Plas Brondanw a Gardd Dewston Gerddi Cymru

-Subtitles

-Subtitles

-

-Subtitles

-Did you know that there are

-400 registered gardens in Wales?

-They can be big, small,

-formal or wild.

-Every garden gives pleasure to the

-thousands who visit them every year.

-I'm visiting a few of our gardens

-to see the wealth on our doorstep.

-It's the golden age of the garden.

-Welcome to Gerddi Cymru.

-This garden is a feast of colour.

-You'll find a variety of statues...

-..and elements of

-Italian architecture.

-You probably think

-that I'm in Portmeirion.

-You're not far wrong and

-I'm not far from Portmeirion either!

-The turquoise colour

-is a bit of a clue...

-..as both sites are connected.

-Plas Brondanw Gardens

-are in Llanfrothen...

-..a few miles outside Porthmadog...

-..in the shadows

-of the Snowdonia National Park.

-Few people know about Brondanw...

-..as most associate the area with

-the Italian village of Portmeirion.

-The location is world famous...

-..and attracts thousands of visitors

-every year.

-Some collect stamps

-and others walk dogs...

-..but this was the hobby of one

-architect in the early 20th century.

-He wanted an Italian village

-on a headland in Eifionydd.

-His vision stretched

-to a nearby mansion and garden...

-..known as Plas Brondanw.

-Brondanw was the home

-of Clough Williams-Ellis...

-..the creator of Portmeirion.

-This was his back garden.

-He had an evident, childish delight

-in creating hidden, personal coves.

-These make the garden

-even more personal.

-Plas Brondanw was built in 1550.

-For over 400 years, the estate

-was owned by the same family.

-It changed over the years but the

-main transformation came in 1908...

-..when Clough Williams-Ellis

-inherited the estate...

-..and started developing

-the gardens.

-He was a creative, ambitious

-and slightly eccentric man.

-But what inspired him

-to create such beauty?

-Seran Dolma

-is a trustee of Plas Brondanw...

-..and a descendent

-of Clough Williams-Ellis.

-A variety of elements

-influenced his style over the years.

-These are evident in Portmeirion

-and other locations.

-He had a long and productive career.

-His architectural design stemmed

-from the Arts and Crafts Movement...

-..and he used traditional materials

-and local methods of building.

-There was also some

-classical elements...

-..such as concentrating on symmetry,

-columns and arches.

-These were much grander.

-One of the main inspirations here

-was the surrounding landscape.

-He used elements of the garden

-to frame the views...

-..and guide the eye

-to the top of the mountain.

-The garden's design is very playful.

-Did he have a playful personality?

-Yes, he had a great sense of humour

-and was very interesting.

-He had the freedom to be that way.

-This was his home

-and it is where the family lived.

-He put his heart and soul

-into this site.

-You get full enjoyment

-out of a garden.

-The point of gardens

-is to start absurdly young...

-..and live to be absurdly old

-to get your reward.

-The gardens as you see them now...

-..are the result

-of just over 60 years...

-..of my planning,

-planting and tending.

-Very little has changed

-over the years.

-The chief gardener,

-Dylan Williams...

-..is responsible for keeping

-the garden as Clough designed it.

-You're the only

-full-time gardener here.

-I suspect most of your time

-is spent trimming the yew trees.

-It takes eight to ten weeks

-to trim all the hedges...

-..and some of them

-need trimming twice...

-..but the yew trees

-only need trimming once.

-There's plenty to do.

-There's plenty to do.

-

-Yes, that's right.

-You have an array of flowers here.

-Are some harder to grow than others?

-Yes, and the hardest

-is the Tropaeolum or flame creeper.

-This isn't the easiest flower

-to grow and prefers to be sheltered.

-It's growing in our yew hedging and

-getting further along it each year.

-It has seeded itself under our yews

-and prefers dry and acidic soil.

-Our visitors love it.

-It's striking against the green.

-Yes, it entwines itself

-through the tree.

-The garden is also well-known

-for its hydrangeas.

-There are many of them

-and the blue ones look spectacular.

-Hydrangeas are old-fashioned

-but you have a garden full of them.

