Aberglasney
Encyclopedia
Aberglasney House and Gardens is a medieval house and gardens set in the Tywi valley, Carmarthenshire
, West
Wales
. It is owned and run by Aberglasney Restoration Trust, a registered charity
.
between Llandeilo
and Carmarthen
town, 3 miles (4.8 km) from Llandeilo.
"Prince between Wye and Severn," and Gwenllian
, granddaughter of Hywel Dda
. After the triumphant return of Henry Tudor
at the Battle of Bosworth, then owner William ap Thomas
who was knighted by the king for his service, gained formal responsibilities in both North and South Wales, and decided to move permanently north to Coed Helen on the North Wales coast.
He sold what was then known as Llys Wen to members of the Rudd family sometime around 1600. Funded by the recently appointed Anthony Rudd
(c. 1548-1614), Bishop
of St David's Cathedral
form 1594, the house was reconstructed in 1603, a time when it also probably gained its still standing Elizabethan promenade garden, the best preserved of its type in all of Great Britain. The house stayed in the family's hands for a few generations, but allegiance to the crown during the English Civil War
and high Hearth tax (with 13 chimney
s, the highest paid in all of Carmarthenshire), the house was eventually bought by Robert Dyer, a successful Carmarthen lawyer, in 1710.
Dyer who was thought to have been living in the property at this time, had the house "rebuilt," although later investigation suggests he improved it greatly including the additional of a Queen Anne style
facade
. Dyer died before the works were completed in 1720, succeeded by his eldest son Robert, who married Frances Croft of Croft Castle
, descended from Owain Glyn Dwr. Pictures of the couple within the house are thought to have been painted by his brother, then painter and poet
John Dyer
. In 1726, John published two poems referencing Aberglasney: "The Country Walk" about Aberglasney, and "Grongar Hill" describing the Tywi valley. After ownership under mounting debts, the estate was put up for sale in 1798.
In 1803, the house was bought by John Philips, a lawyer from Llandeilo, on behalf of his brother Thomas, a surgeon returning home after a 30 year career as a surgeon
with the East India Company
. He and his married mistress lived in the house, and dying childless in 1824 left the property to his sister's son John Walters, who added Philipps to his surname and a portico
to the Queen Anne façade. He had a son who died in childhood and three daughters, two of whom died leaving the property to be inherited by the middle daughter. Her daughter Mary Anne (also known as Marianne), inherited the property, while her father John Pugh Pryse of Bwlchbychan remarried Decima Dorothea Rice of Llwynybrain, after the death of Mary Anne's mother. The Yew tree promenade was the subject of a Gardeners Chronicle article in 1860.
Marianne Pryse married soldier Charles Mayhew, and moving with him to Derbyshire
Aberglasney was let out. After his retirement in 1902, they moved to Aberglasney, where Colonel Mayhew planted the rare specimen trees that remain in the grounds. The couple were the local co-ordinators for the teetotalism
movement, holding Temperance rallies, giving Llangathen its Temperance Hall, and turning out tenants who declined to sign the Pledge. Colonel Mayhew died in 1907, and in 1908 Marianne moved to London
, where she spent the rest of her life, refusing to let out Aberglasney.
Aberglasney was commandeered at the outbreak of World War II
, becoming a mobile laundry for the RAOC. As the build-up to D Day occurred, the house was used as a holding-station for troops of the US Army, which included the sparring partner of Joe Louis
, Top Sergeant Dawson. A stray Luftwaffe
bomb fell on the property, after a raid on Swansea docks
, in a field towards Lanlash.
After the end of WW2 and the death of Marianne in 1939, a descendant of Decima Dorothea Rice, Eric Evans and his young family took up residence. But on his death in 1950 aged 30, the family trustees decided that the property was not economic, and hence decided to sell it.
auctioneers, the Welsh Office
stepped in with a full prosecution to preserve the listed building.
In 1995 a transfer was agreed with the Aberglasney Restoration Trust. As the house restoration had already started, it was ineligible for the BBC's Restoration
series, and so director William Wilkins appealed to United States
horticulturalists and benefactors Frank and Ann Cabot
. The 10 acres (4 ha) gardens opened to the public in 1999, with three walled gardens:
From April to September, Aberglasney is open from 10am - 6pm; in the Winter (October to March) - 10:30am - 4pm. There are entry costs, but membership of Aberglasney reduces these fees.
