Gregynog () is a large country mansion in the village of

Tregynon Tregynon is a small village and community in Montgomeryshire, Powys, Wales, to the north of Newtown and south west of Welshpool. The population of the community was 892 at the 2011 Census. It rests on the B4389 road which runs from Bettws Cede ...

, northwest of Newtown in the old county of Montgomeryshire, now Powys in mid Wales. There has been a settlement on the site since the twelfth century. From the fifteenth to the nineteenth century it was the home of the Blayney and Hanbury-Tracy families. In 1960 it was transferred to the University of Wales as a conference and study centre by

Margaret Davies Margaret Sidney Davies (14 December 1884 – 13 March 1963), was a Welsh art collector and patron of the arts. With her sister Gwendoline, she bequeathed a total of 260 works, particularly strong in Impressionist and 20th-century art, which form ...

, granddaughter of the nineteenth century industrial magnate and philanthropist, David Davies 'Top Sawyer' of

Llandinam Llandinam () is a village and community (Wales), community in Montgomeryshire, Powys, central Wales, between Newtown, Powys, Newtown and Llanidloes, located on the A470 road, A470. As a community, Llandinam is made up of the village itself, small ...

History

The original mansion was rebuilt in the 1840s by

Charles Hanbury-Tracy, 1st Baron Sudeley Charles Hanbury-Tracy, 1st Baron Sudeley (28 December 1778 – 10 February 1858), known as Charles Hanbury until 1798 and as Charles Hanbury Tracy from 1798 to 1838, was a British Whig politician. Early life Hanbury-Tracy was born on 28 Decemb ...

. Its concrete cladding, designed to replicate the black-and-white timber-framed architecture of Montgomeryshire farmhouses, is among the earliest examples of concrete use in building in the modern era. The Sudeleys were also pioneers of the use of concrete in the building of new cottages and farmhouses on the Gregynog estate, and many

Cadw (, a Welsh verbal noun meaning "keeping/preserving") is the historic environment service of the Welsh Government and part of the Tourism and Culture group. works to protect the historic buildings and structures, the landscapes and heritage s ...

-listed examples can still be seen in Tregynon and the surrounding countryside. At its largest, the Gregynog estate was over in extent, but the estate was broken up in 1913, leaving the mansion with of farms, woodlands and formal gardens. The sunken garden and

arboretum An arboretum (plural: arboreta) in a general sense is a botanical collection composed exclusively of trees of a variety of species. Originally mostly created as a section in a larger garden or park for specimens of mostly non-local species, man ...

are of particular note.

Gregynog and the Davies sisters

Gregynog was bought by Margaret and her elder sister Gwendoline Davies in 1920 with the intention of establishing a centre of excellence for the arts, crafts and music which would enrich the lives of the people of Wales in the aftermath of the World War One. It became famous for music, fine printing and for the sisters' art collections which they bequeathed to the nation. These can now be seen in the Davies Galleries of the National Museum of Wales, Cardiff. Theirs was one of the most important British collections of French Impressionist and Post-Impressionist painting acquired before 1920. Their advisor

Hugh Blaker Hugh Blaker (1873–1936) was an English artist, collector, connoisseur, dealer in Old Masters, museum curator, writer on art, and a supporter and promoter of modern British and French painters. Life and career Hugh Oswald Blaker was born on ...

was the younger brother of their governess Jane Blaker. The French collection was only one aspect of their interests – it hung at Gregynog alongside Old Masters, prints by Dürer, Rembrandt and Whistler, Chinese and Islamic ceramics, contemporary hand-made furniture commissioned by the sisters, Welsh vernacular furniture as well as contemporary ceramics and crafts. Seen as a whole, the sisters' collections are a tribute to the multiplicity and Catholicism of their tastes. The

Gregynog Music Festival 250px, alt=The Music Room, Gregynog, The Music Room, GregynogGregynog Music Festival, or Gŵyl Gregynog in Welsh, is the oldest extant classical music festival in Wales and takes place each summer at Gregynog Hall in the village of Tregynon, near ...

, Wales's oldest surviving classical music festival, was established in 1933 by the Davies sisters, with the advice of their friend and advisor, Sir Henry Walford Davies (later Master of the King's Music). Many famous names are associated with the Gregynog Festivals, including Gustav Holst,

Ralph Vaughan Williams Ralph Vaughan Williams, (; 12 October 1872– 26 August 1958) was an English composer. His works include operas, ballets, chamber music, secular and religious vocal pieces and orchestral compositions including nine symphonies, written over ...

