No. 47 Summer 2007 The historic gardens of Wales from the air by Toby Driver Introduction them forever. Of all the subjects which can be recorded from the air, historic Aerial photography can provide attractive illustrations of houses, parks and gardens are among the most appealing. Since historic gardens yet this recognises only part of its strength. If early artists and surveyors of the seventeenth century first chose to taken correctly and interpreted carefully the aerial photograph has depict historic estates from an imagined aerial viewpoint, an far greater potential, as a powerful tool for researching the history elevated perspective has been one of the most common methods of and archaeology of the garden. A variety of seasonal and weather illustrating great houses and gardens. Aerial photography remains a conditions can be exploited from the air to discover and record particularly effective method because it is able to illustrate not only hidden features of gardens that are either completely invisible at the main houses, together with other ancillary buildings usually ground level, or remain inconspicuous or unrecorded without the hidden from view, but the wider context of landscaped grounds benefit of an elevated viewpoint. and planting schemes with broader views to the world beyond. Aerial reconnaissance was established as a method of survey at Historic air photographs capture the great estates of Wales in the Royal Commission in 1986, and thus began a systematic working order, before post-war dereliction and demolitions altered programme dedicated to recording a range of archaeological, 9 3 2 1 _ 7 0 0 2 I D , W M H A C R t h g i r y p o C n w o r C © Figure 1. Panoramic landscape view from the south with Vaynol Hall in the centre-right middle distance, and Pont Britainnia beyond . YMDDIRIEDOLAETH GERDDI HANESYDDOL CYMRU - WELSH HISTORIC GARDENS TRUST 1 8 0 to be the vestiges of a terraced prehistoric field system were 0 _ 7 discovered in the western part of Vaynol, overlooking the Menai 0 6 _ 5 Strait, during winter aerial photography by the Royal Commission 0 0 2 in 1999. In the event no new archaeology was discovered , but the D C estate now has a considerable aerial archive of all its constituent , W parts. M H A C R New light on the gardens of north-west Wales t h g i r In all, thirty-nine gardens in Conwy, Gwynedd and the Isle of y p o Anglesey were surveyed from the air during this programme of C n w work. Detailed aerial coverage was given to the major gardens and o r C estates, among them Glynllifon, Penrhyn Castle, Plas Brondanw, Figure 2. Vaynol from the south-east, showing the New Vaynol Hall © Portmeirion, Nannau, Craflwyn, Plas Tan - y-bwlch, Cors -y-gedol (rear, centre), estate buildings to the right, and the new car park. and Penmaenuchaf at Penmaenpool . In addition a number of smaller gardens not on the Register were photographed, some for historical, architectural and geographical subjects across the length the first time. These included gardens like Aber Artro in Ardudwy, and breadth of Wales. Within this remit, historic houses, parks and and Plas Ty Coch to the east of Caernarfon, many of which are of gardens have formed one of the core subjects. More recently, considerable historical interest. specific photographic projects have been undertaken (described For the great estates, coverage was comprehensive and included below) which have allowed the gardens of entire regions to be broad landscape views of entire estates, coming in closer for views comprehensively documented. Increasingly the Internet is allowing of planting schemes and peripheral farms, walled gardens, better access to some of the aerial images taken, and in future it is gatehouses and estate buildings, and culminating in detailed views intended that many more photographs will be made available of the houses at the hearts of the gardens. Repeated photography online by the Royal Commission. at different times of year provided different opportunities. May and June over Plas Tan -y-bwlch and the gardens east of Beddgelert Photographing the gardens of Gwynedd from the air showed rhododendrons at their best, while photography in In 2004, the Royal Commission was approached by the Gwynedd Merionethshire of Cors -y-gedol and Aber Artro in mid May Branch of the Welsh Historic Gardens Trust (WHGT) to showed gardens alive with colour and oak woodlands emerging in undertake aerial photography of all Grade I and Grade II gardens bright green foliage. Winter photography allowed views through and parks in Gwynedd. The project was intended to work at two wooded parts of estates to reveal walled gardens and built levels. In the first instance the aim was to provide up to date and structures with greater clarity . At Baron Hill, near Beaumaris on comprehensive cover of all gardens in the Register of Landscapes, Anglesey, the aerial view provides one of the few overviews of the