The gardens were the site of the BBC's Antiques Roadshow
in 2009.
, a wealthy surgeon with the East India Company
, who owned the property and died in 1824 has reportedly been seen on many occasions in the grounds by gardeners and butlers. After Phillip's death bad luck affected its successive owners, and many children died in their infancy at the house. The Pigeon House Wood at the rear of the property is said to be one of the paranormal hotspots and many visitors report feeling a sudden fear, followed by an eerie coldness. In 1999 a medium visited this area and claimed that a fugitive had spent his last moments here trying to evade capture before he was shot and that his emotions before his death are felt by people in the vicinity.
Carmarthenshire
Carmarthenshire is a unitary authority in the south west of Wales and one of thirteen historic counties. It is the 3rd largest in Wales. Its three largest towns are Llanelli, Carmarthen and Ammanford...
, West
West Wales
West Wales is the western area of Wales.Some definitions of West Wales include only Pembrokeshire, Ceredigion and Carmarthenshire, an area which historically comprised the Welsh principality of Deheubarth., an area called "South West Wales" in the Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics....
Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
. It is owned and run by Aberglasney Restoration Trust, a registered charity
Charitable organization
A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization . It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization (NPO). It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A...
.
Location
Aberglasney is located just off the busy A40 roadA40 road
The A40 is a major trunk road connecting London to Fishguard, Wales and officially called The London to Fishguard Trunk Road in all legal documents and Acts...
between Llandeilo
Llandeilo
Llandeilo is a town in Carmarthenshire, Wales, situated at the crossing of the River Towy by the A483 on a 19th century stone bridge. Its population is 1,731.The town is served by Llandeilo railway station on the Heart of Wales Line.- Early history :...
and Carmarthen
Carmarthen
Carmarthen is a community in, and the county town of, Carmarthenshire, Wales. It is sited on the River Towy north of its mouth at Carmarthen Bay. In 2001, the population was 14,648....
town, 3 miles (4.8 km) from Llandeilo.
History
The site was owned for ten generations of a family which by tradition could trace its origins to Elystan GlodryddElystan Glodrydd
Elystan Glodrydd was, according to Welsh genealogical tracts, the founder of the fifth Royal Tribe of Wales....
"Prince between Wye and Severn," and Gwenllian
Gwenllian
Gwenllian was the name of several ladies who lived in medieval Wales. The two best known have, for different reasons, become symbols of Welsh patriotism and/or independence. The others, have not.*Gwenllian ferch Llywelyn *Gwenllian ferch Gruffydd...
, granddaughter of Hywel Dda
Hywel Dda
Hywel Dda , was the well-thought-of king of Deheubarth in south-west Wales, who eventually came to rule Wales from Prestatyn to Pembroke. As a descendant of Rhodri Mawr, through his father Cadell, Hywel was a member of the Dinefwr branch of the dynasty and is also named Hywel ap Cadell...
. After the triumphant return of Henry Tudor
Henry VII of England
Henry VII was King of England and Lord of Ireland from his seizing the crown on 22 August 1485 until his death on 21 April 1509, as the first monarch of the House of Tudor....
at the Battle of Bosworth, then owner William ap Thomas
William ap Thomas
William ap Thomas was a member of the Welsh gentry family that came to be known as the Herbert family through his son William Herbert, 1st Earl of Pembroke and is an ancestor of the current Earls of Pembroke....
who was knighted by the king for his service, gained formal responsibilities in both North and South Wales, and decided to move permanently north to Coed Helen on the North Wales coast.
He sold what was then known as Llys Wen to members of the Rudd family sometime around 1600. Funded by the recently appointed Anthony Rudd
Anthony Rudd
-Life:He graduated B.A. from Trinity College, Cambridge in 1567, and M.A. in 1570.He became Dean of Gloucester in 1584, and Bishop of St. David's in 1594...
