Good morning to you all! Writing in the Bricks and Mortar supplement of today's London '
Times', Anne Ashworth asks why we are looking and not buying?
Estate agents are rightly worried about a slowdown in the volume of transactions in the UK housing market! Transaction costs are high, so if we can stay put, we generally do, if only to save money! Some homes are expensive to build and difficult to maintain, with thick walls, and perhaps too closed and defensive a design for modern open-plan living! As a place to live, a castle is perhaps a little impractical in the twenty-first century! Maintenance costs can be very high, and they are often surprisingly inaccessible. Nevertheless, they can be a lot of fun, and as they are built for defence, they offer the possibility of security to their owners!
The best castle in England is probably Windsor Castle in Berkshire! Windsor Castle has been the home of 39 monarchs, and the appearance of the State Apartments today reflects the changing tastes of the Castle’s royal occupants, particularly Charles II (r.1660-85) and George IV (r.1820-30). Charles II set out to rival the achievements of his cousin, Louis XIV, at Versailles in France. He modernised the Castle’s interiors, which became the grandest State Apartments in England, with painted ceilings by Antonio Verrio and carvings by Grinling Gibbons. With his architect Sir Jeffry Wyatville, George IV gave the State Apartments a new grand entrance and staircase, and he added the colossal Waterloo Chamber, celebrating the defeat of Napoleon Bonaparte in 1815, introduced in the short film below by Desmond Shawe-Taylor, Surveyor of The Queen's Pictures. The State Apartments are furnished with some of the finest works of art from the Royal Collection, including paintings by Rembrandt, Rubens and Canaletto. Many of the works of art are still in the historic settings for which they were first collected or commissioned by the Kings and Queens who have lived at Windsor.
On 20 November 1992 a fire destroyed or damaged more than 100 rooms at the Castle. Four thousand gallons of water a minute were used against the blaze at the fire’s height, the equivalent of the entire weight of Niagara Falls descending on the Castle for two seconds. The restoration of the Castle, particularly St George’s Hall and the Grand Reception Room, is a testament to the extraordinary skills of some of the finest craftsmen in Europe. Today Windsor's State Apartments are frequently used by members of the Royal Family for events in support of organisations of which they are patrons.
Other important castles in Kent include Sissinghurst Castle. It has one of the greatest gardens of the world! The Tower of London is one of the oldest buildings in continuous use in the City of London, with a white keep made of Caen stone, and impressive fortifications on the north bank of the River Thames at Tower Bridge! Wales has more castles per square mile than any other country in the world, a testament to its turbulent past. One of the best castles to see is Powis Castle. If the gardens at Powis Castle seem a delightful surprise today in deepest Wales, imagine how much more shocking they would have seemed 300 years ago. In its early days the castle was approached from the east, not the west as it is today. The garden would have remained hidden until you arrived at the castle’s entrance up on the highest terrace. Suddenly you would look down and see the whole of the terraced garden laid out before you.
The garden you see today has its origins in the 1680s, when William Herbert, 1st Marquess of Powis (c.1626–96), employed architect William Winde to develop a series of terraces and formal grass slopes against the south-facing ridge below the Castle. Winde had made a similar garden at Cliveden, Buckinghamshire, in the 1660s and was at this time working on Powis’ interiors. In 1688 the 1st Marquess, a Catholic, fled to France with the exiled King James II and died there. His new garden in Wales lay unfinished until his son the 2nd Marquess (c.1665–1745), also named William Herbert, returned to Britain in 1703. William began to work on the garden once more, this time with the help of Adrian Duval, a French gardener who was then working in Holland. On the flat land at the foot of the terraces a water garden or Pleasure Ground in the Dutch style was created. The water garden covered as much land as the castle and terraces combined and must have been a spectacular sight. You could have gazed across a Dutch water garden, up the Italian Renaissance-style terraces and above that to the ancient Castle backed by its medieval deer park. Ancient stood above modern in spectacular formal progression.
In 1771 the garden made a new leap into contemporary fashion. This was a time when formal gardens throughout Britain were dug up in favour of more naturalistic landscape parks, of water, trees and green spaces, that came right to the door of the mansion. The great proponent of the landscape movement was Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown (1716–83), his work principally confined to England. In Wales, his place was partly filled by William Emes (1730–1803) who was employed by Henry Arthur Herbert, 1st Earl of Powis (2nd creation), to make improvements to the estate. He planted a ridge – the Wilderness – to the south of the Castle, which enclosed the terraces and the Dutch water garden, planting many of the fine oaks that survive to this day.
