Haulfre Gardens are situated on a very steep, rocky, exposed slope on the extreme north-west edge of Llandudno. The house, Sunny Hill (nprn 412161), is at the foot of the gardens, which rise up the hillside behind it, on the south-east facing slope of the Great Orme. The garden area is roughly rectangular, its long axis running north-east to south-west, the house lying near the east corner. The gardens were originally designed and laid out by Henry Pochin, between 1871 and 1876. There was a new owner by 1900 before it was acquired for the town, and opened as a public garden by Lloyd George in 1929.

Assuming that the OS map of 1889 portrays Pochin's original design, the layout at first consisted of zig-zag paths up the north-east side of the garden, with a summer house part way up and another in the north corner, probably offering the best view; south-west of this, directly above the house, were a long, straight terrace with a large glasshouse and another summer house, and a slope planted with shrubs leading to a curved terrace above. Cutting across the curved terrace was an aviary, with some small terraced enclosures to the north and south which may have been used as a kitchen garden. Terraced paths ran along the slope through woods and shrubberies to the south-west. At this time the land to the west, now an area of woodland, did not belong to the property, or had not been developed, and was open heathland.

The gardens still survive as an intricate arrangement of paths and terraces but twentieth century changes have occurred. The lowest part of the garden is mostly unchanged with paths maintained and bedding schemes still planted each year. But higher up the slope the woodlands have taken over, some of the higher terraces overgrown and some paths lost or disused. None of the summer houses have survived though the sites of two of them can be seen. The original cottages at the foot of the gardens have been replaced and the glasshouses have gone. Some likely original plantings survive including beech, cypress, Scots and other pines.

Sources:
Cadw 1998: Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in Wales: Conwy, Gwynedd & the Isle of Anglesey (ref: PGW(Gd)11(CON)).
Ordnance Survey 25-inch map, sheet: Caernarvonshire I.16 (editions of 1889, 1911 & 1913).
Ordnance Survey 1:500 Town Plan: Llandudno.

RCAHMW, 5 July 2022