Edward Elgar Sir Edward William Elgar, 1st Baronet, (; 2 June 1857 – 23 February 1934) was an English composer, many of whose works have entered the British and international classical concert repertoire. Among his best-known compositions are orchestr ...

and

Sir Adrian Boult Sir Adrian Cedric Boult, Order of the Companions of Honour, CH (; 8 April 1889 – 22 February 1983) was an English conductor. Brought up in a prosperous mercantile family, he followed musical studies in England and at Leipzig, Germany, wi ...

. The Festival is still held at Gregynog every June. In more recent years, leading international artistes have performed at Gregynog, including Benjamin Britten and Peter Pears. The sisters also established the

Gregynog Press The Gregynog Press, also known as Gwasg Gregynog, is a printing press and charity located at Gregynog Hall near Newtown in Powys, Wales. Early years Founded in 1922 by the sisters and art patrons Margaret and Gwendoline Davies, guided by Thom ...

, which still exists under the name of

Gwasg Gregynog The Gregynog Press, also known as Gwasg Gregynog, is a printing press and charity located at Gregynog Hall near Newtown in Powys, Wales. Early years Founded in 1922 by the sisters and art patrons Margaret and Gwendoline Davies, guided by Thom ...

, and is famous for its limited edition hand-printed books with fine bindings and exquisite wood-engraved illustrations. Gregynog is also home to the annual Young Musicians Competition which attracts participants from all over Wales and beyond. ;Photos taken in the 1900s by Percy Benzie Abery Gregynog Hall, Tregynon (1293366).jpg Gregynog Hall, Tregynon (1294525).jpg Gregynog Hall, Tregynon (1294711).jpg Gregynog Hall, Tregynon (1294304).jpg

Gregynog today

Since Margaret Davies's gift of Gregynog to the University of Wales in 1960, the hall has hosted conferences, seminars and summer schools from every academic discipline. The growing understanding of the ecological importance of the grounds, especially the ancient woodlands, has led to their designation in March 2013 as a National Nature Reserve. The training apiary of the Montgomeryshire Beekeepers Association is also situated in the Gregynog grounds. The "Gregynog Statistical Conference" has been held annually over Easter at Gregynog Hall since 1965. Established by Dennis Lindley during his tenure at Aberystwyth, Gregynog Hall has welcomed a number of internationally renowned statisticians, some of which include

Henry Daniels Henry Ellis Daniels FRS (2 October 1912 – 16 April 2000) was a British statistician. He was President of the Royal Statistical Society (1974–1975), and was awarded its Guy Medal in Gold in 1984, following a silver medal in 1947. He bec ...

, David Cox, Peter Bickel, David Kendall, George Barnard, John Nelder, Brad Efron, Adrian Smith,

Peter Donnelly Sir Peter James Donnelly (born 15 May 1959) is an Australian-British mathematician and Professor of Statistical Science at the University of Oxford, and the CEO of Genomics PLC. He is a specialist in applied probability and has made contrib ...

David Spiegelhalter Sir David John Spiegelhalter (born 16 August 1953) is a British statistician and a Fellow of Churchill College, Cambridge. From 2007 to 2018 he was Winton Professor of the Public Understanding of Risk in the Statistical Laboratory at the U ...

and

Julian Besag Julian Ernst Besag FRS (26 March 1945 – 6 August 2010) was a British statistician known chiefly for his work in spatial statistics (including its applications to epidemiology, image analysis and agricultural science), and Bayesian inferenc ...

. The Hall continues to operate as an historic house conference centre and now wedding venue, offering tourist accommodation for visitors to the gardens and grounds. Following institutional changes within the University of Wales the future of Gregynog as a national centre for excellence in the arts, education and culture of Wales is soon to be protected by its establishment as an independent charitable trust. File:Gregynog Hall.jpg, Gregynog Hall File:Gregynog Hall2.jpg, Gregynog Hall File:Gregynog Hall3.jpg, Gregynog Hall File:Gregynog-House.jpg, Gregynog House

References

External links

Gregynog

Gregynog Press

Aberystwyth University Department of International Politics
{{Authority control University of Wales Welsh culture Country houses in Powys Grade II* listed buildings in Powys Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in Wales

History

Gregynog and the Davies sisters

Gregynog today

See also

References

External links