Yet another layer of contemporary fashion now lay before the Castle. But whether gardens thrive or not depends on the interest of their owners at any particular moment, and by 1784 the 2nd Earl had let the terraces go to rack and ruin, in favour of life in London. Deal Castle was built for King Henry VIII on the Kent coast! it is one of the finest Tudor artillery castles in England, and among the earliest and most elaborate of a chain of coastal forts, which also includes Calshot, Camber, Walmer and Pendennis Castles. Today you can explore the whole of the castle, from the storerooms to the first-floor captain’s residence. A new permanent exhibition is now on display at the castle, revealing how Henry VIII’s fears for the safety and security of his realm shaped the country’s defences and his own married life. With new displays, audio and children’s activities supported by contemporary artefacts, the whole family can now explore the rich and varied history of the castle alongside the stories of the people who lived and worked there for over four hundred years. If you enjoy cycling, a pleasant cycle path links Deal and Walmer Castles along the beachfront. Don't Miss the following:
• Witness Europe in the 16th Century with the new map table exhibit
• Examine never before seen objects from Deal's collection
• Explore the dark passages beneath the bastions, where children can don a pair of wellies, grab a wooden musket and find the voices of the past
• Discover the castle's fascinating layers of history at the new historic graffiti lounge, where children can design their own motifs whilst parents relax
Situated in majestic hilltop locations above the Tywi Valley, Dryslwyn Castle not only occupies a place of great affection in the minds and traditions of the Welsh people but also majestic hilltop locations above the Tywi valley. The site is forever associated with the princes of Deheubarth, the kingdom in south-west Wales now known by the Irish name of Dyfed! If you fancy living in a castle, how about Dryslwyn, situated on a hill in the middle of the Tywi Valley in rural Carmarthenshire?
A lack of available excavation data means uncertainty remains as to the shape, form and history of any earlier fortifications, which may underlie the medieval castle. Despite this, present evidence suggests very strongly that the history of Dryslwyn Castle is entwined with the rule of the Lord Rhys (d. 1197). Over time the castle changed hands between the princes of Deheubarth and gradually evolved into formidable fortresses. It eventually fell to the English Crown from 1287, serving as centres of royal administration and authority. By the end of the Middle Ages the castle had become ivy-clad ruins.
In the wake of Rhys ap Maredudd’s revolt of 1287, there was a swift, well coordinated, and effective English reaction. With Edward I out of the country, it was left to his lieutenant in England, Earl Edmund of Cornwall, to take the lead. A great army was to be assembled at Carmarthen, and on 16 July writs were dispatched to the lords of the March to raise their forces. On 9 August, Earl Edmund set out from Carmarthen for Rhys’s castle at Dryslwyn, at the head of an army of some 4,000 men. Some of these had been raised in England, others had been assembled locally under Robert de Tibetot. On 15 August, the earl’s forces were joined by an army of 6,700 ranks and officers, gathered under Reginald Grey (d.1308) who had set out from Chester and Roger l’Estrange who had marched from Montgomery.
With the combined force of more than 11,000 assembled on the flat valley floor in front of Dryslwyn, on or just after the 15 August, the siege of Dryswlyn Castle began. Many of the men coming from Chester were drawn from the building works on King Edward’s north Wales castles. These craftsmen and others constructed a trebuchet, a siege machine capable of hurling huge stones at the castle walls. This machine, constructed with timber, hides, rope, and lead, cost £14. A total of 20 quarrymen and 24 carters were employed to shape and move the large stone balls which were hurled by the trebuchet at the castle. In addition, the besiegers were attempting to undermine the castle walls. Tradition records that they brought down a large section near the projecting chapel block.
The mining was marred by the collapse of a wall, crushing to death a group of nobles who were inspecting the work, including the earl of Stafford, Sir William de Monte Caniso, and Sir John de Bonvillars. The castle was captured by 5 September, and although Rhys ap Maredudd escaped, his wife and son were captured. The siege undoubtedly caused extensive damage to the castle, and repairs were carried out shortly afterwards. The archaeological excavation of the site has produced important evidence from the time of this siege. Two substantial stone balls, over 16 inches, and almost certainly thrown by the trebuchet, were recovered. Also recovered were many smaller stones which were thrown at the castle, as well as links of chain mail, arrowheads, slingshots and a spearhead. Over one hundred arrowheads were recovered, many with long sharp points deliberately made to penetrate armour and chain mail.
A lack of available excavation data means uncertainty remains as to the shape, form and history of any earlier fortifications, which may underlie the medieval castle. Despite this, present evidence suggests very strongly that the history of Dryslwyn Castle is entwined with the rule of the Lord Rhys (d. 1197). Over time the castle changed hands between the princes of Deheubarth and gradually evolved into formidable fortresses. It eventually fell to the English Crown from 1287, serving as centres of royal administration and authority. By the end of the Middle Ages the castle had become ivy-clad ruins. In the wake of Rhys ap Maredudd’s revolt of 1287, there was a swift, well coordinated, and effective English reaction. With Edward I out of the country, it was left to his lieutenant in England, Earl Edmund of Cornwall, to take the lead. A great army was to be assembled at Carmarthen, and on 16 July writs were dispatched to the lords of the March to raise their forces. On 9 August, Earl Edmund set out from Carmarthen for Rhys’s castle at Dryslwyn, at the head of an army of some 4,000 men. Some of these had been raised in England, others had been assembled locally under Robert de Tibetot. On 15 August, the earl’s forces were joined by an army of 6,700 ranks and officers, gathered under Reginald Grey (d.1308) who had set out from Chester and Roger l’Estrange who had marched from Montgomery.
