Alltyrodyn (nprn 5071), a substantial early nineteenth century house, is located to the north-east of Llandysull in Ceredigion, on the east flank of the Clettwr valley. Its designed landscape comprises pleasure grounds, gardens and walled gardens (86773; 700017-18). These are all contemporary with the present house, dating to the 1830s and 40s. Nothing is known of any grounds attached to the earlier house.

The pleasure grounds occupy a narrow band of south-west sloping wooded land on the east flank of the Clettwr valley, about one kilometre long, below the B4459 road. The house lies in the centre and is reached by two drives, one from the north, one from the south, each with a lodge. They are bounded along the road on the north-east side by a rubble stone wall and between the kitchen garden and the dam of the pond at the south-east end by a substantial ha-ha.

The main entrance is at the south-east end of the grounds and lies just north of a bridge on the B4459 over a small tributary stream, the Afon Geyron. The entrance is flanked by dressed stone piers between which are simple iron gates, replacing more elaborate, stolen, ones. The D-shaped pond, earthen dam on the west and with a small island, lies just inside the drive. South Lodge lies just north of the entrance (419635). The Afon Geyron flows into the pond over a series of concrete cascades under the road bridge, the outlet flowing into an ornamental cascade, a curving, sunken and steeply dropping stone-lined channel, and across the valley to the Clettwr. Nearby woodland consists of mixed trees and shrubs, with rhododendrons and laurel under a canopy of beech, oak and sycamore, through which are footpaths.

The north drive enters the grounds off the B4459 road. The former lodge (now Haulfryn) lies on the opposite side of the road. The drive runs through woodland, to the east a conifer plantation, to the west mixed woodland with some mature beech along the drive. It passes over a substantial single-arched stone bridge and nearby is an early nineteenth-century bath house next to the drive, with a rectilinear pool fed by a hillside spring. Around the forecourt are trees including limes, beeches and a wellingtonia. West of the drive the ground drops to a boggy area with clumps of bamboos. At the edge of the grounds is boggy ground, a former pool, enclosed by low walls, and a small pond.

Sources:

Cadw 2002: Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in Wales, Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire, 94-8 (ref: PGW(Dy)46(CER) Grade II).

Ordnance Survey first edition six-inch map: sheet Cardiganshire XL.SE (1886).

RCAHMW, 15 September 2020