Old Gwernyfed, a medieval manor house extensively rebuilt in the early seventeenth century (nprn 25947), is located within a former deer park to the immediate south-east of Aberllynfi/Three Cocks village, about 3.5km north-east of Talgarth.
The deer park was laid out in the early seventeenth century but later became the landscape park to Gwernyfed Park house when it was built in the nineteenth century (25575; 86067); the histories of the two houses are closely intertwined.
The park forms an irregular rectangular area of about 300 acres, broadest on the north-west alongside the village but narrowing to the south-east towards Felindre where Old Gwernyfed mansion is located, off the Felindre road. On the north it is bounded by public roads, and on the east and south by farmland. Long stretches of stone park boundary wall and nineteenth-century iron park fencing and gates survive.
The park of the later house was augmented with planting in the mid to late nineteenth century, and much of it survives in the shelter belts and woodlands and the many isolated trees. But the park already contained some ornamental elements the most important of which were three avenues which radiated out from Garden Wood (to the north-west of Old Gwernyfed). These appear on an estate map of 1756 which portrays the deer park (reproduced in Briggs & Lloyd 2006). Features also depicted include a defended enclosure at Gwernyfed Gaer, possibly reused as a deer enclosure (306022), and the deer park Keeper’s Lodge, now Caeronnen Farm, which, by the nineteenth century, had a walled orchard/garden and pond (405975). In 1756 one of the avenues ran to Keeper's Lodge. Some of the isolated trees are possibly remnants of the former avenues.
The park of the later house was augmented with planting in the mid to late nineteenth century, and much of it survives in the shelter belts and woodlands and the many isolated trees. But the park already contained some ornamental elements the most important of which were three avenues which radiated out from a wood (later known as 'Garden Wood'), to the north-west of Old Gwernyfed. These appear on an estate map of 1756 which portrays the deer park (reproduced in Briggs & Lloyd 2006). Features also depicted include a defended enclosure at Gwernyfed Gaer, possibly reused as a deer enclosure (306022), and the deer park Keeper’s Lodge, now Caeronnen Farm, which, by the nineteenth century, had a walled orchard/garden and pond (405975). Some of the isolated trees are possibly remnants of the former avenues.
From the arrangement of the formal garden and formal gates (25948; 25951) it appears that a main north-west drive ran from the mansion through the gateway in the west garden boundary wall into Garden Wood. It then crossed the southern part of Gwernyfed Park along one of the three avenues (which fanned out across the park from the north side of the wood) to Three Cocks and the Brecon/Hay-on-Wye road (A438). The line of this drive is now lost. By 1905 Garden Wood had been developed, becoming an ornamental pleasure ground through which flowed Felindre Brook. There were water features and serpentine walks in addition to cross-rides and a maze (see 405976); all this, with the wood, has now gone.
Within the park are a number of important archaeological sites which include a Roman fort (423858) with adjacent marching camp (423861) and remains of iron working (309372), and traces of a Roman road which ran through the park (309374).
Old Gwernyfed mansion is particularly noted for the remains of its seventeenth-century formal gardens which lie around the house (see 86068).
Sources:
Cadw 1999: Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in Wales, Powys, 112-6 (ref: PGW(Po)5(POW)).
C.S.Briggs & N.Lloyd 2006: Gerddi vol.4, 7-37 (fig 7).
Ordnance Survey six-inch map sheet: Brecknockshire XXIII.NW (editions of 1888 & 1905).
RCAHMW, 25 August 2022