Dyffryn Gardens
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Dyffryn Gardens are a collection of gardens open to visitors. They are located near the Welsh village of Saint Nicholas, close to Bonvilston.
[edit] History of the Dyffryn Estate
The Dyffryn estate dates back to the seventh century A.D. when it was formally known as the Manor of Worlton. In the sixteenth century, the manor was acquired by the Button family, who built the first house.
The name was changed to Dyffryn in the eighteenth century when the estate was sold to Thomas Pryce who built the first building which is known as Dyffryn House. In 1891 the Dyffryn estate was sold to John Cory who built the present house in 1893. Later, Thomas Mawson was commissioned to design a garden to complement Dyffryn House. Dyffryn Gardens is very symmetrical in the way it lines up with the windows of the house. This can be viewed best from the Great Lawns.
After John Cory's death in 1910, the job of further developing the gardens fell to Cory's third son Reginald. Reginald was a leading figure in the RHS and a keen horticulturalist. During the 1900s he sponsored several plant hunting expeditions worldwide.
On Reginald's death in 1934, the estate was passed to his sister Florence. On her death in 1936, the estate was sold to Sir Cennydd Traherne. In 1939, he leased it to the Glamorgan County Council for 999 years.
