Site Record

1. Brynhir, SN128018, OS 25" 2nd edition XLI,Tenby

Brynhir was a private house until after World War II. It was then an hotel for a while before falling into a ruinous state and recent demolition.

Lt. Col. Walter James Evans, fourth son of General Sir Horace Moule Evans of Sussex married in 1908 Stella Maude, daughter of Col. F. R. Howell of Trewelwell And went to live at Brynhir. They had two daughters.
(GH recalls that "Jack" Howell (brother to Stella Maude ?) was living at Brynhir as a lodger at one time. He had reputedly hunted most of his life and "gone through two fortunes".

Survey 15th September 1998 walking southwards along the tarmacadam lane which leaves the A478 just south of the Waterwinch lane (at the top of the accompanying map). Nothing of great significance remains although the writer (GH) can remember attending a function c1960 on the terraced lawn.

(Before reaching the site of the mansion) the first house on the right is called Turnpike Cottage; it was presumeably on the old road into Tenby. The next, adjoining, house is Brynhir Cottage; the rear and south side of its garden are bounded by a high "rough-castellated" stone wall, whilst the near side is bounded by a garage and some modern hedging.
Next is a trapezoid area bounded at the rear by a continuation of the stone wall with a lower wall/hedgebank along the laneside. The wider part contains the foundations of a new house.
There is another foundation started where the rear wing of the mansion, which has been totally demolished, was.
Two lengths of high "rough-castellated" stone wall, each less than 10 metres, survive near the mansion site. Behind them some beech trees and an evergreen oak. Between the remaining sections of the wall is the entrance to a new house with some recent, unfinished, stonework. This new house, which is quite large, stands immediately south of the mansion site on the site of the terraced lawn (enclosure 20). A high retaining wall has been built in front with a concrete block and galvanised metal fence atop; this is continued westwards by an earth bank to the hedge bank which forms the western boundary of the site. This older hedgebank continues south to the lane which goes SW towards the modern housing estate of Lady Park.
Enclose 21 is an overgrown area. It contains some shrubs at the edges such as common lilac (Siringa vulgaris), Lonicera nitida, a cotoneaster and dog daisy and along the western edge are several Scots pine.
The tapered south end is also overgrown. This is bounded on the east and west by a low stone wall topped with a hedge which, towards the north of the west side, has been replaced with a high concrete block wall on a (surviving?) stone base.
Enclosures 23 and 24 form the wooded gardens of the house which has been developed from the outbuildings of the mansion perhaps 20 or 30 years ago. It is the hub of a caravan site on enclosure 58.

G.Hudson for WHGT
August 2001
entered by CSB

2. The principal feature of this extremely modest site c 1890 (according the OS 25 inch plan) was a small lawn to the S of the house, surrounded by trees. The small enclosure across the road (to E) was probably a kitchen garden, though that may have been the garden to the S. There is little difference on the 2nd ed, except that a house has appeared in the E enclosure.
C.S.Briggs 20.10.05

2. This garden is depicted on the Second Edition Ordnance Survey 25-inch map of Pembrokeshire XLI, sheet 7 (1907). C.H. Nicholas, RCAHMW, 24th August 2006.