Cadw/Icomos Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in Wales

CADW/ICOMOS REGISTER OF PARKS AND GARDENS OF SPECIAL HISTORIC INTEREST IN WALES LLANMILOE HOUSE Ref number PGW (Dy) 1 (CAM) OS Map 158 Grid ref SN 2473 0881 Former county Dyfed Unitary authority Carmarthenshire Community council Pendine Designations None Site evaluation Grade II Primary reasons for grading Well preserved Edwardian garden with much original planting Main phases of construction 1908 - 1912 Site description Llanmiloe house gives its name to the small settlement that is about one mile to the east of Pendine. The house itself is situated at the foot of steep, south facing, wooded escarpment known as Coed Llanmiloe; this escarpment divides the coastal plain from the agricultural land to the north. To the south of the house are the fields of the West Marsh and beyond, the dunes of Pendine Burrows and the sea. To the east and west of the house are the houses and buildings associated with the military use of the Burrows. The present house is an imposing structure of several periods, but given a cohesive feel by the cream painted rough render and some attempts to echo the Georgian phase of the central block. The neat and somewhat utilitarian feel of Llanmiloe House belies the interesting history of the site. The earliest known documents relating to Llanmiloe, record an exchange of lands between Rowland Mortimer and Sir John Lewes in 1615. Rowland Mortimer's son, Roger (1671 - 1703) and his wife Rachel lived at Llanmiloe, leaving it to their only child, Jane. After her marriage to Owen Edwardes, the old house was pulled down and a new one built in 1720. This `new house' forms the central block of the existing dwelling. In 1830, the house was sold to a relative, William Edwardes, 2nd Lord Kensington, he, in turn sold the property reasonably quickly to Morgan Jones, whose descendants lived there until it was compulsorily purchased by the government for military use in the 1940s. Sketches made in about 1860 show the central block of the house much as it appears today, although the course of the drive has since been altered. The same sketches show London Plane trees by the side of this drive and one still survives. The tithe returns of 1841 record `House, Garden and Pleasure Grounds' and the walks also date from this period. Towards the end of the last century and the beginning of this, substantial changes were made to both house and gardens. Initially the house was extended to the east, with a further extension to the west being built in 1905 - 1908; both extensions are similar in external appearance. It is also at this time that the new drive to the west and the terraces, which dominated the view of the garden from the house, were constructed. Postcards from about 1908 show the terraces being laid out. Later, in about 1909, the sets of stone steps were added and by 1915 the entire garden design and most of the structural planting had been completed. At the entrance to the present drive, which is set back in a gentle curve from the road, are an impressive pair of red stone gate pillars, still supporting their iron gates. The tree and shrub lined drive sweeps up the gradual slope in a curve, passed the lodge, to an extensive tarmacked forecourt, which is separated from the terraces by a low curving wall. To the south are the four grass covered terraces, the upper and lower terraces being more extensive than the central pair. These terraces are reached by sets of red stone steps, the first three flights are central, whilst the lowest terrace is reached by a pair of steps that are off-set to west and east. The lower terrace is bordered by an impressive yew hedge. Yew hedging is also used to enclose the area known as the Rose Garden which is to the south-east of the terraces. This square garden is reached by a small yew tunnel at the entrance of which is a delicate pair of iron gates. The circular rose beds, which were renovated a few years ago, echo the original design, although the planting schemes may not. On the south side the yews have been clipped into a series of eleven arches to allow access to the tennis court below and the lawns to either side. There are two main lawn areas, one to the south of the house, below the terraces and the other to the west of the Rose Garden, between it and the trees and shrubs that line the drive. The lawn to the south of the terraces still retains the winding paths shown in the early postcards and it is generously planted with woody exotics, such as Cupressus macrocarpa, Juglans regia, Sorbus x thuringiaca, Taxus baccata `Fastigiata Aurea' and a Eucalyptus. In the south-eastern corner of the lawn is a flattened area that could have been used for croquet or bowls, it may, however, have been used for more prosaic purposes by the Military. Whilst the lawn area to the west of the Rose Garden is bordered with woody exotics and rhododendrons, a Crataegus laciniata (Oriental Hawthorn) is given pride of place and planted centrally. In contrast to the rather clipped formality of yew and grass, the two walks appear informal and picturesque. The more accessible walk is to the west of the house, the level gravel path cutting into the hillslope, which is retained by a well built, dry stone, wall. This walk is reached by a flight of steps in red stone of similar design and age to the terrace steps, although the walk itself pre-dates these steps and the features described above. The path passes through mixed woodland including mature beeches and a Monkey Puzzle ( Araucaria araucana) . There are still the slight remains of a winding path through the woods which emerges near the main drive where there is a set of slab stone steps that are contemporary with the dry-stone retaining wall. The more challenging walk, both because it ascends the escarpment and because it has been partly obscured by commercial conifer planting, is the walk to the north-east of the house. The path follows the small stream-worn valley that cuts the escarpment, until the land levels out slightly. To ensure a continuous flow of water, a small dam was constructed (which has now tumbled in places) and behind this dam was once a small header pond, which has now mostly silted up. At strategic places down the course of the stream, there is evidence of `improvements'. Brick cills have been cemented to the bed rock to ensure that the small pools hold as much water as possible and that the water will tumble from pool to pool on its course down the valley. Thirty or so metres before the stream is culverted under the old drive, there is a small water-fall, which drops 4 m in two stages, again there is evidence of some improvement. Because the house was built almost into the escarpment, a certain amount of terracing was required behind (north) of the house, this was achieved by substantial retaining walls. A small secluded garden was created between these walls, privacy was further ensured by the construction of a further wall across the terrace, so that the garden was entered by a small wooden door. This little walled garden probably belongs to the nineteenth century design, although, from the remaining plantings, it was used well into this century. Sources Primary Dyfed Archaeological Trust PRN 22347. Landowners' Return, 1873. Postcards dated 1908 - 1925: private collection. RAF vertical photograph, 1946, 106-UK-1629, 3068 -9. Tithe Map, 1841, schedule No 777, ‘House, Garden & Pleasure Grounds’. Secondary Jones F, Historic Carmarthenshire Homes and their Families (1987), p.107. Curtis M, The Antiquities of Laugharne (1880), p.261 (p.174). .

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