picspam! Image heavy - click at own risk *G*

[llywela]

To celebrate my Dad's birthday yesterday, we went out for the day - myself, Mum and Dad, and Dad's sister Lesley. Had to be a short one, what with needing to get Small to school first thing, and then pick her up on time in the afternoon. So, we went to Aberglasney in Carmarthenshire. Only about an hour and a half from Cardiff, and instead of following the signposted route we went exploring and found a short-cut through Gelli Aur that knocked about 20 minutes off the journey.

Aberglasney is absolutely gorgeous - really haunting. I took loads of pictures, so here's a selection - dial-up users beware.

The old manor house itself, viewed from the outside. It looks almost like people could still be living there - from this view, you'd never know just how derelict it became at the end of the last century, before it was rescued. In this first image, you can see the yew tunnel right in front of the house.


Another view, taken from the parapet walkway.


A view of the back of the house - from this view, you can see the glass roof in the middle of the building, replacing the original roof that collapsed due to disrepair and hinting at the new use the building has been put to.


Ninfarium.
From outside, the house looks liveable still. As soon as you get through the door and see the bare stone and missing upper levels, it is clear that appearances are deceiving. Instead, the building has been turned into a beautiful ninfarium - a glass-roofed hothouse, filled with gorgous plants. There really is something haunting about walking through what was once a house but is now a garden, seeing the fireplaces and doorways amid the plants.









Back outside. This is the yew tunnel that sits close to the main entrance. No one knows when this was planted, but it's at least two centuries old, possibly many more than that.


Gardens.
At the back of the house is a parapet walkway - again, no one really knows when or why this was built. It's rather lovely, though.




Look at that beautiful and enormous copper beech.


Yews have been venerated for longer than Wales has been Christian. Growing in a corner of the parapet walk, shading a bench for visitors to enjoy the view, is an ancient yew tree that must have been there almost as long as the parapet itself has been standing. Yews are shallow-rooted, so this is an ideal home for it.


View of the house from another of the gardens.


And some more random views of the gardens and woodland walk nearby.

How wrong it is that a stream should be this dry in West Wales in April!



I could have posted twice as many pics, but that's enough to be going on with! It was a really lovely day out, and the weather was fab. Such a shame to have to come back to work today...

Comments

[bagpuss1966.livejournal.com]

Oh my word - that is *gorgeous*. It's almost criminal that such a gorgeous house has become derelict, but what a gorgeous use they've put it to instead. I love the Louvre style pyramid! It looks like the sort of place I'd love to visit. Beautiful!

[welshdreamer.livejournal.com]

What do you know, I nearly went myself last Saturday. But the pollen count was high so for hayfever reasons I thought it best to stay in!

[rosie55.livejournal.com]

What a fantastic place - and just about near enough for a day trip for us over the river, so thanks for posting this. How interesting to see what the house is used for now, so much nicer than just leaving it as a shell.
Glad you had a good day, and the weather was kind, too. A lovely way for your Dad to spend his birthday!

[llywela13.livejournal.com]

Whoa, great minds think alike, huh. I was all right with the pollen in the gardens yesterday - but after walking through Cardiff city centre at lunchtime today my eyes are streaming! Madness.

[llywela13.livejournal.com]

Oh, it really is worth a visit if you get the chance - it's dead easy to get to. Just follow the M4 right to the end at Carmarthen, and then it's signposted off the A40. Either follow the signs to go the long way around, or short-cut through Gelli Aur like we did. *G* And it isn't that big, so it's even possible to do both Aberglasney and the Botanical Gardens at Middleton all in one day - they aren't that far from one another.

[llywela13.livejournal.com]

I know - I really hate seeing beautiful old houses like that falling into ruin. The ninfarium is absolutely stunning, though - such an incredible atmosphere in there. Well worth a visit, if you're ever in West Wales!

[siluria]

ooooh, very pretty :)

[wildcard-sej.livejournal.com]

Wow! That's amazing. Such a shame that a place like that should be allowed to fall into ruin, but love what they've done with it now. Looks like you had a really wonderful day out - lovely pics!

[jayres.livejournal.com]

What a fantastic place. Thanks for posting the pics.
That is a must for a trip out. I love it. :)

[shaw012145.livejournal.com]

These are awesome Jo. You would want to be wearing comfortable shoes to walk around these gardens. Your pictures would make wonderful jigsaws.

[llywela13.livejournal.com]

Yeah, it's a lovely place, well worth a visit. I've got a thing for old buildings!

I love that Sam/Jared icon!

[llywela13.livejournal.com]

I know - I love old buildings, love wandering around them, imagining what they were like in their glory days. It's awful to see them becoming derelict, but what's been done with Aberglasney is stunning.

[llywela13.livejournal.com]

Ooh, I'd recommend a visit, if you're ever in West Wales. It's really wasy to get to off the end of the M4, and it isn't far from the Botanical Gardens at Middleton, so you could do both in one day, even. Aberglasney isn't that big.

[llywela13.livejournal.com]

Hmm. I love old houses. The gardens at Aberglasney really aren't that big, though - you can do the whole thing in about an hour and a half. Some you can wander around all day and not see everything!

[shaw012145.livejournal.com]

Aaaaaaaaaah ... having a HP moment here ... (Pictures) books can be deceiving (Book 2) ... the grounds looked huge.

Still, very pretty.

[siluria]

It's very pretty isn't it! :) A friend made it for me, cos alas I'm no good at colouring.

[ehlwyen.livejournal.com]

Thank you for the beautiful tour!!! The photos are enchanting and I love all your comments guiding me through. As something that I'll probably never see in my life or have otherwise known about, I'm glad you posted this.

*hug* I'm glad you and your family were able to get away for such a good time on a beautiful day!

[llywela13.livejournal.com]

Cheers, honey. It was a lovely day.

Something we aren't lacking in around here are Very Old Buildings!