-Yes, these were Clough's favourite.

-The exceptional soil enables us

-to grow a variety of hydrangeas.

-We're lucky to have blue,

-white and pink hydrangeas.

-The blue hydrangeas were planted

-as a reminder of the sea...

-..which was replaced by the Cob

-200 years ago.

-Is there a specific design

-or do you decide what to plant?

-The garden designer and trustees

-tell us what we can and can't do.

-Everyone works together...

-..to recreate the garden

-that Clough always wanted.

-Would you choose the hydrangeas?

-Would you choose the hydrangeas?

-

-Yes, I would.

-The architectural characteristics of

-Clough Williams-Ellis are apparent.

-He uses a lot of slate...

-..along with iron work,

-mostly painted in turquoise.

-There are also

-many classical forms...

-..all within the boundaries

-of the Arts and Crafts Movement.

-The Arts and Crafts Movement

-was led by architects...

-..so Clough designed

-a building for the garden.

-This orangery is a perfect example

-of the period.

-It's a combination of traditional

-materials, fantastic craftwork...

-..interesting design features

-and breathtaking views.

-Peter Hill is responsible

-for protecting Clough's vision.

-He's a retired architect

-who is now a volunteer at Brondanw.

-This garden is listed as a Grade I.

-Is that because of the plant-based

-architecture or stone architecture?

-It's a combination of both.

-Sir Clough was settled

-with this estate in 1908...

-..in the Arts and Crafts period,

-when it was red hot design.

-He developed a garden that's come

-down to its original condition.

-It's unthinkable that we should

-change the hard landscaping...

-..because it's so iconic

-of the Arts and Crafts Movement.

-The planting again forms part

-of the structure of the garden.

-The yew hedges

-are as important as stone walls.

-Sir Clough didn't have

-a great interest in plants.

-They did a job in the garden

-and give contrast of colour.

-Camellias, Magnolias, Azaleas.

-He started with small plants and

-put them in when he could afford it.

-This garden

-took many years to develop.

-Clough didn't always

-conform to the period.

-Wherever you look, there are

-features that raise a smile.

-This was a reflection of his humour.

-The garden and nearby forest

-are full of these features...

-..like this cute, little shelter.

-In 1955, a watch tower was built at

-the highest point of the garden...

-..as an anniversary present

-to his wife.

-That's what I call a view!

-Yes, Clough Williams-Ellis

-certainly had vision.

-"Cherish the past, adorn the present

-and construct for the future."

-That was Clough Williams-Ellis's

-favourite saying.

-It's great to see the same

-enthusiasm and love...

-..being shown in his own

-personal garden today.

-.

-Subtitles

-Subtitles

-

-Subtitles

-During this series...

-..we've seen stately, historical,

-formal and even wooded gardens...

-..but our next garden

-is very unusual.

-There's no other garden like this

-in Wales or even the world.

-At first glance,

-it's like any other garden...

-..with colourful flowers

-and attractive lakes...

-..but things aren't always

-as they seem.

-Dewstow Gardens are located

-near the town of Chepstow...

-..on the banks of the River Severn.

-The Dewstow Estate has been

-on this site for many centuries.

-Dewstow means

-St David on the Hill...

-..as it housed a church

-dedicated to St David.

-At the turn of the 20th century...

-..the house and gardens

-were owned by Henry Oakley.

-This successful businessman...

-..lived on the estate

-and sold land in Newport...

-..but he was a gardener at heart.

-He had the vision to create

-this unique garden.

-What makes this garden so unique?

-As you step from the traditional

-garden to the underground tunnel...

-..the splendour of Dewstow

-becomes apparent.

-This underground paradise is

-reminiscent of Alice in Wonderland.

-Henry Oakley had a keen interest

-in all varieties of fern.

-This network of dark and moist

-underground tunnels...

-..with its waterfalls and ponds

-is perfect for these plants.

-These caves

-aren't made of natural rock...

-..but the creation of James Pulham.

-This is a Pulhamite garden which

-takes its name from Pulham himself.

-He designed

-this special type of rock.

