The Cadw/ICOMOS Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in Wales is a heritage register of significant historic parks and gardens in Wales. It is maintained by Cadw, the historic environment service of the Welsh Government and was given statutory status in 2022.
In 1992, when Elisabeth Whittle described Cadw as having a "somewhat special and guiding role" in the preservation of historic parks and gardens, since they are "an integral part of Welsh archaeological and architectural heritage", [1] a collaboration between Cadw and the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) was working to compile the Register of Landscapes, Parks, and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in Wales. [1] Part 1 of this, the Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in Wales, was published in six volumes between 1994 and 2002, each covering a particular area of Wales, and with an additional volume published in 2007. [2] [note 1]
The register of parks and gardens was given statutory status in 2022 and is administered by Cadw, the historic environment agency of the Welsh Government. [4] [5] The register includes just under 400 sites, ranging from gardens of private houses, to cemeteries and public parks. Parks and gardens are listed at one of three grades, matching the grading system used for listed buildings. Grade I is the highest grade, for sites of exceptional interest; Grade II*, the next highest, denotes parks and gardens of great quality; and Grade II denotes sites of special interest. [6]
The following list includes all registered sites listed at Grade I.
Principal area | Number of sites | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Grade I | Grade II* | Grade II | Total | |
Anglesey | 1 | 5 | 3 | 9 |
Blaenau Gwent | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Bridgend | 0 | 1 | 5 | 6 |
Caerphilly | 0 | 0 | 5 | 5 |
Cardiff | 3 | 5 | 10 | 18 |
Carmarthenshire | 1 | 4 | 14 | 19 |
Ceredigion | 1 | 2 | 9 | 12 |
Conwy | 4 | 4 | 15 | 23 |
Denbighshire | 0 | 5 | 22 | 27 |
Flintshire | 2 | 6 | 16 | 24 |
Gwynedd | 3 | 10 | 19 | 32 |
Merthyr Tydfil | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
Monmouthshire | 5 | 9 | 34 | 48 |
Neath Port Talbot | 1 | 1 | 4 | 6 |
Newport | 0 | 1 | 9 | 10 |
Pembrokeshire | 3 | 8 | 24 | 35 |
Powys | 5 | 16 | 30 | 51 |
Rhondda Cynon Taf | 0 | 2 | 3 | 5 |
Swansea | 3 | 0 | 11 | 14 |
Torfaen | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
Vale of Glamorgan | 2 | 4 | 12 | 18 |
Wrexham | 3 | 3 | 11 | 17 |
Total | 37 | 89 | 259 | 385 |
Separate registers of parks, gardens and designed landscapes are maintained in the other countries of the United Kingdom:
Cadw/ICOMOS, Register of Landscapes, Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in Wales, Part 1: [2] [note 1]
Plas Gwyn is an area in the community of Pentraeth, Anglesey, Wales, which is 131.8 miles (212 km) from Cardiff and 211.2 miles (339.8 km) from London.
Sophia Gardens is a public park in Riverside, Cardiff, Wales, on the west bank of the River Taff. International test cricket matches and county cricket matches are held in the Sophia Gardens cricket ground, the home of Glamorgan County Cricket Club. The gardens are listed on the Cadw/ICOMOS Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in Wales.
The Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes in Scotland is a listing of gardens and designed landscapes of national artistic and/or historical significance, in Scotland. The Inventory was originally compiled in 1987, although it is a continually evolving list. From 1991 it was maintained by Historic Scotland and Scottish Natural Heritage, and is now updated by a dedicated team within Historic Environment Scotland. As of 2016 the Inventory includes over 300 sites across Scotland.
Clytha Park, Clytha, Monmouthshire, is a 19th-century Neoclassical country house, "the finest early nineteenth century Greek Revival house in the county." The wider estate encompasses Monmouthshire's "two outstanding examples of late eighteenth century Gothic", the gates to the park and Clytha Castle. The owners were the Jones family, later Herbert, of Treowen and Llanarth Court. It is a Grade I listed building.
Dewstow House, Caldicot, Monmouthshire, Wales, is an early nineteenth century villa in a Neoclassical style. The house is notable as the site of "one of the strangest gardens in Wales." The building itself is plain; described by architectural writer John Newman as a "simple three-bay villa", it has extensive views over the Severn Estuary. The house is a Grade II listed building, while the garden is listed at the highest grade, Grade I, on the Cadw/ICOMOS Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in Wales.
Wyndcliffe Court, 0.5 miles (0.8 km) north of the village of St. Arvans, Monmouthshire, Wales, is a Grade II* listed country house and gardens in the Arts and Crafts style, completed in 1922. The client was Charles Leigh Clay and the architect Eric Francis. The gardens were designed by Henry Avray Tipping and are included on the Cadw/ICOMOS Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in Wales.
The Welsh Historic Gardens Trust is a charity and membership organisation for heritage conservation. Established in 1989, the trust exists to support the conservation of historic parks and gardens in Wales.
Merthyr Tydfil County Borough is located in the historic county of Glamorgan in Wales and takes its name from its largest town. The county borough covers an area of 111 km2 (43 sq mi) and had a population of approximately 58,900 in 2021. There are three sites on the register of parks and gardens in Merthyr Tydfil County Borough. Two are listed at Grade II*, and one is Grade II.
Monmouthshire is a county of Wales. It borders Torfaen and Newport to the west; Herefordshire and Gloucestershire to the east; and Powys to the north. The largest town is Abergavenny, with other large settlements being Chepstow, Monmouth, and Usk. The present county was formed under the Local Government (Wales) Act 1994, which came into effect in 1996. It has an area of 850 km2 (330 sq mi), with a population of 93,200 as of 2021. Monmouthshire comprises some sixty per cent of the historic county, and was known as Gwent between 1974 and 1996.
The Isle of Anglesey, a principal area off the north-west coast of Wales, includes the islands of Anglesey, Holy Island and some islets and skerries. It covers an area of 711 km2 (275 sq mi) and in 2021 the population was approximately 68,900.
Caerphilly County Borough is a county borough in south-east Wales. It covers an area of 227 km2 (88 sq mi). In 2021 the population was approximately 176,000.
The Vale of Glamorgan is a county borough in south-east Wales. It covers an area of 331 km2 (128 sq mi) and in 2021 the population was approximately 132,500.
Neath Port Talbot is a county borough in South Wales. It covers an area of 441 km2 (170 sq mi) and in 2021 the population was approximately 141,900.
Carmarthenshire is a county in the south-west of Wales. It covers an area of 2,370 km2 (920 sq mi). In 2021 the population was approximately 188,200.
Ceredigion is a county in the west of Wales. It covers an area of 1,785 km2 (689 sq mi) and in 2021 the population was approximately 70,700.
Newport is a city and county borough in the south of Wales. It covers an area of 190 km2 (73 sq mi) and in 2021 the population was approximately 159,700.
Gwynedd is a county in the north-west of Wales. It covers an area of 2,535 km2 (979 sq mi) and in 2021 the population was approximately 117,100.
Conwy County Borough is a county borough in the north of Wales. It covers an area of 1,126 km2 (435 sq mi) and had a population of approximately 114,800 in 2021.
Elisabeth Whittle is a garden historian from Wales. A former president of the Welsh Historic Gardens Trust and a trustee of the National Botanic Garden of Wales, her published works include studies of the historic gardens of Wales and of the history of Glamorgan and Gwent. She is a fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London.
Torfaen is a county borough in south-east Wales. It covers an area of 126 km2 (49 sq mi). In 2021 the population was approximately 92,300.