The Gnoll Country Park (or Gnoll Estate) is a park in Wales. It is an early-18th-century landscaped garden covering over in the
Vale of Neath
The Vale of Neath (or Neath Valley, Welsh: ''Cwm Nedd''), one of the South Wales Valleys, encompasses the upper reaches of the River Neath in southwest Wales. In addition to the River Neath, it is traversed by the Neath Canal and the A465 dual ...
, in
Neath Port Talbot
Neath Port Talbot ( cy, Castell-nedd Port Talbot) is a Local government in Wales#Principal areas, county borough in the South West Wales, south-west of Wales. Its principal towns are Neath, Port Talbot, Briton Ferry and Pontardawe. The county bor ...
county borough in south
Wales
Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...
. The park is designated Grade II* on the
Cadw/ICOMOS Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in Wales.
History
The estate was the property of the Mackworth family during the 18th and 19th centuries. There are few traces remaining of the house, once considered "one of the finest residences in the principality".
Historically, the estate was part of the Norman-owned territory of Neath and Afan, which also comprised
Neath Abbey
Neath Abbey ( cy, Abaty Nedd) was a Cistercian monastery, located near the present-day town of Neath in South Wales, UK. It was once the largest abbey in Wales. Substantial ruins can still be seen, and are in the care of Cadw. Tudor historian ...
and
Neath Castle
Neath Castle ( cy, Castell Nedd) is a Norman castle located in the town centre of Neath, Wales. Its construction was begun by Robert, Earl of Gloucester, the nominal Lord of Glamorgan, at a date estimated between 1114 and 1130. It is also ref ...
.
The first recorded individual owner was Evan ap David during the 16th century. The last of Evan's descendants to own it was Sir Herbert Evans, who died in the late 17th century.
Sir Herbert's daughter and sole surviving heir, Mary, married
Humphrey Mackworth
Sir Humphrey Mackworth (Jan 1657–1727) was a British Business magnate, industrialist and politician. He was involved in a business scandal in the early 18th century and was a founding member of the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge.
...
(later Sir Humphrey) in 1686 and on her death ten years later, Mackworth became owner of the estate.
Mackworth extended the house (sometimes known as "Gnoll Castle"), and developed various coal mining interests locally, as well as branching out into other industries.
His eldest son,
Herbert Mackworth
Herbert Mackworth (7 September 1687 – 20 August 1765) was a Welsh landowner, coal owner and Tory politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1739 to 1765.
Early life
Mackworth was the son of Sir Humphrey Mackworth of Gnoll, Glamorganshir ...
, continued his industrial interests, and developed the Gnoll
copper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu (from la, cuprum) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkis ...
works.
Sir Herbert Mackworth, 1st Baronet, Herbert's son, increased the amount of coal mining carried out on the estate.
Through the widow of Sir Herbert's brother
Robert Mackworth (died 1795), the estate passed to Capel Hanbury Leigh, Lord Lieutenant of Monmouthshire, and it was later bought by Henry Grant of Pembrokeshire and Wormley, Hertfordshire (died 1831) Shortly before his son Henry John Grant's death in 1861, there was a plan in 1857 to use the castle as a university college and some staff including the gamekeeper moved to Wormley, but instead it was purchased by a cousin Charles Evan-Thomas of Llwynmadoc,
[ who demolished the east wing and added other architectural features. He was the father of Admiral ]Hugh Evan-Thomas
Admiral (Royal Navy), Admiral Sir Hugh Evan-Thomas, (27 October 1862 – 30 August 1928) was a British Royal Navy officer.
During World War I he commanded the 5th Battle Squadron (United Kingdom), 5th Battle Squadron of the Grand Fleet, fly ...
, who was born at the Gnoll. A year after Sir Hugh's death, the Gnoll was bought by Neath corporation as a site for a war memorial
A war memorial is a building, monument, statue, or other edifice to celebrate a war or victory, or (predominating in modern times) to commemorate those who died or were injured in a war.
Symbolism
Historical usage
It has ...
. The castle was demolished in 1957.
Country park
The park is designated Grade II* on the Cadw/ICOMOS Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in Wales. It features lakeside and woodland walks, restored formal cascades, a grotto, a coarse fishery, four ponds, a play area, an adventure playground and a visitor centre exploring the history and evolution of the estate. It has a shop, toilet facilities and a cafè. Entry to the park is free of charge, but there are parking charges. The remains of some of the estate buildings, such as an ice house, tower and fishpond house, are still visible.
Hollow Tree
The Hollow Tree is located near to the visitor centre and the fishpond. It serves as the finish line for the three courses of the weekly Gnoll Parkrun
Parkrun (stylised as parkrun) is a collection of events for walkers, runners and volunteers that take place every Saturday morning at more than 2,000 locations in 23 countries across six continents. Junior Parkrun (stylised as junior parkrun) ...
.[ The tree, an oak, has been completely hollow since at least the 1950s and children have played inside it for generations. It is fitted with reinforcing bars and, despite its condition, continues to produce leaves and acorns each year. The tree was one of 216 nominations for the British Tree of the Year competition in 2017 and was selected by an expert panel to be one of six on the Welsh shortlist. It received 64% of votes in the subsequent public poll, winning the Welsh competition and receiving a £1000 tree care grant from the ]People's Postcode Lottery
A lottery is a form of gambling that involves the drawing of numbers at random for a prize. Some governments outlaw lotteries, while others endorse it to the extent of organizing a national or state lottery. It is common to find some degree of ...
.[ The tree was not selected from the national winners for entry into the ]European Tree of the Year
The European Tree of the Year is an annual contest held to find the most 'loveable tree' in Europe.
The contest is held by the Environmental Partnership Association (EPA), an organization supported by the European Land Owners Association and the ...
competition, losing out to the Gilwell Oak
The Gilwell Oak is an oak tree on the grounds of The Scout Association's headquarters at Gilwell Park, Essex. It is reputed to have been used as a hiding place by Dick Turpin and since the 20th century has become closely associated with the Scou ...
.
References
External links
Glamorgan Walks - Gnoll Estate
Official website
Map showing Gnoll country park
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Country parks in Wales
Registered historic parks and gardens in Neath Port Talbot
Vale of Neath
Parks in Neath Port Talbot