Aberglasney is just a few miles from Ty Mawr, Brechfa it is a wonderful Garden all year round and we detail some key information for you here;

Aberglasney was made famous by the BBC television series “A Garden Lost in Time” which followed its restoration. Today it is quite simply one of Wales’ finest gardens, and at its heart lies a fully restored Elizabethan Cloister Garden that is the only surviving example of its kind in the UK today. Beyond this, visitors can explore 10 acres of over 20 different garden styles from formal to woodland, right through to exotic and modern along with the fully restored ground floor of Aberglasney’s grade II* listed mansion offer a stunning venue for exhibitions and events.

There is mention of ‘nine green gardens’ on this site in a poem dating from medieval times, but it is not until the days of William ap Thomas or Sir William Thomas, knighted by Henry VIII, that the history of Aberglasney is better documented. He became the first High Sheriff of Carmarthenshire in 1541-2 and added the Aberglasney chapel to Llangathen Church. Although we know little about the way the house here looked during his day it was grand enough to catch the eye of a powerful bishop fifty years later.

It was during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I that the estate was bought by an ambitious Bishop. Anthony Rudd was consecrated Bishop of St David’s in 1594 and is credited, along with his son Sir Rice Rudd, with having rebuilt Aberglasney and creating the now famous Cloister Garden. In 1670 the house was assessed for ‘Hearth Tax’ and with 30 hearths it was one of the biggest in the county. But Sir Rice had overspent on the renovations, so with debts mounting, his grandson, also Sir Rice Rudd, was forced to mortgage the estate.

Aberglasney becomes the home of the Dyer family after the successful Carmarthenshire lawyer Robert Dyer purchases the estate. He is responsible for substantially remodelling the house in the fashionable Queen Anne style of the day. He left most of the gardens untouched save for removing the forecourt wall which was originally connected to the gatehouse but that now stands alone as a garden feature. The remarkable Yew Tunnel also began its life, as a hedge. Robert’s second son was John Dyer a notable landscape poet whose poems ‘Grongar Hill’ and ‘The Country Walk’ describe the beautiful scenery of the Tywi valley. In time, the Dyers too ran into debt and put the estate up for sale in 1798.

Uninhabited, neglected and vandalised, Aberglasney was on the brink of collapse when it was rescued from oblivion in 1995. The house and gardens were bought by the Aberglasney Restoration Trust, the money donated by an American benefactor – Frank Cabot.

The restoration project was the brainchild of William Wilkins CBE, also founder of the Welsh Historic Gardens Trust and first promoter of the National Botanic Garden of Wales. He oversaw the masterplan for the restoration and recreation of the gardens and the mansion, was key to the fundraising and was the first chair of the Trust.

Thanks to the generosity of individual donors, trust funds, charitable donations and grant money from many statutory bodies a tremendous amount of work was done in a very short time. Aberglasney finally opened to the public on the 4th of July 1999, restoration work has however been on-going since this date, with the completion of the ground floor of the mansion in Spring 2013 and the Old Piggeries restoration project in 2016.

Gardens

Aberglasney’ s 10 acres are home to many different garden styles, from our historic cloister garden to our productive kitchen garden and our unique Ninfarium. There are many aspects to explore, and the gardens change with the seasons to showcase a wealth of flowers and trees. Our garden bloom calendar can help show when certain plants and gardens are at their peak.

Visit our Gardens page to find out more.

Mansion

Tearooms

No trip to Aberglasney is complete without visiting the tearooms, idyllically located overlooking the Pool Garden. The tearooms are cosy inside while the terrace is a real suntrap. It’s the perfect place to enjoy good homemade, freshly prepared lunches or of course a quintessential afternoon tea. You’ll also find a selection of wines, beers and ciders on the menu alongside great ice cream.

Visit the Tearooms page to find out more.

We offer excusive discounts to your entry to Abergalsney, book your stay and book your tickets at the same time and save !

Look at our rooms to book today.

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