Plas Cadnant

Plas Cadnant
Plas Cadnant is located in Wales
Plas Cadnant
Location within Wales
General information
StatusCompleted
LocationIsle of Anglesey
Town or cityMenai Bridge
CountryWales
Coordinates53°14′09″N 4°09′46″W / 53.2358°N 4.1629°W / 53.2358; -4.1629
Construction started1803
Renovated1996
OwnerAnthony Tavernor
Grounds10 acres
Awards and prizesMenai Bridge Civic Society 2013
Other information
Parkingyes
Website
http://www.plascadnant.co.uk/

Plas Cadnant is an historic country estate in Menai Bridge on the Isle of Anglesey. The buildings were Grade II listed by Cadw in 1967.[1] The Georgian house dates from 1803 when it was built by John Price as his family home. The listed buildings also include Cadnant Lodge, at the entrance to the estate; a range of domestic outbuildings (which are thought to pre-date the Georgian house) and an icehouse.

History

The land at Plas Cadnant began as a farm in the 16th century, and by the Victorian era had become a country estate. The estate deteriorated during the second half of the twentieth century until it was purchased in 1990 by Anthony Tavernor who began renovations on the buildings and grounds.[2] While his intentions were to open the estate as a business, he describes the renovation work as "a labour of love". Tavernor aimed to restore the gardens in the picturesque ideal, aiming for an early 1800s style.[3]

By 2006 Tavernor had opened a hotel service on the grounds via a number of self-catering cottages.[4] Previously only open by appointment, the gardens were opened to the public in 2011,[5] and a tea room and visitor centre were built.[2]

Gardens

The estate's gardens were developed in the 1800s by the family who owned the land but had been left to grow wild since the 1940s. In the 1990s renovations began to uncover and restore the overgrown areas, and in 2010 Anthony Tavernor was honoured by the Campaign for the Protection of Rural Wales for his work.[6]

The garden consists of three sections: a walled garden containing a water pool, a "secret valley" garden in which waterfalls and a river can be found, and an upper woodland garden.[7]

In December 2015, during heavy flooding, water damaged large parts of the garden including the destruction of an original 200-year-old wall and a number of rare plants.[8] Repairs began on the affected areas of the garden in January 2016.[9]

References

  1. ^ British Listed Buildings;accessed 01 December 2014
  2. ^ a b Tony Russell (2015). The Finest Gardens in Wales. Amberley Publishing. ISBN 978-1445641379. Retrieved 27 December 2015.
  3. ^ Williams, Ffion (7 July 2010). "In the Spotlight: Plas Cadnant owner Anthony Tavernor". North Wales Live. Retrieved 15 October 2019.
  4. ^ Shalam, Sally (16 September 2006). "Plas Cadnant, Anglesey". The Guardian. Retrieved 15 October 2019.
  5. ^ Stephen Lacey (8 July 2011). "Gardens to visit: Plas Cadnant, Anglesey". The Telegraph. Retrieved 27 December 2015.
  6. ^ "Award for work on Plas Cadnant hidden garden, Anglesey". BBC News. 30 July 2010. Retrieved 27 December 2015.
  7. ^ "Country garden awards: see the historic gardens nominated and how to vote". Countryfile. 27 August 2019. Retrieved 15 October 2019.
  8. ^ "'Tidal wave' devastates Plas Cadnant Hidden Gardens". BBC News. 27 December 2015. Retrieved 27 December 2015.
  9. ^ "Plas Cadnant Hidden Gardens to be rebuilt after floods". BBC News. 7 January 2016. Retrieved 10 April 2016.
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