Introduction
Llanmihangel Place is an exceptionally rare survival, intact and largely unaltered, of a formal garden and orchard of the 17th century, probably with earlier, 16th-century elements. It is complete with terraces, steps and yew-lined walks. The situation is unspoilt, in a hidden valley with adjoining outbuildings, church, stream and former fishpond.
- Visitor Access, Directions & Contacts
Telephone
01443 336000Website
http://www.cadw.wales.gov.uk/Access contact details
Open to groups of 20 or more by arrangement. History tour of the house and Victorian Tea. Telephone 01446 774610
Owners
Sue and David Beer
Plas Llanmihangel, Llanmihangel, Cowbridge
- History
The house is a very well-preserved Tudor mansion, which is sited towards the bottom of a south-facing slope. The immediate historic landscape is surprisingly intact, with contemporary farm buildings and a medieval church close to the house. The house is thought to have been built in 1551 by James Thomas, sheriff of Glamorgan, incorporating parts of an earlier house. The property passed to the Edwin family, then to the Wyndhams, then to the earls of Dunraven with only minor changes being made to the fabric of the building. As such, the original house has survived remarkably intact.
The gardens have also survived almost in their entirety. The formal layout dating from the 16th and 17th centuries is still intact, the grounds having been neglected over several centuries and therefore not improved in line with changing fashions.
The layout of the gardens is shown on an estate map of the 1770s. There is a formal garden with grass terraces on the south-facing slope behind the house. The garden is defined by stone walls. There is an avenue running through the third terrace and geometric patterns within the formal beds. The orchard lies to the west of the pleasure garden, beyond which is a shelter belt. This is in line with the recommendations published by John Parkinson in his garden design treatise, ‘Paradisi in Sole' in 1629.
It is thought likely that the gardens were laid out by the Thomas family in the mid-16th century, with some terracing and the lower terrace steps dating from the late-16th century. Yew-lined walks are attributed to Sir Humphrey Edwin, who took over the estate in 1685. At this time, the fashion was for ‘green' gardens, and Edwin would have been well-acquainted with modern tastes from his previous residency in London.
The evergreens were clipped and well-maintained until the late-19th century, but by the turn of the century the gardens had been allowed to run wild. The garden is now dominated by massive yews and many of the old avenues and paths are obscured. However, the layout and substantial structure of the garden is largely unaltered from its inception, and the possibility of restoration remains.
Period
Tudor (1485-1603)
- Features & Designations
Designations
Conservation Area
- Reference: Llanmihangel
CADW Register of Landscapes Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in Wales
- Reference: PGW(Gm)34(GLA)
- Grade: II*
CADW Register of Listed Buildings in Wales
- Reference: barn and stables
- Grade: II
CADW Register of Listed Buildings in Wales
- Reference: Llanmihangel Place
- Grade: I
CADW Register of Listed Buildings in Wales
- Reference: terrace and steps
- Grade: II
Style
Formal
Features
- Mansion House (featured building)
- Description: The house has two, three and four storeys and dates from the mid-16th century. Further blocks were added in the late-16th and early-17th centuries.
- Earliest Date:
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- Stable Block
- Description: Stone barn and stable block, contemporary with the 16th-century house.
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- Fishpond
- Description: Long rectangular fishpond.
- Stream
- Description: Canalised stream.
- Orchard
- Description: Former orchard in a walled enclosure.
- Garden Terrace
- Description: Level grass terrace adjacent to the house.
- Planting
- Description: Terraced garden, which replaced the walled courtyard at the front of the house.
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- Walk
- Description: Yew-lined walks are attributed to Sir Humphrey Edwin, who took over the estate in 1685.
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- Key Information
Type
Garden
Purpose
Ornamental
Principal Building
Domestic / Residential
Period
Tudor (1485-1603)
Survival
Extant
Hectares
4
Open to the public
Yes
Civil Parish
Llandow
- References
References
- CADW, {Register of Landscapes, Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in Wales: Glamorgan} (Cardiff: CADW, 2000) 250 Register of Landscapes, Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in Wales: Glamorgan
- Lewis, S., {A topographical dictionary of Wales} (Lewis, Samuel, 1833) A topographical dictionary of Wales: 1st volume
- Newman, J., {The Buildings of Wales: Glamorgan} (London: Penguin, 1995) 393-4 The Buildings of Wales: Glamorgan
- {Estate map of Llanmihangel demense, 1779} (1779) Estate map of Llanmihangel demense, 1779
- Hilary M. Thomas {Historic Gardens of the Vale of Glamorgan} (Welsh Historic Gardens Trust, 2007) 136 Historic Gardens of the Vale of Glamorgan