With the help of Thomas Mawson, a well-known landscape architect, the Cory
family developed a spectacular garden stretching over 55 acres, including
formal lawns, an arboretum and a collection of themed “garden rooms”, such
as a Mediterranean garden and rose garden.
The entire estate passed into the hands of the Vale of Glamorgan council in
1996, and has gone extensive restoration, with the help of over £6 million
in funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund.
Councillor Neil Moore, leader of Vale of Glamorgan Council, told the Telegraph
that the garden had been passed to the National Trust because the council
believed the charity could boost visitor numbers and bring money to the
area.
“Now the council has restored the site to its current wonderful condition, the
National Trust can take this beautiful location to a higher level, drawing
in its members from all over the UK. We expect visitor numbers to boom,
boosting local tourism hugely,” he said.
The Trust’s first project on the site is to open five rooms in the house,
which is currently closed, so that visitors can view the garden from the
perspective the house’s inhabitants would have once enjoyed.
“The garden was designed and built to ensure the family and their guests could
enjoy views of it from different rooms within the house and by opening up
these to the public for the first time, visitors will be able to experience
the house and garden in the way the owners once did,” said Mr Calnan.
A similar deal to lease the historic Welsh mansion of Tredegar House in
Newport for 50 years was struck with the National Trust in 2011.
Speak Your Mind