Coytrahen House (nprn 18438) is located to the north of Bridgend in the Llynfi valley. The house lies on the east side of the valley, towards the upper north-west boundary of a small landscape park (700144) which, along with the gardens, developed from the later eighteenth century. The first evidence for a garden comes in 1837 in an advertisement which mentions ‘Pleasure Grounds, and well-stocked Gardens’.

The garden lies mainly to the south-west and south-east of the house. It is mostly twentieth century in date but overlies an earlier layout some traces of which survive. The garden is now laid out mainly as lawns and shrub beds below the drive which circles the house.
To the south-west is a level lawn overlooking the park, bounded by a revetment wall with a flight of steps down to the park below. Within the drive loop, on the south-east side of the house, is a small lawn with paved area bounded by a low parapet wall and behind it a bank of ornamental shrubs.
To the south-east of the house is a lawn with the site of a 1970s a swimming pool and tennis court. A serpentine lily pool once lay in this area which is now grass with ornamental plantings. A ha-ha south of the pool site carries water flowing westwards, culverted beneath the drive. Beyond the former pool, to the east, the ha-ha turns north bounding a grass track which continues north to the park boundary.
On the north-west side of the house is a shrubery, enclosed within the north end of the drive loop.

Walled gardens lie to the north-west close to Home Farm (700145).

Cadw 2007: Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in Wales: Additional and Revised Entries vol.I (ref: PGW(Gm)65(BRI)).
Ordnance Survey First Edition 25-inch map, sheet: Glamorgan XXXIV.11 (1875).

RCAHMW, 10 May 2022

Site Record

Coytrahen House Garden, Bridgend