Penllergare facts for kids
Penllergare is a beautiful country park located in Wales. It used to be the large estate of a famous person named John Dillwyn Llewelyn. The park is right next to what is now the village of Penllergaer, near Swansea. Even though their names are similar, the village of Penllergaer grew up separately from the Penllergare estate.
History of Penllergare
In the 1800s and early 1900s, Penllergare was one of the most amazing gardens in Britain. The main person who created it was John Dillwyn Llewelyn (1810–1882). He was very good at landscape design and growing plants (called horticulture). He was also a scientist and one of the first people to take photographs.
John Dillwyn Llewelyn used the natural beauty of the area to create a grand garden. He planted many different kinds of trees, bushes, and special plants. He even built one of the first special houses for orchids in 1836. Around 1851-1852, he built an observatory near his main house to look at the stars. He also experimented with an electric boat he built himself on the Lower Lake before 1848!
John became a very skilled photographer, inspired by his wife's cousin, Henry Fox Talbot. Penllergare, with its lakes, waterfalls, and beautiful views, gave him many things to photograph. His pictures show what life was like in the Victorian era. His son, Sir John Talbot Dillwyn Llewelyn, made the gardens even better just before World War I. Like his father, he was a kind person who helped his community.
Sadly, after the mid-1900s, Penllergare started to fall apart. The main house was destroyed and replaced by a 'civic centre'. New buildings and damage from people made things worse. The M4 motorway even cut through part of the woodland gardens. Modern houses now sit close to the old walled gardens. The idea of making it a country park in the 1990s didn't happen. The old house was pulled down in the 1960s because it was unsafe.
Cadw, a Welsh heritage group, says Penllergare is "The partial survivor of a very important picturesque and Romantic landscape of the mid-nineteenth century." They have given it a Grade II listing, meaning it's a special historic place.
The Penllergare Trust
Many people and groups wanted to save Penllergare. They decided that an independent group was needed to protect this "secret and magical place" for everyone to enjoy. So, Ymddiriedolaeth Penllergare – The Penllergare Trust – was started in 2000. It's a charity that doesn't aim to make money.
The Trust has three main goals:
- To protect, care for, fix, and look after the landscape of Penllergare.
- To help people learn about and enjoy Penllergare.
- To protect and care for the wildlife living there.
Penllergare Today
Today, Penllergare is often called Penllergare Valley Woods. It has always been a special, hidden place with natural beauty, history, and culture. It's a very important historical landscape designed by John Dillwyn Llewelyn, who was a great gardener, helper of others, and early photographer. It's also a safe place for wildlife.
Recently, it has become a park for people in a growing city area. It offers many ways to relax, have fun, and stay healthy. For over 50 years, the woods struggled with damage and new buildings. Many people worried that Penllergare would be lost forever. But after ten years of hard work, the Penllergare Trust's efforts have paid off!
On April 26, 2012, the Trust officially took over the leases for Valley Woods. This means the woods are now safe for public use until the year 2116 – that's 104 years! This also helped the Trust get £2.4 million from the Heritage Lottery Fund. This money is for the first part of a big £2.9 million plan to restore the upper part of the valley.
The restoration work is guided by John Dillwyn Llewelyn's old photographs from the 1800s. Over the next three years, the upper lake will be cleaned out. Steps, terraces, waterfalls, and cascades will be fixed to bring back the beautiful, romantic design. The lovely stone-arched Llewelyn Bridge was built in 2013. It might be the only bridge of its kind built in Britain in decades! The observatory has been rented from the Council, fixed, and is now being used again. A hydro-electric generator will be put near the upper waterfall to create clean power for the estate.
A walkway under the M4 motorway will also connect to the Forestry Commission forest. This will more than double the size of Valley Woods! It will also create a "green" path from the Gower area to the Brecon Beacons. A small visitor center and a car park for the woods started being built and were finished in June 2013. This work is supported by a grant from the European Regional Development Convergence Fund through Visit Wales and the Welsh Government. Valley Woods is part of the "One Historic Garden Project," which connects historic gardens and opportunities across South Wales.
The restoration project is still happening. While many places close during restoration, the Penllergare Trust wants everyone to share the experience. Local people and visitors are welcome to visit anytime. You can volunteer, help raise money, become a "Friend of Penllergare Valley Woods," or join an event. It's a special place for history, nature, and people!
