The Hendre, a picturesque mansion initially built as a hunting lodge in c.1830 but subsequently altered and enlarged (nprn 37025), is located about 5km west of Monmouth. Associated with the mansion is a well-preserved nineteenth-century landscape park, with seventeenth century origins, the remains of nineteenth-century formal gardens (265925), an arboretum and a well-preserved nineteenth-century walled kitchen garden (700387). The Hendre has historical associations with the Rolls family who were pioneers of aviation and motoring.

Around the Hendre is a large well wooded park of approximately four hundred hectares, originally known as the Deer Park. It was enclosed in 1892. Most of it lies to the east and southeast of the house, where the ground is rolling and varied, with woodland (coniferous plantations and deciduous natural) on the ridge on the east side of the park and on the west side of the hill to the south of the house. A large area of woodland bounds the park to the southeast (Hendre Great Wood, Panterris Wood, Calling Wood, Milburn Wood, Great Garrow Wood, Upper Caxton Wood). The open parkland now used as a golf course but is still dotted with many isolated mature trees (mainly oak) and clumps of deciduous and coniferous trees. The overall effect is varied and picturesque.

The general configuration of the park may already have been in existence well before the Rolls family came to live here in the l9th century. It includes some very ancient oaks and was used in the seventeenth century by the Rolls family for sport. A map of the estate by John Aram, in about 1800, includes only a small part of what later became the park. The landscaping was mainly done by Lord Llangattock towards the end of the nineteenth century - by the time of the six-inch OS map (1886) the northern part of the park was in existence. He extended it to about 400 hectares and enclosed it in 1892. Much of the landscaping was related to the building of the long drive, about 4.8km long, from Rockfield to The Hendre. This was designed by Lord Llangattock in conjunction with H.E. Milner, landscape architect (son of Edward), in the 1890s (reputedly built to relieve unemployment). It runs from Monmouth Lodge (1896 by Aston Webb) and gateway (412758), past Swiss Cottage (20874; by Aston Webb) winds through the park, and finally curves through the arboretum to the west front of the house. It was carefully planned to take maximum advantage of the rolling ground, and was landscaped all the way with tree and shrub planting, views cut through the woods, stone bridges and rockwork (including Pulhamite). The drive passed an existing small lake, made 1837-50, which was ornamented with a rockwork cascade. Two contemporary descriptions (Gardeners' Chronicle 1900 and Gardeners' Magazine 1903) are full of praise for this most picturesque drive. Between 1883 and 1900, a hunting lodge, now known as Caxton Tower (GGAT PRN: 10966) was built in the park, to the east of Upper Caxton Wood.
The current main drive is from the north at Box Bush Lodge (401864 - mid-nineteenth century by T.H Wyatt). Further drives approached the house from the west at Raglan Lodge (404634) and from the north at North Lodge 309211 – c.1896 by Aston Webb).
The estate village to the north of the house, on the B4233 road, was built by Lord Llangattock in picturesque cottage-ornee style in the 1890s.

A landscape feature identified from air photos is thought to be a possible icehouse (309211).

Sources:
Cadw 1994: Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in Wales: Gwent, 45-46 (ref: PGW (Gt)17(MON)). Ordnance Survey, six-inch map, sheet: Monmouthshire VIII (1886; 1902; 1922); 25-inch map, sheet: Monmouthshire VIII.14. (editions of 1901; 1920).

RCAHMW, 22 July 2022