Parks and Gardens (Cadw & ICOMOS UK, 1998) for Gwynedd, ruins of this house concealed in thick woodland. gathering a mix of detailed aerial views of the houses, estate Archaeological discoveries of lost garden features were limited buildings and structural features as well as wider scene-setting during the new photography, but there were some surprises. Low views which placed the estates in their landscape settings. Secondly, earthworks of an Edwardian rose garden were photographed additional emphasis was to be placed on a handful of gardens immediately to the south-west of Plas Newydd mansion on where there were planning or development issues; with these Anglesey. Despite having been removed many years ago, with the examples, key parts of the estates were to be photographed more area now put down to lawns, slight earthworks remained to cast intensively to provide a record of current condition and future shadows on aerial photographs (Figure 3) . A number of other change. As well as adapting to the requirements of the WHGT, the archaeological discoveries were made within the grounds of the new project provided an excellent and timely opportunity for the Gwynedd gardens between 2004 and 2006, but often these related Royal Commission to enhance its aerial archive with to far more distant use of the landscape than the estates of recent comprehensive new coverage. centuries. A plough-denuded prehistoric hut group in the grounds The project was approached in such a way as to obtain an of Cors y Gedol, a plough-levelled Bronze Age barrow near Broom exemplary aerial record of each estate, showing all its various Hall on the Llyn, and prehistoric defended enclosures and early elements, recording key vistas or planting schemes, responding to medieval square barrows within Penrhyn Park, were all aerial imminent threats or changes and providing both detailed and highlights which demonstrate the longevity of human occupation wide-ranging views. Gardens on the Isle of Anglesey and Conwy within these historic parks. were recorded at the same time. In discussion with Dr Sheila Roberts, and consulting the Register of Landscapes, Parks and Flying the historic gardens of Wales Gardens (ibid.), the author marked up his standard 1:50,000 scale The Royal Commission carries out around sixty hours of aerial flying maps with arrows marking vistas, ideal viewpoints to reconnaissance a year, across the whole Wales, and continues to photograph from, and any key areas of the estates which should be record historic parks and gardens as a standard part of this work. recorded. New archaeological discoveries within the estates would The recent book Pembrokeshire: Historic Landscapes from the Air, be seen as a bonus. (Driver, 2007) showcases twenty years of aerial photography for Recording the Vaynol estate on the north Gwynedd coast was one region of Wales, illustrating gardens and parks as one element of the highest priority, given the pressure for new development on of the entire history of the county. the site, particularly in its north-east part (Figures 1 & 2). The Favourable light or seasonal conditions can still bring new WHGT was interested to see if the aerial photography could reveal archaeological discoveries, and provide regional context for better any previously unrecorded archaeology in areas where future preserved estates. Two particular recent aerial discoveries deserve development might be focused. Low earthworks of what appears mention . At Grove near Narberth in Pembrokeshire, earthworks 2 YMDDIRIEDOLAETH GERDDI HANESYDDOL CYMRU - WELSH HISTORIC GARDENS TRUST recorded in low light (NPRN 403984) suggest the truncated remains of formal garden earthworks similar to early gardens at nearby Landshipping. To the east, the Twyi Valley in Carmarthenshire is of considerable interest to garden historians, being home to the gardens at Aberglasney and Middleton Hall, as well as Dinefwr Park. Aerial photography west of 8 2 Nantgaredig identified low 2 1 _ earthworks of a formal garden 7 0 0 2 extending onto the floodplain I D fronting Allt-y-gog (NPRN , W 266166). These are of interest as M H A they do not align on the present C R t house, but instead on a group of h g i r buildings to the west. The y p o earthworks were not depicted on C n w o the nineteenth century County r Series map, where the floodplain C Figure 3. Plas Newydd, Anglesey , 2004. Surviving traces of what is thought to be an Edwardian rose garden, rediscovered in © – and garden earthworks - had lawns to the west of the house. already been bisected by the construction of a railway embankment. Thus the earthworks may References: be quite early. Both of these earthwork discoveries, as well as many Cadw & ICOMOS UK, 1998. Conwy, Gwynedd and the Isle of others across Wales, will require further research to establish their Anglesey, Register of Landscapes, Parks and Gardens of Special Historic credentials as garden features.