Bedwellty House
Encyclopedia
Bedwellty House is a Grade 2 listed house and gardens in Tredegar
, in the Sirhowy Valley
in south-east Wales
.
,” the old house was renovated in 1809. The present Bedwellty House was built in 1818 as a home for Samuel Homfray
, whose Iron and Coal Works were the main local employers for much of the 19th century.
The surrounding 26 acres (105,218.4 m²) Victorian
garden and park
, designed originally as a Dutch garden around which one could walk or ride without being confronted by gate, fence or outside features; contains the Long Shelter, a Grade2 listed structure built for the Charterist movement.
, gazebo
, duck
pond
s, and a world famous lump of coal
– a single 15 ton
block hewn by South Wales coal miners for the Great Exhibition in 1851. In March 2007, the Heritage Lottery Fund
earmarked £3.6m to finance development of the site to help make it the focus of the community.
Tredegar
Tredegar is a town situated on the Sirhowy River in the county borough of Blaenau Gwent, in south-east Wales. Located within the historic boundaries of Monmouthshire, it became an early centre of the Industrial Revolution in South Wales...
, in the Sirhowy Valley
Sirhowy Valley
The Sirhowy Valley is an industrialised valley in the eastern part of the Valleys region of South Wales. It is named from the Sirhowy River which runs through it. Its upper reaches are occupied by the town of Tredegar within the unitary area of Blaenau Gwent...
in south-east 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...
.
History
Originally a ”low thatched roof cottageCottage
__toc__In modern usage, a cottage is usually a modest, often cozy dwelling, typically in a rural or semi-rural location. However there are cottage-style dwellings in cities, and in places such as Canada the term exists with no connotations of size at all...
,” the old house was renovated in 1809. The present Bedwellty House was built in 1818 as a home for Samuel Homfray
Samuel Homfray
Samuel Homfray was an English industrialist during the Industrial Revolution in Great Britain, associated with the early iron industry in South Wales....
, whose Iron and Coal Works were the main local employers for much of the 19th century.
The surrounding 26 acres (105,218.4 m²) Victorian
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
garden and park
Park
A park is a protected area, in its natural or semi-natural state, or planted, and set aside for human recreation and enjoyment, or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. It may consist of rocks, soil, water, flora and fauna and grass areas. Many parks are legally protected by...
, designed originally as a Dutch garden around which one could walk or ride without being confronted by gate, fence or outside features; contains the Long Shelter, a Grade2 listed structure built for the Charterist movement.
Attractions
Visitors today can also see the Edwardian bandstandBandstand
A bandstand is a circular or semicircular structure set in a park, garden, pier, or indoor space, designed to accommodate musical bands performing concerts...
, gazebo
Gazebo
A gazebo is a pavilion structure, sometimes octagonal, that may be built, in parks, gardens, and spacious public areas. Gazebos are freestanding or attached to a garden wall, roofed, and open on all sides; they provide shade, shelter, ornamental features in a landscape, and a place to rest...
, duck
Duck
Duck is the common name for a large number of species in the Anatidae family of birds, which also includes swans and geese. The ducks are divided among several subfamilies in the Anatidae family; they do not represent a monophyletic group but a form taxon, since swans and geese are not considered...
pond
Pond
A pond is a body of standing water, either natural or man-made, that is usually smaller than a lake. A wide variety of man-made bodies of water are classified as ponds, including water gardens, water features and koi ponds; all designed for aesthetic ornamentation as landscape or architectural...
s, and a world famous lump of coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
– a single 15 ton
Ton
The ton is a unit of measure. It has a long history and has acquired a number of meanings and uses over the years. It is used principally as a unit of weight, and as a unit of volume. It can also be used as a measure of energy, for truck classification, or as a colloquial term.It is derived from...
block hewn by South Wales coal miners for the Great Exhibition in 1851. In March 2007, the Heritage Lottery Fund
Heritage Lottery Fund
The Heritage Lottery Fund is a fund established in the United Kingdom under the National Lottery etc. Act 1993. The Fund opened for applications in 1994. It uses money raised through the National Lottery to transform and sustain the UK’s heritage...
earmarked £3.6m to finance development of the site to help make it the focus of the community.
External links
- Bedwellty House at Blaenau Gwent County Borough CouncilBlaenau Gwent County Borough CouncilBlaenau Gwent County Borough Council is the governing body for Blaenau Gwent, one of the Principal Areas of Wales.- Current composition :By-Election's:* A by-election was held to fill a vacancy in the Tredegar Central & West ward.LAB Hold...