Penllergare

Penllergare was the estate of John Dillwyn Llewelyn adjacent to what is now the village of Penllergaer, Swansea. Although the names are similar, the village of Penllergaer grew up as a separate entity from the Penllergare estate.

History

At the height of its prosperity in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the Penllergare estate, on the north-west fringe of Swansea, was seen as one of the great gardens of Wales. ["The Welsh Academy Encyclopaedia of Wales". John Davies, Nigel Jenkins, Menna Baines and Peredur Lynch (2008) pg662 ISBN 9780708319536] Its main creator was John Dillwyn Llewelyn (1810-82), a man distinguished for his contribution to landscape design and horticulture, as his scientific experiments and pioneering photography. ["The Welsh Academy Encyclopaedia of Wales". John Davies, Nigel Jenkins, Menna Baines and Peredur Lynch (2008) pg215 ISBN 9780708319536]

Penllergare provided inspiration for the expression of Dillwyn-Llwellyn's talents. Taking in the adjacent estate of Nydfwch and based on the work of his father, Lewis Weston Dillwyn, John exploited the natural beauty of the site in his grand design to create an landscape planted with a rich variety of trees, shrubs and exotic plants. He erected one of the first purpose-built orchid houses in the kitchen gardens, from 1836, an observatory, around 1851-2, was built close to the mansion house, and experiments with an electrically-powered boat (built before 1848 by John himself) were conducted on the Lower Lake.

Inspired by Henry Fox Talbot who was first cousin to John's wife, Emma, Llewelyn became an enthusiastic and accomplished photographer. With its lakes and waterfalls, panoramic vistas, secret places and horticultural and botanical riches, Penllergare provided a wide variety of subjects for his camera and hisphotographic images vividly evoke the Victorian era style. His son, Sir John Talbot Dillwyn Llewelyn, brought the gardens to their peak just before the Great War and he, like his father was a notable philanthropist and supporter of community activities.

During the second half of the twentieth century, however, those glories faded and Penllergare began its long slide into dereliction. The mansion was destroyed and replaced by a ‘civic centre’. Development and vandalism added to the effects of neglect. The woodland gardens were top-sliced by the M4 motorway. Modern houses abut on the walled gardens and spill into the parkland. The promised country park in the 1990s failed to materialise and the building is now derelict.

Cadw describes Penllergare as, "The partial survivor of a very important picturesque and Romantic landscape of the mid-nineteenth century" and registers it at Grade II.

The present

Encouraged by the support of influential organisations and many individual people, it was decided that independent action was necessary to save this ‘secret and magical place’ for the benefit of the public. Ymddiriedolaeth Penllergare - The Penllergare Trust was formed in 2000 as a not-for-profit company and registered charity with the three purposes, in order of priority, of:

* the protection, conservation, restoration and maintenance of the landscape of Penllergare
* promoting knowledge and appreciation of Penllergare
* protection and conservation of wildlife.

Work on the ground is currently aimed at making Valley Woods a safer and more functional place for people to enjoy. Regeneration of the once-famous woodlands has begun.

External links

* [http://www.penllergare.org The Penllergare Trust (Official site)]
* [http://www.swanseaheritage.net The main archive of photographs by John Dillwyn Llewelyn is at Swansea Museum]

References

*Cadw, 2000, "Register of Landscapes, Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in Wales. Part 1: Parks and Gardens of Glamorgan"
*Morris, Richard, 1999, "Penllergare – A Victorian Paradise" (out of print)
*Eyers, Jennie (ed.), 2006, "Penllergare – Echoes from Valley Woods"