Garden gatepiers to a cross terrace in the formal W gardens at Old Gwernyfed, Gwernyfed, Powys

Coordinates

Latitude: 52.0215 / 52°1'17"N

Longitude: -3.1937 / 3°11'37"W

OS Eastings: 318185

OS Northings: 236567

OS Grid: SO181365

Mapcode National: GBR YY.GVV0

Mapcode Global: VH6BP.LGG6

Plus Code: 9C4R2RC4+HG

Entry Name: Garden gatepiers to a cross terrace in the formal W gardens at Old Gwernyfed

Listing Date: 28 September 1961

Last Amended: 15 December 1995

Grade: II*

Source: Cadw

Source ID: 6645

Building Class: Domestic

ID on this website: 300006645

Location: Located approximately 60m W of the SW wing of the W elevation of Old Gwernyfed house, on a cross terrace of the garden earthworks, laid out SSW to NNE, tangentially to and overlooked by the house.

County: Powys

Community: Gwernyfed

Locality: Felindre

Traditional County: Brecknockshire

Tagged with: Terrace garden

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History

The extensive (3.5 hectares) of gardens at Old Gwernyfed were laid out in 1604 at the time of the marriage of Harry Williams to Eleanor Whitney, a wedding poem in Brecon/Radnoshire border dialect of Welsh being written for the occasion. The gatepiers are the remains of a walled parterre, below three terraces at the N end, and flanked an axial drive leading NW beyond a fishpond to a round-point from which avenues radiated. The gardens contained various water features, some of which survive to the S of the piers.

Exterior

Ornamental garden gate piers of c1604, almost identical to those of Hay-on-Wye castle. The square piers are of channel-rusticated limestone ashlar, with stepped necking mouldings, an arcaded frieze and moulded cornice. Stepped pyramidal cap carries a fluted square pedestal to a ball finial. To either side the rubble garden walls survives for approximately 1.5m as piers within the garden, and contain one apse-headed niche each side facing back towards the house. Within the reveals, pintles for double gates opening into the gardens.

Within the garden, the terrace is approximately 100m wide, ending with a splayed gate opening 3m wide opposite the piers, set within a rubble garden wall, and taking the driveway out of the formal garden.

Reasons for Listing

Included at Grade II* as a important surviving element of one of the finest relict Jacobean gardens in Wales undamaged by later alterations.

Within the scheduled area of Scheduled Ancient Monument B193.

External Links

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

Other nearby listed buildings

I Old Gwernyfed
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II Boundary walls, gatepiers and gate to forecourt and driveway at Old Gwernyfed
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British Listed Buildings

History in Structure

Garden gatepiers to a cross terrace in the formal W gardens at Old Gwernyfed

A Grade II* Listed Building in Gwernyfed, Powys