Gwernyfed Park house was designed by W.E.Nesfield and built by 1880 (nprn 25575), commissioned by the hereditary owners of nearby Old Gwernyfed mansion (25947). It is located to the immediate south-east of Aberllynfi/Three Cocks village, about 3.5km north-east of Talgarth. Nesfield also designed the surrounding gardens (86067) and probably, too, the walled kitchen garden. The entire complex of house and gardens was carved out of the pre-existing deer park (700401), the deer park becoming the landscape park to the new house.

The kitchen garden lies 150m west of the house. It is large, sophisticated and highly ornamented. It spans 1.5 acres with an orchard enclosure of 1 acre to the south-east, abutting the east boundary; they possibly replaced an earlier ‘garden’ and orchard portrayed on the 1850 Tithe map.

The main garden is rectangular, long axis north-east by south-west, surrounded by stone walls 1.8m-4.5m high, partly rebuilt, and which are buttressed on the north and east sides. The south and east facing walls are brick lined. Perimeter and cross paths partly survive. Towards the north end of the garden, a wide east-west path (a former carriage drive) links two entrances each with gate piers up to 4m high supporting black wrought-iron gates 2m high and ornamented with gold sunflowers. Alongside the north wall is a dilapidated 60m long glass range with central octagonal extension (31178; now restored as a conservatory?). It formerly contained a carnation house, vineries, a peach house and figs.
On the east-facing wall was a two-storey building, part root store part boiler room. The head gardener’s house was in the south-west corner.

The adjoining orchard, enclosed with walls and hedges, has been partly encroached upon by school buildings but is otherwise under grass.

Sources:
Cadw 1999: Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in Wales, Powys, 112-6 (ref: PGW(Po)5(POW)).
Additional notes: D.K.Leighton

RCAHMW, 25 August 2022