Bodysgallen Hall, now a hotel, occupies an elevated site with good views on the east side of the Conwy estuary, near Llandudno Junction (nprn 31334). It is notable for its exceptional terraced and walled gardens which lie on several levels and have early origins, for its long terrace walk giving superb views, and its large and basically unchanged rose and kitchen gardens partly dating to the eighteenth century. The house and grounds lie within the remains of its landscape park with large areas of oak woodland (700027).
The lack of naturally level ground immediately near the house has strongly influenced the layout and style of the gardens. The kitchen gardens were laid out to the south-west, at the foot of the slope (700028), and the craggy hill has been sculpted into a series of terraces. The gardens have likely origins in the early seventeenth century, contemporary with the house, and throughout the eighteenth century there are references to plantings and gardeners. There are now very few mature trees in the garden proper.
The hilltop around the house forms one large terrace, now mostly lawn, running round from the south-west, where there is a natural slope away to the Spring Garden, to the north-east, where there are retaining walls (31335). The south-west lawn is bounded by walls, gate piers and railings (31338). The lawn on the north, above the forecourt, is bounded by a terrace wall, steps and gate , and on its south-east side by walls and gate piers. To the south-east of the house are two massive walls supporting narrow terraces (31331 & 31336). At the foot of the lower wall is a terrace with an elaborate box parterre, walled on all sides.
An additional terrace, south of the house, supports a modern rectangular pool, in an area once occupied by greenhouses, bounded by walls, steps, terraces and a gate (31338). Below are the walled rose garden and the present kitchen garden, on the south-west. The walled garden was formerly the kitchen garden, a large enclosure of two acres, within stone and brick walls (31337). It is now laid out mainly as lawn with formal rose beds and box hedging and with perimeter and cross paths.
A roughly rectangular area beyond the south-east wall of the rose garden, not part of the original layout, now consists of several discrete areas, including formal borders, an area of shrubs, and an experimental formal hedge. Outside the south corner of the rose garden is a small rockery area, planted with shrubs and herbaceous plants. It has informal steps, a seat at the top and an artificial cascade down the north-west side. The area west of the walled gardens, south-west of the house, is now known as the Spring Garden, planted extensively with bulbs.
The terrace walk, one of the oldest elements of the garden, is mentioned by Pennant and Fenton. It is located to the south-west to take advantage of the view over Conwy and the river estuary though the view is now compromised by tree growth. The walk is a grass terrace over 100 m long with a rebuilt parapet about 1m high flanked by a few old trees.
Source: Cadw 1998: Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in Wales: Conwy, Gwynedd & the Isle of Anglesey, 60-4 (ref: PGW(Gd)7(CON)).
RCAHMW, 8 February 2022