When thinking about parkland and gardens people often think of the large eighteenth century formal gardens and parklands that surround the grand houses of the wealthy and the nobility. However, the creation of parks and gardens has a much longer history, going as far back as Roman times.
Historic parks and gardens of all ages, shapes and sizes are an important part of our heritage. Whether a large parkland surrounding a grand eighteenth century mansion, the remains of a medieval deer park or a simple cottage garden, parks and gardens help us understanding people in the past. They were as much a part of peoples’ lives as their homes and houses, and so can shed light on the lives of the people who created, owned, used and worked them. The development and evolution of a garden over time reflects changing tastes and fashions.
In the 1990s Cadw undertook a comprehensive survey of historic parks and gardens in Wales, identifying those of national importance and including them in a Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in Wales in order to aid their protection and conservation. Within the Bannau Brycheiniog National Park there are 17 Parks and Gardens that are registered and are of national importance, ranging in date from the twelfth to the twentieth century. These sites are generally privately owned and not publicly accessible, however, one of our Registered Parks and Gardens Craig-y-Nos Country Park, the 40-acre grounds of the Victorian Craig–y–Nos Castle, is easily accessible and open to the public
Further Reading:
Elizabeth Whittle (1992) The
Historic Gardens of Wales London: Her Majesty’s Stationery Office
Cadw and ICOMOS UK (1999) Register
of Landscape, Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in Wales. Part
One: Parks and Gardens. Powys Cardiff: Cadw
Cadw and ICOMOS UK (1994) Register
of Landscape, Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in Wales. Part
One: Parks and Gardens. Gwent
Cardiff: Cadw
Cadw and ICOMOS UK (1994) Register
of Landscape, Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in Wales. Part
One: Parks and Gardens. Additional and Revised Entries. Cardiff: Cadw