Hawarden Castle gardens lie around the mansion (nprn 35877), at the north end of Hawarden Castle Park (700023).

The gardens have a long history but they owe their present-day appearance to development from the early eighteenth century onwards. They lie to the south, west and north of the house and fall into three main sections: the formal terrace to the south; the informal slope between the house and medieval castle, with the castle itself; and the area of shrubbery to the north of the house. The drive enters the garden from the north, off the B5125, into a crescent-shaped gravel forecourt.

South of the house is a large level terrace revetted on its south side by a substantial stone wall. It is largely lawn with gravel paths and rectangular and semi-circular island beds. At the east end is a modern swimming pool. The terrace continues for a short distance around the west side of the house, an area also laid out formally with straight gravel paths and a central circular fountain reached by narrow flagstone cross paths. In the south-west corner of the terrace is a small pavilion, or tea house (LB 15015), and on its west side steps lead up to a raised viewing platform.

Beyond the terrace, to the west, the character of the garden changes to one of informality and picturesqueness. The ground rises to the west, while also sloping southwards, up to the ruined medieval castle. A wide vista of lawn has been kept open between the house and castle, flanked by banks of mixed trees and ornamental shrubs. Below the terrace is an informal pond. A stone wall from the tea house extends west around the foot of the castle mound, separating garden from park.

The medieval castle with its mound (95095) forms a picturesque object on the skyline, accessed by stone bridge over a deep cutting. It is integrated into the gardens and ornamented with grass walks, steps, wild flowers, and some tree planting, and a lawn in the inner ward. Between the castle and the kitchen garden to the north (700024) are lawns flanked by informal and ornamental tree and shrub plantings, a rectangular pool, grass walks (including the start of W.E. Gladstone's walk across the park), an ornamental stone column, an ice house and the turf amphitheatre. The latter consists of a central circle with a wellingtonia tree in the middle, above and below which are three narrow semi-circular tiers separated by steep scarps. Ramps run down either side of the upper part.

The informal shrubbery lies to the north of the house. Next to the forecourt is a lawn with informal beds, shrubs, trees, rhododendrons and yews. It is bounded by the drive to the east and the kitchen garden to the west, and runs northwards as far as the stable court (410025).

Sources:

Cadw 1995: Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in Wales, Clwyd, 128-33 (ref: PGW(C)55(FLT).

Ordnance Survey, 25-inch map, sheets: Flintshire XIV.3 & XIV.7 (third edition 1909).

RCAHMW, 7 February 2022

Cofnod Safle

Hawarden Castle Garden, Hawarden