Caer Llan is a field studies centre,

conference centre A convention center (American English; or conference centre in British English) is a large building that is designed to hold a convention, where individuals and groups gather to promote and share common interests. Convention centers typica ...

and former

country house An English country house is a large house or mansion in the English countryside. Such houses were often owned by individuals who also owned a town house. This allowed them to spend time in the country and in the city—hence, for these peopl ...

located at

Lydart Lydart is a dispersed hamlet within the community of Mitchel Troy, Monmouthshire, Wales. It is located about south-west of Monmouth, north of Trellech, and south-east of Mitchel Troy village, on the top of an escarpment which slopes steeply do ...

within the

community A community is a social unit (a group of living things) with commonality such as place, norms, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given geographical area (e.g. a country, village, tow ...

of Mitchel Troy,

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 ...

, south east

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 ...

, about south-west of

Monmouth Monmouth ( , ; cy, Trefynwy meaning "town on the Monnow") is a town and community in Wales. It is situated where the River Monnow joins the River Wye, from the Wales–England border. Monmouth is northeast of Cardiff, and west of London. I ...

. It is close to the top of a scarp slope with extensive views westwards over the valley of the

River Trothy The River Trothy ( cy, Afon Troddi) is a river which flows through north Monmouthshire, in rural south east Wales. The river rises on Campston Hill, northeast of Abergavenny. It flows southwards until Llanvapley, where it turns east. About so ...

, and is accessed from the B4293 road.

The house and estate

The house is thought to have been originally built in about 1800. After being owned briefly by Richard Potter, chairman of the

Great Western Railway Company The Great Western Railway (GWR) was a British railway company that linked London with the southwest, west and West Midlands of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament on 31 August 1835 and ran ...

, the estate was sold in 1866 to Dr. William Francis Price of Monmouth, who is credited as the first to introduce anaesthetics to Wales. He extended and modernised the house, before selling it in 1890 to Captain Henry Walters of the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

, who enlarged it further, adding two castellated towers and constructing a new driveway to the house's roadside lodge. He added terraces to the garden and a heated glasshouse with underground boilers, and also had built a large stable block. The Walters' family crest (with a misspelled motto) was added on the front of the house. In 1937 the estate passed to Henry Walters' nephew, Robnett Walters, who sold much of the estate but retained the house. He married a widow, Violet Barclay, and for a time ran a small

boarding school A boarding school is a school where pupils live within premises while being given formal instruction. The word "boarding" is used in the sense of "room and board", i.e. lodging and meals. As they have existed for many centuries, and now exten ...

in the house. In 1969, the property was bought by Peter Carpenter, who began converting it into a field studies centre. It opened as a centre and a venue for conferences, study groups, field trips and workshops in 1971. The venue has been substantially expanded and developed in subsequent years. It now also hosts weddings and other events, and can provide overnight accommodation for 50 guests.

Caer Llan Wood

The ancient woodland, to the south east of the centre, is a

Site of Special Scientific Interest A Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Great Britain or an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI) in the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom and Isle of ...

(SSSI), notified in 1981 for its biological characteristics. In this type of woodland in the lower Wye Valley, rare tree species occurring include the large-leaved lime ('' Tilia platyphyllos'') and species of whitebeam, as well as pedunculate oak ('' Quercus robur'') and wych elm ('' Ulmus glabra'').

References

{{Monmouthshire Country houses in Monmouthshire Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Monmouthshire Field studies centres in the United Kingdom