Gregynog Hall & Gardens

GREGYNOG HALL & LIBRARY
Gregynog is one of Wales’ premier country estates and the former home of the extraordinary Davies sisters, art collectors and public benefactors. The black and white hall is surrounded by popular walking trails through the 750-acre estate which is a National Nature Reserve and Site of Special Scientific Interest.

The estate is one of Wales’ most important sites for ancient parkland and wood-pasture habitats, veteran trees and nationally important lichens, insects and other wildlife, supported by these rare habitats. The Great Wood at Gregynog is one of few remaining ancient oak and lichen-rich woodlands, home to an extremely rare lichen never seen before in Wales.

Gregynog Hall is an ancient house with a Victorian face. Once a landed estate, now a Conference Centre and Wedding & Events Venue. Gregynog Hall houses a magnificent library. Fine arts, literature, language, history and culture, rub shoulders with classic publications from the Gregynog Press. Many of the books once belonged to the Davies sisters; although the greater part of the general non-fiction collection has been acquired since the 1960s.

THE GREGYNOG HALL GARDENS
The gardens at Gregynog are unrivaled, offering a mixture of formal and woodland walks. The Hall is surrounded by 750 acres of grounds containing many different landscapes including Grade 1 listed formal gardens. The Gardener’s Chronicle of 1912 described these as ‘highly artistic and in complete harmony with the natural surroundings’ CADW added ‘one of the most important parks and gardens in Powys, dating from at least 1500’

Early concrete fountains and bridges are surrounded by a mass of Rhododendrons and Azaleas. A magnificent clipped yew hedge and herbaceous borders create a spectacular backdrop to the Hall.

NATIONAL NATURE RESERVE
Gregynog has been designated a National Nature Reserve. The Estate attracts a diversity of bird life and in summer migrants share the bounty of the grounds with all three British Woodpeckers. The mouse-like Tree Creeper can be spotted among the Wellingtonia trees and in the undisturbed snows of winter we find Falcons and Sparrowhawks.

WOODLAND WALKS
There is a network of colour coded woodland walks, of varying lengths, which weave their way through the Estate and give tantalising views of both the Hall and Montgomeryshire countryside. A number of footpaths link through to neighbouring farmland for the more adventurous.

Ancient Oaks, 300 years old or more, form the Great Wood, designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest for it’s Lichen, whilst magnificent Cedar, Cypress and Copper Beech challenge those found in any Arboretum. The paths along the Wern bottom follow a beautiful shallow valley, with grazing horses, back through to the sunken lawns.

Natural beech woodlands rise above ‘The Dingle’ and the water gardens of ‘The Dell’ display fantastic specimens of long established water marginals. The meandering Bechan Brook flows through the Estate attracting Kingfishers on its way to the Lily Pond.

The Lily Lake Walk, Warren Walk, Great Wood Walk and Valley Walk have been created to offer something of interest to everyone.

THE GREEN GYM
Gregynog’s woodland Trim Trail or ‘Green Gym’ is located in beautiful woodland opposite the hall and a short walk from the main car park.Ten pieces of equipment create a circuit through the woodlands; which can be extended for runners by joining one of the four waymarked walks. The ‘Wern Walk’ which passes by the ‘Green Gym’ is 5.6km in length.