(c. 1548-1614), Bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
of St David's Cathedral
St David's Cathedral
St David's Cathedral is situated in St David's in the county of Pembrokeshire, on the most westerly point of Wales.-Early history:The monastic community was founded by Saint David, Abbot of Menevia, who died in AD589...
form 1594, the house was reconstructed in 1603, a time when it also probably gained its still standing Elizabethan promenade garden, the best preserved of its type in all of Great Britain. The house stayed in the family's hands for a few generations, but allegiance to the crown during the English Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
and high Hearth tax (with 13 chimney
Chimney
A chimney is a structure for venting hot flue gases or smoke from a boiler, stove, furnace or fireplace to the outside atmosphere. Chimneys are typically vertical, or as near as possible to vertical, to ensure that the gases flow smoothly, drawing air into the combustion in what is known as the...
s, the highest paid in all of Carmarthenshire), the house was eventually bought by Robert Dyer, a successful Carmarthen lawyer, in 1710.
Dyer who was thought to have been living in the property at this time, had the house "rebuilt," although later investigation suggests he improved it greatly including the additional of a Queen Anne style
Queen Anne Style architecture
The Queen Anne Style in Britain means either the English Baroque architectural style roughly of the reign of Queen Anne , or a revived form that was popular in the last quarter of the 19th century and the early decades of the 20th century...
facade
Facade
A facade or façade is generally one exterior side of a building, usually, but not always, the front. The word comes from the French language, literally meaning "frontage" or "face"....
. Dyer died before the works were completed in 1720, succeeded by his eldest son Robert, who married Frances Croft of Croft Castle
Croft Castle
Croft Castle is a manor house and associated buildings near the village of Yarpole in Herefordshire, England some to the north-west of Leominster .-11th century origin:...
, descended from Owain Glyn Dwr. Pictures of the couple within the house are thought to have been painted by his brother, then painter and poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
John Dyer
John Dyer
John Dyer was a painter and Welsh poet turned clergyman of the Church of England who maintained an interest in his Welsh ancestry...
. In 1726, John published two poems referencing Aberglasney: "The Country Walk" about Aberglasney, and "Grongar Hill" describing the Tywi valley. After ownership under mounting debts, the estate was put up for sale in 1798.
In 1803, the house was bought by John Philips, a lawyer from Llandeilo, on behalf of his brother Thomas, a surgeon returning home after a 30 year career as a surgeon
Surgeon
In medicine, a surgeon is a specialist in surgery. Surgery is a broad category of invasive medical treatment that involves the cutting of a body, whether human or animal, for a specific reason such as the removal of diseased tissue or to repair a tear or breakage...
with the East India Company
East India Company
The East India Company was an early English joint-stock company that was formed initially for pursuing trade with the East Indies, but that ended up trading mainly with the Indian subcontinent and China...
. He and his married mistress lived in the house, and dying childless in 1824 left the property to his sister's son John Walters, who added Philipps to his surname and a portico
Portico
A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls...
to the Queen Anne façade. He had a son who died in childhood and three daughters, two of whom died leaving the property to be inherited by the middle daughter. Her daughter Mary Anne (also known as Marianne), inherited the property, while her father John Pugh Pryse of Bwlchbychan remarried Decima Dorothea Rice of Llwynybrain, after the death of Mary Anne's mother. The Yew tree promenade was the subject of a Gardeners Chronicle article in 1860.
Marianne Pryse married soldier Charles Mayhew, and moving with him to Derbyshire
Derbyshire
Derbyshire is a county in the East Midlands of England. A substantial portion of the Peak District National Park lies within Derbyshire. The northern part of Derbyshire overlaps with the Pennines, a famous chain of hills and mountains. The county contains within its boundary of approx...
Aberglasney was let out. After his retirement in 1902, they moved to Aberglasney, where Colonel Mayhew planted the rare specimen trees that remain in the grounds. The couple were the local co-ordinators for the teetotalism
Teetotalism
Teetotalism refers to either the practice of or the promotion of complete abstinence from alcoholic beverages. A person who practices teetotalism is called a teetotaler or is simply said to be teetotal...
movement, holding Temperance rallies, giving Llangathen its Temperance Hall, and turning out tenants who declined to sign the Pledge. Colonel Mayhew died in 1907, and in 1908 Marianne moved to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, where she spent the rest of her life, refusing to let out Aberglasney.
Aberglasney was commandeered at the outbreak of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, becoming a mobile laundry for the RAOC. As the build-up to D Day occurred, the house was used as a holding-station for troops of the US Army, which included the sparring partner of Joe Louis
Joe Louis
Joseph Louis Barrow , better known as Joe Louis, was the world heavyweight boxing champion from 1937 to 1949. He is considered to be one of the greatest heavyweights of all time...