A few miles upstream of Dryslwyn Castle, another castle became more famous for its gardens during the latter half of the second millennium. There is mention of ‘nine green gardens’ on this site in a poem dating from medieval times, but it is not until the days of William ap Thomas or Sir William Thomas, knighted by Henry VIII, that the history of Aberglasney is better documented. He became the first High Sheriff of Carmarthenshire in 1541-2 and added the Aberglasney chapel to Llangathen Church. Although we know little about the way the house here looked during his day it was grand enough to catch the eye of a powerful bishop fifty years later.
1541 - Sir William ap Thomas becomes High Sheriff of Carmarthenshire.
1594 - Anthony Rudd consecrated Bishop of St David’s.
Lewis Glyn Cothi, Cywydd i Rhydderch ap Rhys
wrote the following about Aberglasney in the fifteenth century:
(Translation, Dafydd Johnston)
It was during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I that the estate was bought by an ambitious Bishop. Anthony Rudd was consecrated Bishop of St David’s in 1594 and is credited, along with his son Sir Rice Rudd, with having rebuilt Aberglasney and creating the now famous Cloister Garden. In 1670 the house was assessed for ‘Hearth Tax’ and with 30 hearths it was one of the biggest in the county. But Sir Rice had overspent on the renovations, so with debts mounting, his grandson, also Sir Rice Rudd, was forced to mortgage the estate.
C1595-1600 Bishop Rudd purchases Aberglasney.
1614 – Bishop Rudd dies. Sir Rice Rudd (1st Baronet) continues building work.
1664 – Sir Rice Rudd dies in severe debt.
c1682 – Sir Rice Rudd (2nd Baronet) mortgages Aberglasney.
Aberglasney becomes the home of the Dyer family after the successful Carmarthenshire lawyer Robert Dyer purchases the estate. He is responsible for substantially remodelling the house in the fashionable Queen Anne style of the day. He left most of the gardens untouched save for removing the forecourt wall which was originally connected to the gatehouse but that now stands alone as a garden feature. The remarkable Yew Tunnel also began its life, as a hedge. Robert’s second son was John Dyer a notable landscape poet whose poems ‘Grongar Hill’ and ‘The Country Walk’ describe the beautiful scenery of the Tywi valley. In time, the Dyers too ran into debt and put the estate up for sale in 1798.
1710 – Estate is purchased by Robert Dyer.
1798 – Aberglasney is advertised for sale complete with 584 acres.
John Dyer
Aberglasney is home to the Phillips and Walters Philipps families during days of Regency and Victorian splendour and Dickensian characters. This is the century when the external appearance of the mansion took on its present form: the portico and bay windows were added and the roof-line altered. Thomas Phillips bought Aberglasney on his retirement from the Honourable East India Company, where he had risen to the role of Head Surgeon. When he died childless Aberglasney was left to his sister’s son John Walters, who tacked on the surname Philipps, although spelt differently. It was John Walters Phillips granddaughter Marianne Emily Jane Pryse, who became the heiress.
1803 – Estate is sold to Thomas Phillips.
1824 – Death of Thomas Phillips, Aberglasney passes to John Walters (Philipps).
1867 – Death of John Walters Philipps, Aberglasney passes to Marianne Emily Jane Pryse.
1872 – House advertised to let.
Marianne married a young soldier, Charles Mayhew and Aberglasney was let out during most of their married life. However on his retirement in 1902 they returned to Carmarthenshire. Colonel Mayhew is best remembered for his fierce teetotalism and the Mayhews held Temperance rallies and gave Llangathen its Temperance Hall. When Colonel Mayhew died his widow left for London, where she lived for the next 30 years. When Mrs Mayhew died the property devolved through her father’s second marriage into the Pryse-Rice family and to Eric Evans. But Eric Evans died aged just 30 and his son’s trustees decided that the property was not economically viable, or maybe even unlucky. The estate was split up, and David Charles a Carmarthen lawyer bought the house and farm. Another sale took place in 1977 fragmenting the estate further. Moments of glory but decades of decline – this was a century that saw the fragmentation of old estates and the demise of many a country house.
1902 – Colonel and Mrs Mayhew take up residence at Aberglasney.
1908 – Mrs Mayhew leaves Aberglasney following the death of her husband a year before.
1939 – Death of Mrs Mayhew, Aberglasney passes to Eric Evans.
1939 – 1945 – Aberglasney is requisitioned by the Army.
1950 - 1954 – Following the death of Eric Evans and estate split, the house is purchased by David Charles.
1977 – Aberglasney is sold again.
Uninhabited, neglected and vandalised, Aberglasney was on the brink of collapse when it was rescued from oblivion in 1995. The house and gardens were bought by the Aberglasney Restoration Trust, the money donated by an American benefactor – Frank Cabot. Thanks then to the generosity of individual donors, trust funds, charitable donations and grant money from many statutory bodies a tremendous amount of work was done in a very short time. Aberglasney finally opened to the public on the 4th of July 1999, restoration work has however been on-going since this date, with the completion of the ground floor of the mansion in Spring 2013.
1995 – Aberglasney Restoration Trust purchases the house and gardens.
1999 – Aberglasney Gardens opens to the public.
2013 – Restoration of the ground floor of the mansion is completed.