The Nelson Garden, on 13 Chippenhamgate Street, at the rear of No.18 Monnow Street, Monmouth,

Monmouthshire Monmouthshire ( cy, Sir Fynwy) is a county in the south-east of Wales. The name derives from the historic county of the same name; the modern county covers the eastern three-fifths of the historic county. The largest town is Abergavenny, with ...

is a 19th-century garden that was the scene of a tea party held to honour

Lord Nelson Vice-admiral (Royal Navy), Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, 1st Duke of Bronte (29 September 1758 – 21 October 1805) was a British people, British flag officer in the Royal Navy. His inspirational leadership, grasp of strate ...

in 1802. The garden is one of 24 sites on the

Monmouth Heritage Trail The Monmouth Heritage Trail is a walking route which connects various sights in the town of Monmouth, Wales. History In 2009 Monmouth Civic Society identified 24 historic and interesting buildings in the town, and organised the production and fix ...

. It is bounded on the south by the line of the medieval town wall through which it is entered via a short underground passageway. The garden has limited public access and is now managed by a trust. It is included on the

Cadw/ICOMOS Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in Wales The Cadw/ICOMOS Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in Wales is a heritage register of significant historic parks and gardens in Wales. It is maintained by Cadw, the historic environment service of the Welsh Government. Th ...

History

The walled garden was the site of a

real tennis Real tennis – one of several games sometimes called "the sport of kings" – is the original racquet sport from which the modern game of tennis (also called "lawn tennis") is derived. It is also known as court tennis in the United Sta ...

court in the 17th century and was a bowling green by 1718. It then became an orchard; an example of an 18th-century

hypocaust A hypocaust ( la, hypocaustum) is a system of central heating in a building that produces and circulates hot air below the floor of a room, and may also warm the walls with a series of pipes through which the hot air passes. This air can warm th ...

(heated) wall still survives, where fruit trees would have been '

espalier Espalier ( or ) is the horticultural and ancient agricultural practice of controlling woody plant growth for the production of fruit, by pruning and tying branches to a frame. Plants are frequently shaped in formal patterns, flat against a struct ...

ed' (trained flat) against the warm brickwork. There are traces of the stoking chamber for this wall in a neighbouring garden. Roman and Norman remains lie deep beneath the lawn.Monmouth Civic Society, ''Guide to the Monmouth Heritage Blue Plaque Trail'', n.d., p.25 The Nelson Garden commemorates Lord Nelson's visit to Monmouth on August 19, 1802, with Sir William and

Lady Emma Hamilton Dame Emma Hamilton (born Amy Lyon; 26 April 176515 January 1815), generally known as Lady Hamilton, was an English maid, model, dancer and actress. She began her career in London's demi-monde, becoming the mistress of a series of wealthy men ...

on the occasion of their tour of the

Wye Valley The Wye Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB; cy, Dyffryn Gwy) is an internationally important protected landscape straddling the border between England and Wales. The River Wye ( cy, Afon Gwy) is the fourth-longest river in th ...

. Having been entertained at the Beaufort Arms, the party adjourned "accompanied by Colonel Lindsay to the beautiful summerhouse in his garden there to enjoy the refreshment of tea or coffee and to pass the rest of the evening in that charming retreat". Although the 'charming retreat' has vanished, in about 1840 the present Memorial Pavilion was erected, possibly to the design of

George Vaughan Maddox George Vaughan Maddox (1802–27 February 1864) was a nineteenth-century British architect and builder, whose work was undertaken principally in the town of Monmouth, Wales, and in the wider county. Working mainly in a Neo-Classical style, hi ...

, the Monmouth architect.John Newman, ''The Buildings of Wales: Gwent/Monmouthshire'', Penguin Books, 2000, , pp.408 Being of timber, various parts have had to be replaced over time and it is not known how much of the current structure is original. "Lord Nelson's Seat" remains an attractive feature, bearing a plaque commemorating Nelson's visit. The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales describes the summerhouse as "important and unusual." Until 1950 the managers of the adjoining Lloyds Bank maintained the garden. This changed when their families were allowed to live elsewhere, but the garden continued to be maintained by resident tenants. Thereafter it deteriorated, but in 1994 the Nelson Society and

Monmouth Archaeological Society The Monmouth Archaeological Society is a society of amateur and professional archaeologists who encourage the preservation of archaeological artifacts and sites, publish, and carry out archaeological studies in and around Monmouth, Wales. Histor ...

, began restoration. In 1996 the

Welsh Historic Gardens Trust The Welsh Historic Gardens Trust is a charity and membership organisation for heritage conservation. Established in 1989, the trust exists to support the conservation of historic parks and gardens in Wales. History and activity The Welsh Hist ...

became involved and in 1997 set up a restoration committee to care for the garden. In 2001 the committee negotiated a 10-year sub-lease from Lloyds Bank, funded conservation work on the entrance tunnel, and installed a decorative iron screen to separate the garden from the rest of the bank property. The garden is now managed by the Nelson Garden Preservation Trust which aims to establish a comprehensive historic restoration scheme and ensure its long-term future. The garden is usually open to the public between April and September on Fridays between 2–4 p.m.

Architecture and listings

The garden structures, including the pavilion, are

Grade II* listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

. The garden itself is listed at Grade II on the

Gallery

Nelson's 'seat', Nelson Garden, Monmouth.JPG, The seat where Nelson sat to take tea in 1802 Nelson 2002 celebrations, Nelson Garden, Monmouth.jpg, In 2002 it was the bi-centenary of the Nelson's visit to the garden The Nelson pavilion in 2011, Nelson Garden, Monmouth.jpg, The Nelson pavilion The pavilion in the Nelson Garden Monmouth.jpg, C.19th engraving of the pavilion

Notes

References

*Newman J., ''The Buildings of Wales: Gwent/Monmouthshire'', (2000) Penguin Books

External links

The Nelson Garden website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nelson Garden, The Gardens in Wales Buildings and structures in Monmouth, Wales Grade II* listed buildings in Monmouthshire Tourist attractions in Monmouthshire Monmouth, Wales Monuments and memorials to Horatio Nelson Registered historic parks and gardens in Monmouthshire