Penmaenuchaf - CADW Reg No. PGW (Gd) 37 (GWY) |
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The tennis court is not shown on the early maps and is doubtless a twentieth century addition.
It lies to the south-east of the house, and must have been made out of part of the lawn.
It has been levelled by excavating on all sides except the northeast, where there is a hedge,
and is thus slightly sunken, with some revetting. The levelling on the south-east is slight,
and the wall of the disused track which passes this side is a more obvious edge to the area.
Part of a clump of trees which pre-dates the court, being shown on the 1889 map, has been
retained on the north-west side, and under these trees is an area of hard standing which
probably formed the base for a summerhouse or small pavilion, with steps down on to the court.
The slight rise or low knoll to the west of the house was formerly occupied, by the kitchen garden (shown in this position on both early Ordnance Survey maps), but after this was moved to the present site near the stable block, although the remains of the glasshouses are still in their original position the rest of the area was made into separate small areas with different characters, divided by yew hedges. The area immediately south-west of the viewing terrace seems never to have been part of the kitchen garden, having tree symbols on the old maps, and two large trees, a cedar and a fir, now growing in a lawn here are no doubt survivors. A hedge separates this lawn from a path and steps, with borders either side, on the north-west side, which lead up from the viewing terrace into what was the kitchen garden. The first area reached by this route is a small, rectangular enclosed lawn. South-east of this, reached by a grass path, is the sloping herb garden, from which an iron footbridge crosses tile passageway at the side to the first floor of the house. The herb garden has a low terrace, alongside the path, with steps up to the beds opposite an entrance to the lawn with the large trees. There are twenty-two small beds, mostly rectangular, and a border along the top of the terrace wall. A sundial in the centre is flanked by two L-shaped beds. Each bed is planted with a different herb, and there is also some ornamental planting. The beds are surrounded by lawn. From this area is reached another sloping lawned area to the south, with a circular rose bed in the centre and two small weeping trees. A wide border all around is filled with shrubs and other ornamental plantings. On the south and east a retaining wall supports the borders, and there are steps down to the forecourt area. In the north-west corner is a way through to the area containing the remains of the glasshouses.
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 Corner of the old tennis court at Penmaenuchaf. Grass conceals a cinder playing surface. |
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