and walks with exotic trees and shrubs, developed by various owners from about 1894 onwards. There is an unusual gazebo within the walled garden which was designed by Wyn Jones and completed in 1975. The collection of semi-hardy herbaceous and woody material within the walled garden is the work of Mr and Mrs Scourfield Lewis during the 1990s. Colby Lodge woodland garden is mainly a late Edwardian and twentieth-century creation, developed after 1894. The Lodge LB:6042) is approached by a drive from the south and lies at the north end of the grounds which occupy a small, 'U' shaped valley that runs south from the Lodge to the coast at Amroth. The grounds consist of three main elements: the more intensely cultivated areas of garden around the house and the pentagonal walled garden (NPRNs 21809 & 418185); the woodland gardens which occupy the west and east-facing slopes of the valley; and finally the flat, somewhat park-like meadow on the valley floor. The walled garden and the garden surrounding the house date to about 1803, the landscaped gardens evolving after the mid nineteenth century; the woodland garden being created at the end of the nineteenth century. Between 1965 until 1984 the gardens were restored and embellished by Mr and Mrs Chance. The house, gardens and the woodland gardens are all now owned by National Trust. Much of the garden associated with the house has evolved from part of a former south drive. The borders surrounding the drive to the north of the house are mainly planted with hardy shrubs, laurels, hydrangeas and such; whilst to the south, the plantings are very much more exotic with a huge Yucca gloriosa, cistus, phormiums and palms. Within the lawn area, which was the turning circle of the previous drive, is a lead fountain installed by the Chances in the late 1960s. There is woodland with walks and paths on both the east and west-facing slopes of the valley. On the east it is mainly oak and exotic conifers; on the west it is more varied with a range of exotics, including eucalyptus, Japanese Red Cedar, and a range of shrubs including many rhododendron. On either side of the valley are memorials to the Chances. Also in the grounds, in the far south-west corner, is a small wooden Swiss chalet-style summerhouse, above and overlooking the valley, which dates from 1932. The walled garden lies to the east of the Lodge, at the north end of the woodland gardens. It dates from about 1803. It occupies an area of about one acre enclosed by a stone wall 3m-4m high, of uncoursed mortared stone with neat capping which appears to be a recent addition or restoration. It is pentagonal on plan, built on a sloping site facing west. Access is by a gate just across the lane from the lodge via a flight of six steps through an arched entrance in the west wall, and there is a further gate on the south side. The interior is laid out with herb and plant beds divided by paths. The garden was restored by Tony & Cynthia Scourfield in the period 1986-2010. At the change of ownership in 1986 the garden still had the remnants of a grid plan of paths but was essentially overgrown and featureless except for the octagonal gazebo in the north-east corner. This was designed by Wyn Jones and was completed in 1975. A lion’s-head spout at the base of the gazebo platform feeds a rill 8.5m long which terminates in a small pond to the west. The remainder of the garden is informally divided into areas of varying formality. The collection of semi-hardy herbaceous and woody material within the walled garden is the work of Mr and Mrs Scourfield Lewis during the 1990s. Significant Views: Views of the grounds and meadow from the lodge. Sources: Cadw 2002: Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in Wales, Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire (ref: PGW Dy29(PEM)), p.195-7. Additional notes: C.S.Briggs; J.Latham