Gelli Aur country park facts for kids

Gelli Aur is a beautiful country park in Carmarthenshire, Wales. It has about 60 acres (24 hectares) of lovely wooded parkland. This park surrounds a grand old house called Golden Grove mansion. For a long time, important families like the Vaughans and the Cawdors lived here.

The park is a great place to explore! It has special nature trails, a large deer park where you can see deer, and a lovely Arboretum. An Arboretum is like a tree museum, and the one at Gelli Aur was planted way back in the 1860s. For many years, the local government, Carmarthenshire County Council, helped manage this wonderful park.

The Golden Grove Mansion

The Golden Grove mansion is a very special building. It has unique features like "crow-stepped gables" (stair-shaped roof edges) and a grand entrance with battlements, which look like the top of a castle wall. It also has tall, interesting chimney stacks.

A Look Back in Time

The very first Vaughan mansion on this spot was built a long, long time ago, between 1565 and 1570. But that original house is not here anymore.

In 1804, the last person from the Vaughan family who owned the estate passed away without any children. So, the Gelli Aur estate went to another family, the Cawdors. It was the Cawdor family who built the amazing mansion you see today. They built it between 1827 and 1832.

Today, the mansion is owned by private individuals. They are working hard on a long project to restore it to its former glory.

The Mansion's Story Through the Years

Since the middle of the 1900s, the mansion has had an interesting past. During World War II, it was used to house American airmen. Imagine soldiers living in such a grand house!

More recently, the big house was rented out to Carmarthenshire County Council. One of the campuses for Carmarthenshire College, called Coleg Sir Gâr, was located there. Students would have learned in this historic setting.

Restoring Gelli Aur Park

In 2015, there was a big plan to restore Gelli Aur Park over ten years. The Welsh Government provided a grant of almost £1 million to help with this project.

The first part of the plan was to make sure people could easily visit the parkland and gardens. This included adding tea-rooms where visitors could relax, a fun play area for kids, and educational activities. They also created new trails for people to walk and explore.

However, the money needed for the third year of the project didn't come through. Because of this, most of the grant money could not be used. Despite this, efforts continue to make Gelli Aur a wonderful place for everyone to enjoy.

Images for kids

• 

  The House at Gelli Aur Country Park, viewed from the Arboretum walk, August 2005.

• 

  A peacock enjoying the park.

• 

  The mysterious Grotto.

• 

  A path through the forest near Gelli Aur.