Gregynog Hall (nprn 29283) lies about 3 miles to the north of Newtown on a site with ancient origins. It is located in parkland which has a history from at least 1500. Its early history is unclear although it was believed that a Roman road passed through the site, and the area was heavily wooded before its gradual clearance for agriculture. Significant changes and 'improvements' to the park by William Emes in the late eighteenth century, under the Blayney family, and after 1920 when the estate was bought by the Davies sisters. No references to deer in the park have been found.

The park is linear on plan, long axis north-east by south-west, the house located towards the north-east. In the north-east the park covers about 35 acres (14.5ha) and in the south-west about 40 acres (16.6ha). Open parkland is set between large areas of plantation and wood which mostly define the boundaries, spanning another 200 acres (83ha) between them. In the north-east the park slopes down from the main drive. To the north of the house is Great Wood and Upper Plantation, between which the ground falls away south-east into a small dry valley towards the house and garden. In the south-west the open park runs along a wide shallow valley, the Wern, set between two long wooded ridges. 

There were several drives. The main drive enters the park from the north-east, near the village of Tregynon, at Mill Lodge. This merges with the 'Galloping Drive' from the east off the Tregynon/Newtown road at Middle Lodge, approaching through a short length of oak avenue to the garden boundary. A service track breaks off the drive to the south-east of the house; a second one cuts back to the north-east, to a lane at Skew bridge, on the north park boundary. From the south-west a drive enters the site to the south of Bwlch-y-Ffridd Lodge, up and around the south side of farmland for about 1km before entering the park area for another kilometre almost opposite the walled kitchen garden on the north side of the valley. It continues to the north-east where it becomes the ‘Ladies Walk’ and service track in the garden.

In the park the plantations are either commercial soft woods (Upper and Lower plantation, the woods either side of the Wern, and the Warren), ancient woodland or mixed woodland, which date mainly from 1850 on. The most important area of ancient woodland is Great Wood which lies to the north of the house. To the west of the wood is Wood Cottage, a working longhouse farm with adjacent areas of relict orchard (415817). Blackhouse Wood is partly in the garden, where it is ornamental and known as the Panorama. The gardens and pleasure grounds lie to the north-east, south and south-west of the house (265565), and a walled garden lies on the north-west side of the valley (700219).

Sources:
Cadw 1999: Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in Wales, Powys, 104-10 (ref: PGW (Po)33POW)).
Ordnance Survey second-edition six-inch maps: sheets Montgomeryshire XXXVI NW & XXIX SW (1903).

RCAHMW, 6 June 2022