- Five of the 52 rooms at Dyffryn House in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales, have been refurbished by National Trust
- Mansion was built in 1983 by industrialist John Cory and is surrounded by 52 acres of pristine gardens
By
Daily Mail Reporter
PUBLISHED:
16:45 EST, 27 March 2013
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UPDATED:
18:07 EST, 27 March 2013
Its magnificent Edwardian rooms have lain empty and dilapidated for more than twenty years.
But visitors to the Dyffryn estate in Wales will no longer have to peer through its mansion’s dusty windows for a glimpse of grandeur, as the house prepares to open its doors once more.
After spells as a conference centre and police training facility, the 52-room property has undergone an extensive multimillion pound refurbishment.
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Open again: Students from Swansea Metropolitan University view a fresco by Scottish artist Thomas Wallace Hay on a ceiling in Dyffryn House, near Cardiff, Wales, which will be reopened to the public this week
Refurbishment: The historic mansion has undergone a multimillion pound refurbishment after being taken over by the National Trust
Splendour: The 52-room house was originally built in 1893
Impressive: Five room have been restored in by the National Trust, including this one featuring a fresco by Scottish artist Thomas Wallace Hay
The grade-II listed mansion, located in the Vale of Glamorgan, has not been entirely restored to its former glory, with only five rooms accessible to the public when the house reopens on Friday.
The mansion’s history has remained something of a secret since being built in 1893 on the 2,000 acre estate – designed to be a secluded family home but within close proximity to the Welsh capital Cardiff.
While the mansion’s interior has long remained something of a mystery, many will be familiar with its exterior, having visited the Dyffryn Gardens.
The pristine 55-acre botanical site, including a number of garden rooms, was recently upgraded with £6.15m of Heritage Lottery Funding.
The mansion’s refurbishment, undertaken by the National Trust, will further add to the property’s appeal, with the body expecting an additional 60,000 visitors next year.
Earlier this year, the National Trust took over stewardship of the house and gardens from Vale of Glamorgan Council on a 50-year lease. The local authority had controlled the property since 1996.
The property’s current development was initially kickstarted during a failed attempt to turn it into a hotel during the 1990s.
The estate’s property manager Geraldine Donovan said: ‘We are right on Cardiff’s doorstep and it’s remarkable the number of people who still don’t know we are here.’
Boost: The National Trust, who recently took over stewardship of the estate, hopes that opening the house will bring an extra 65,000 visitors in 2013
Eye for detail: Another fireplace at the property which was built by industrialist John Corby
Getting ready: Bryony Lee, a conservation assistant, cleans carvings in one of the property’s expansive rooms ahead of the public opening
A VERY BIG HOUSE IN THE COUNTRY
– Dyffryn Estate dates back to 640 A.D when the Manor of Worlton was granted to Bishop Oudoceus of Llandaff.
– Dyffryn means valley.
-Two smallholdings and 14 farms included on original 2,000-acre estate.
– Businessman John Cory bought the estate in 1891 from banker Henry Ellis Collins and built house in 1893.
– Sir Cennydd Traherne purchased the estate in the 1930s, leasing it to Glamorgan County Council on 999-year lease.
– Estate was eventually sold to Vale of Glamorgan council in 1999 for £300,000.
– Parents of Sian Phillips acted as the estate’s caretakers in the 40s.
– It has served as a dog training centre, police academy and a failed redevelopment as a hotel was undertaken in the 1990s.
Leader of Vale of Glamorgan Council, Neil Moore, said the property was leased to the heritage organisation in the hope to bring more money to the area.
He said: ‘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.’
The famous gardens and current house were developed by the Cory family, who moved from Devon to expand their shipping and coal exportation empire.
The industrialist John Cory – who bought the estate in 1891 – and his children Reginald and Florence were responsible for shaping the garden into its current form, co-designing them with eminent landscape
architect Thomas Mawson.
The landscaping began in 1894 and was completed by 1909.
Miss Donovan said: ‘The estate was bequeathed to Florence,
but it was Reginald who was mad about the gardens and horticulture in
general who made the gardens what they are today.
‘The garden is considered to be the best Edwardian garden in Wales and
was the result of a creative collaboration between Thomas Hayton Mawson,
one of the most influential garden designers of the early 20th Century,
and Reginald Cory,’
Reginald
went all over the world amassing exotic plants, even owning the largest
private bonsai collection in 1912. The current garden remains in thrall to its pioneers, with an arboretum hosting trees from all over the
world.
Reginald Cory’s
first-floor bedroom will be one of the five rooms open to the public, as
well as the ground-floor red and blue drawing rooms and billiard room.
The National Trust has employed around 100 volunteers to work at the property, including guides in full Edwardian dress.
Landowner Sir Cennydd Traherne purchased the estate in the 1930s, eventually leasing it to Glamorgan County Council on a 999-year lease.
When Sir Cennydd died in 1995, his son sold the estate’s freehold to the council for £300,000.
Work to be done: There remains much work to be done on the property which underwent a failed transition into a hotel in the 1990s
Another fresco at the property. It is surrounded by 52 acres of public gardens
Team: The National Trust has employed around 100 volunteers to work at the property, including guides in full Edwardian dress
Reverse view: The students look at the ceiling painting using mirrors
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