Situated adjacent to the 1930s tenant farm buildings of Waun Las are the archaeological remains of the late 16th / early 17th century Middleton Hall and formal garden, part of the original Middleton Estate. This was the predecessor to the late 18th century estate created by Sir William Paxton (NPRN 86175). The estate now forms part of the National Botanic Garden of Wales.

The Middleton family roots lay in the Powys gentry and medieval prince lines with a branch of the family moving into Carmarthenshire during the 16th century and rising to prominence in the area. The site of their hall and formal garden is at the centre of Paxton's later Estate on the east side of the southern Afon Gwynon, modified under Paxton into a series of three artificial lakes. The extent of the original Middleton Estate is unclear, although when Paxton purchased it in 1787/9 it comprised approximately 568 acres. The hall was built at some point before 1634, with records from the hearth tax of 1676 indicating it was one of the larger houses in the area. It is thought to have been built by Christopher Middleton somewhere around the turn of the 17th century and passed to his son Henry Middleton who was High Sheriff of Carmarthen in 1644. The Estate remained the home of the Middleton family for six generations, and was sold in 1776 due to debts and was subsequently bought by Paxton in 1787/9.

The remains of the estate comprise an earthwork platform upon which the hall was situated (NPRN 412598). Surrounding the hall there remains a series of earthworks relating to the formal garden, consisting of terraces, ponds and enclosures (NPRN 418692).

In 2011 archaeological investigations as part of a Heritage Lottery funded project were undertaken at the site of the former hall and garden. This was carried out by the National Botanic Garden Wales, University of Wales Trinity St David, University of Swansea and the Royal Commission.

Louise Barker, RCAHMW, April 2013