Places in Wales: Dyffryn House and Gardens.

Dyffryn House and Garden is currently a work in progress carried out by the National Trust...

The Dyffryn Estate dates back to 640 A.D. when it was then known as the Manor of Worleton. The manor, which included St Lythans and St Nicholas, was granted to Oudoceus Bishop of Llandaff in Cardiff.

In the 18th century the Dyffryn Estate was sold to Thomas Pryce, who created the first building to be known as Dyffryn House in 1749. There was no extensive work carried out on the gardens, but Pryce did construct the walled garden, and a few other features and did some ornamental planting.

It was in 1891 that a wealthy industrialist named John Cory bought Dyffryn Estate who commissioned Thomas Mawson, a well-known landscape architect who created the wonderful garden that is still enjoyed by many visitors today. Mawson was the first president of the of the Institute of Landscape Architecture (London).
 Work began around 1894 and wasn't completed until 15 years later. John Cory's died in 1910, and his third son, Reginald, had inherited the estate. A fitting choice for Dyffryn it seems as Reginald Cory was keen horticulturist and plant collector and leading member Royal Horticultural Society https://www.rhs.org.uk/. During the early 20th Century Reginald sponsored several expeditions hunting out plants all over the world. Many which can be seen on display at Dyffryn.

Reginald died in 1934 and his sister Florence took over the house until her death in 1937 when it was owned by Sir Cennydd Traherne who two years later leased the property to Glamorgan County Council on a 999-year lease. 1972 saw the dissolution of Glamorgan County Council. In 1995 Sir Cennydd Traherne died, and responsibility for the estate went to his nephew Councillor Rhodri Traherne who sold the freehold of Dyffryn House and Gardens to the Vale of Glamorgan.
Come forward to 2000...  Cadw, a Welsh Government historic buildings and heritage environment protection service, awarded Dyffryn a Grade I status in its register of historic landscapes, parks and gardens in Wales.
In January 2013, the National Trust took a 50-year lease over the care of Dyffryn House and Gardens from the Vale of Glamorgan Council and is currently bringing the house back to it's original grandeur which at the time of writing is currently being carried on. For more information on visiting times and enter visit their website here - http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/dyffryn-gardens/


Further Posts/Articles relating to Vale of Glamorgan, Wales - see archive list in right hand column or Vale of Glamorgan Page for list of further posts in the area..  Please feel free leave comments. 

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