Aberglasney House and Gardens: Archaeology, history and architecture

Aberglasney comprises a substantial house, outbuildings walled gardens, wooded areas, and a Yew tunnel. It is situated in the Tywi valley in the Parish of Llangathen in Carmarthenshire. The Aberglasney Restoration Trust was established in 1994 to save these remains, which were in an advanced state of decay, and eventually open the gardens to the public. Archaeological involvement was required since the house and gardens were about to undergo a major scheme of restoration. The excavations aimed to remove later landscaping levels to reveal the layout of the 17th and 18th century gardens and findings confirmed that occupation started in the late 15th century, and that an extensive formal garden was laid out during the first half of the 17th century. Kevin Blockley's report provides a fascinating account of the work undertaken under the control of John Trefor, BBC Wales produced a four-part programme in 1999 entitled Aberglasney: A Garden Lost in Time. This present volume makes a valuable companion to the series.Written by Kevin Blockley and Ian Halfpenney.With contributions from John Carrott, Edward Besly, Martin Bridge, Paul Courtney, Phil Evans, Allan Hall, Michael Ibbotson, Su Johnson, Frances Large, Daniel Miles, Nigel Nayling, Mark Redknap, William Wilkins and Darren Worthy.Illustrations by Attila Csaba.