The Herbaceous Borders at Dyffryn, looking south. ©National Trust/Andrew Butler
Dyffryn Gardens near Cardiff is the winner of the 2015 Special Places in Wales competition, organised by the National Trust in collaboration with Cadw, Cynnal Cymru, the Heritage Lottery Fund, Visit Wales, the RSPB, Ramblers Cymru and Keep Wales Tidy.
Dyffryn’s entrance front, seen from the Rockery. ©National Trust/Andrew Butler
Public voting began in May to select the most-loved place in Wales. By July 21st the selection had been narrowed down to Dolaucothi Gold Mines, Dyffryn, Gladstone’s Library, Rhossili and Snowdonia.
The view from the house at Dyffryn onto the Great Lawn. ©National Trust/Andrew Butler
Dyffryn was the winner in the second round, receiving more than a third of the final votes.
The Vine Walk at Dyffryn. ©National Trust
The current house at Dyffryn was built by coalmine owner and philanthropist John Cory. In the early 1900s he commissioned landscape architect Thomas Mawson to lay out new gardens.
The Herbaceous Borders at Dyffryn, looking north. ©National Trust
After John Cory’s death in 1910 his son Reginald Cory collaborated even more closely and enthusiastically with Mawson in building up the garden.
The interior of the Glass House at Dyffryn. ©National Trust
Reginald Cory was a keen plant hunter and dahlia enthusiast. He established the Cory Cup which is still awarded annually by the Royal Horticultural Society for the best new hardy hybrids.
Produce in the Walled Garden at Dyffryn. ©National Trust/John Millar
After Dyffryn left the ownership of the Cory family in 1936 it was in institutional use for a number of decades. In 1996 the Vale of Glamorgan Council bought the freehold and the Heritage Lottery Fund provided substantial grants to begin the restoration of the gardens.
The garden front of the house at Dyffryn. ©National Trust
The National Trust has managed Dyffryn since 2013. Staff and volunteers are continuing to improve the gardens and to make this an Edwardian refuge for the twenty-first century.
August 25, 2015 at 14:05 |
Dyffryn Hall and Gardens is also a regular location for the new version of Doctor Who so possibly takes us beyond the 21st century!
August 25, 2015 at 14:08 |
I didn’t know that – excellent! So as Buzz Lightyear could almost have said: for the twenty-first century – and beyond 🙂
August 26, 2015 at 21:58 |
The gardens look fabulous, I will add them to my list of places ‘To Visit’.