Gnoll House with its grounds and gardens lay within an extensive landscape park (nprn 700034). The house has now been demolished (18814) but evidence of the gardens and pleasure grounds remain. They lie on the hill on which the house once stood. The garden consists of the terrace to the west of the house site, which looks out over the town and beyond. It is a rectangular grassy platform bounded with a low stone parapet wall on the west and a revetment wall on the east, accessed from the house by a flight of steps. Below is an area of deciduous woodland with ornamental understorey. At the north end is a curving recessed stone seat and a yew on a small mound. To the south of the house is the oval forecourt area, with grass in the centre. Two paths now lead into it.

The grounds lie mainly to the east of the house site but also on the slopes of the hill to the west and south. The crown of the hill is occupied by wooded grounds laid out informally, with paths and a few open areas. The south side is bounded by stone revetment walling. Below on the south-east is a walled enclosure, formerly the herbaceous garden but now rough grass. On the hill summit is the bowling green, a roughly circular level lawn surrounded by rhododendrons and mixed trees. To the north is a gentle slope down to a long, level, grass terrace running east-west from the north end of the house to a ha-ha on the east. North of the terrace is an area of mixed ornamental woodland and shrubs, with some bamboo clumps.

To the east of the pleasure grounds lie the former kitchen gardens (700035).

Source: Cadw Historic Assets Database (ref: PGW(Gm)50(NEP)).

RCAHMW, 15 February 2022