Grounds and gardens associated with Lamphey Court (NPRN 22219), a gleaming classical mansion built in 1823. These are depicted on the 1st edition OS County series (Pembroke XL.11, 1865).

Lamphey Court lies a short distance to the north-west of Lamphey Palace (22223). The house, now a hotel, was built in 1823 by the Mathias family, replacing an earlier building. It faces south across the carriage drive and the slopes above the valley bottom, meadows below. The gardens and grounds incorporate part of the outer court of the Bishop's Palace. The original design scheme for the garden did not fully come to fruition but was replaced instead by the present layout.

The approach is from the south-east, off a lane from Lamphey village, the drive crossing a bridge over a stream near the entrance, and on to a forecourt on the south front. Just within the grounds, to the north and south of the drive, are informal water features fed from a small D-shaped upper pond to the north. Water is channelled from it into a gully that winds down beneath the drive through woodland to the dell, formerly a rectangular pond but now a damp garden in which the stream is braided by placed boulders. Immediately below the bridge is the lower pond with a small oval island being recorded at the north end. South of the pond are building remains related to the medieval Palace.

Formal features are associated with the terrace surrounding the house. South-east of the porch are closely clipped yew hedges. West of the porch is a fountain backed by a semi-circle of closely-clipped yews. To the south, the formal terrace gives way to a grass bank which ends in a dry stone wall over 1m high separating the garden from the meadow and stream below. It is unclear if the meadow was ever included as part of the garden. The adjoining fields were planted with shelter belts and tree clumps, creating a park-like effect.
To the south-east is the great walled court of the; its garden and its ruined buildings were included in this scheme. The grounds in this area were laid out across the remains of a medieval ornamental landscape (see 407112 & 700057).

The gardens still contain some fine specimen and ornamental trees, notably the holm oaks, yews, Lawson cypress, horse chestnuts, columnar junipers and a lime as well as beech, ash oak and sycamore.

Source:
Cadw 2002: Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in Wales, Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire, 234-9 (ref: PGW(Dy)34(PEM)).

David Leighton & John Wiles, RCAHMW 8 March 2022

Site Record

Lamphey Court Garden and Grounds, Lamphey