, Top Sergeant Dawson. A stray Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
bomb fell on the property, after a raid on Swansea docks
Swansea docks
Swansea Docks is the collective name for several docks in Swansea, Wales. The Swansea docks are located immediately south east of Swansea city centre. In the mid-19th century the port was exporting 60% of the world's copper from factories situated in the Tawe valley...
, in a field towards Lanlash.
After the end of WW2 and the death of Marianne in 1939, a descendant of Decima Dorothea Rice, Eric Evans and his young family took up residence. But on his death in 1950 aged 30, the family trustees decided that the property was not economic, and hence decided to sell it.
Present day
In 1955 the estate was broken up, with tenant farmers acquiring their rented land, while the house and farm was bought Carmarthen lawyer David Charles. The house remained unoccupied, used occasionally for dances and balls, allowing the damp and decay that had set in under Marianne Pryce's ownership to accelerate. A further sale in 1977 reduced the size of the surrounding lands, in part to fund what became a short-lived effort to restore what was now a vandalised property that was subject to regular architectural theft. When the owners joined this effort by trying to sell the portico legally via Christie'sChristie's
Christie's is an art business and a fine arts auction house.- History :The official company literature states that founder James Christie conducted the first sale in London, England, on 5 December 1766, and the earliest auction catalogue the company retains is from December 1766...
auctioneers, the Welsh Office
Welsh Office
The Welsh Office was a department in the Government of the United Kingdom with responsibilities for Wales. It was established in April 1965 to execute government policy in Wales, and was headed by the Secretary of State for Wales, a post which had been created in October 1964...
stepped in with a full prosecution to preserve the listed building.
In 1995 a transfer was agreed with the Aberglasney Restoration Trust. As the house restoration had already started, it was ineligible for the BBC's Restoration
Restoration (TV series)
Restoration, Restoration, Restoration is a set of BBC television series where viewers decided on which listed building that was in immediate need of remedial works was to win a grant from Heritage Lottery Fund...
series, and so director William Wilkins appealed to United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
horticulturalists and benefactors Frank and Ann Cabot
Francis Cabot
Francis Higginson Cabot, was an American gardener and horticulturist.A 1949 graduate of Harvard College, Cabot was active in the Hasty Pudding Theatricals and was one of the four founders of the a cappella singing group, the Harvard Krokodiloes...
. The 10 acres (4 ha) gardens opened to the public in 1999, with three walled gardens:
- Elizabethan/Jacobean Cloister garden and rare parapet walk at its centre
- Cloister Garden, which based on an archaeological survey in 1999 took the possible age of the site back to the 13th century, with the discovery of a silver Long Cross Penny dating to the reign of Edward I
- Ninfarium award winning garden based on the gardens of Ninfa near Rome. Built within the central ruins of the mansion and is filled with a wide variety of exotic plants.
From April to September, Aberglasney is open from 10am - 6pm; in the Winter (October to March) - 10:30am - 4pm. There are entry costs, but membership of Aberglasney reduces these fees.
The gardens were the site of the BBC's Antiques Roadshow
Antiques Roadshow
Antiques Roadshow is a British television show in which antiques appraisers travel to various regions of the United Kingdom to appraise antiques brought in by local people. It has been running since 1979...
in 2009.
Haunting
The house and grounds are reported to be haunted. Thomas PhillipsThomas Phillips
Thomas Phillips was a leading English portrait and subject painter. He painted many of the great men of the day including scientists, artists, writers, poets and explorers.-Life and work:...
, a wealthy surgeon with the East India Company
East India Company
The East India Company was an early English joint-stock company that was formed initially for pursuing trade with the East Indies, but that ended up trading mainly with the Indian subcontinent and China...
, who owned the property and died in 1824 has reportedly been seen on many occasions in the grounds by gardeners and butlers. After Phillip's death bad luck affected its successive owners, and many children died in their infancy at the house. The Pigeon House Wood at the rear of the property is said to be one of the paranormal hotspots and many visitors report feeling a sudden fear, followed by an eerie coldness. In 1999 a medium visited this area and claimed that a fugitive had spent his last moments here trying to evade capture before he was shot and that his emotions before his death are felt by people in the vicinity.