About Hafodunos Hall
The present owners bought the estate in 2009 and have worked tirelessly over the past 15 years to start bringing these Grade II listed gardens back to their former glory. The gardens were so neglected that much of the work involved clearing with heavy diggers and chain saws rather than the usual gardening tools – and some heavy work still goes on. Weed trees are being removed, old paths cleared and new paths created to lead the visitors to some of the natural vistas on the estate. Look down into the gorge over part of the Pilgrims` trail and it is easy to imagine those Pilgrims of ancient times walking from Holywell to Bardsey Island. This is a wonderful opportunity to visit and see this grand old garden taking its first steps back to life. A four acre walled garden is part of the 45 acre estate and is waiting to be brought back to productive use.
The formal terraces in front of the house are well on the way to restoration with box and lavender hedges maturing well. Steps lead further down to a stream and de-silted lake with a duck house, made by the owner. Beyond this you can view the waterfall in the gorge. Recently a rose garden has been planted, surrounding a seating area near the conservatory. But how long may it take to restore the Hall until it is a home again? CADW helped the owners make it safe and try and stop further deterioration but for now they are concentrating on restoring the listed gate lodge and the gardens which are thought to contain over 1000 species of indigenous and exotic trees. Over the last couple of years many new rare tree species have been planted, continuing the tradition of planting exotic species at Hafodunos.
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