-It isn't rock, but concrete.

-This concrete forms the foundations

-and gives the garden its structure.

-Pulhamite is easier to treat

-than common rock...

-..but it is just as effective.

-The work of Pulham can be found

-at Highnam Court, Sandringham...

-..and Buckingham Palace.

-Dewstow is the showstopper of all

-the Pulhamite gardens in the world.

-Believe it or not,

-the work took 25 years to complete.

-Sioned Rowlands is just as

-astounded by Dewstow as me!

-How would you summarize

-what this garden has to offer?

-There's so much here.

-It's full of history...

-..as it's one of the most important

-Pulhamite gardens in Wales...

-..and in Britain and the world.

-There's so much to see.

-The outdoor garden

-is a complete contrast to this one.

-This could be the set for Jurassic

-Park and yet it feels so natural.

-Yes, you feel as if you're walking

-through natural caves.

-This garden

-also brings out the child in you.

-You want to discover more

-with every step that you take.

-The biggest surprise is that

-there's a garden here at all.

-The death of Henry Oakley in 1940

-and the onset of World War II...

-..meant that James Pulham's garden

-became obsolete.

-The tunnels and ponds

-were filled with soil...

-..and this is how it remained

-until the turn of this century...

-..when the Dewstow Estate

-was bought by John and Lisa Harris.

-They were shocked with what they

-found in the clean-up operation...

-..so they decided

-to take a closer look.

-In the early days of winter 2000,

-as we were finding new tunnels...

-..there was a curiosity

-and excitement to keep digging...

-..to find out what was there.

-After months of digging and piles

-of soil and rubble everywhere...

-..we did say,

-"what do we do with everything now?"

-Around that time, Cadw came along...

-..and told us that it was

-a Pulham garden of historical value.

-The point of filling it in was gone.

-We employed a gardener

-and started landscaping it.

-Twelve years later, we have

-visitors and coaches coming here.

-It was largely by accident really.

-Thousands of visitors flock here

-every year...

-..to admire Pulham's creation and

-enjoy all the garden has to offer.

-This is completely different

-to the cave that we saw earlier.

-He's created another dimension

-with this balustrade.

-It's like some kind

-of overgrown underworld.

-It's more like a typical garden

-with a lot of colour.

-The flowering plants thrive in the

-sunshine under this glass roof.

-It's extremely moist in here...

-..so the ferns

-and other plants love it.

-It's very strange.

-It feels more surreal

-than the manmade caves.

-Yes, and it feels very natural...

-..unlike this section

-with the concrete balustrades...

-..and the lions behind us.

-This area is much warmer.

-This area is much warmer.

-

-Yes, the sun's shining down on us.

-These are plants that you would find

-in a typical garden.

-Yes, there are begonias

-and fuchsias.

-These flowers are full of colour.

-I think that this garden is meant

-to resemble a very colourful room.

-We also have

-the fantastic palm trees...

-..as well as some climbing plants

-such as the ivy and passion flower.

-It gives the feeling of being

-at the heart of these plants.

-This vision

-is something very unique.

-Many people think of having

-different rooms within a garden...

-..but this goes one step further...

-..by burying a garden underground

-and creating this strange world.

-Yes, this is very odd.

-Yes, it is.

-If we'd come here first...

-..I would never have believed that

-there was a garden underneath us.

-Yes, but this is also manmade.

-These lakes and plants

-have been placed here...

-..to create perfection

-and imitate the Garden of Eden.

-The two gardens

-are very different to each other.

-That's where we were earlier!

-That's where we were earlier!

-

-Yes, it is.

-Dewstow Gardens is a combination

-of natural stone and Pulhamite.

-It's difficult to tell

-the difference between them.

-This priceless classic fills a gap

-in the history of garden design.

-Dewstow is the only one

-of its kind...

-..and is the perfect example

-of the work of James Pulham.

-My journey around Wales

-has come to an end.

-It has taken me to familiar

-and unfamiliar gardens...

-..that offer a variety of things

-for us to discover.

-It certainly is the

-golden age of the garden.

-S4C Subtitles by Tinopolis

-.