Plas Cadnant

WEDNESDAY

We took a day trip, about an hour’s drive away, to Anglesey, with visits to Plas Cadnant Hidden Gardens and Beaumaris. The afternoon was pleasantly warm but, by 5:00 pm there was a cool north westerly breeze.

Originally part of a grand estate, the gardens at Plas Cadnant were laid out in the early 1800s by renowned Welsh architect and landscape designer James Pulham. They flourished throughout the Victorian era but fell into disrepair during the 20th century, eventually becoming overgrown and largely forgotten.

In the early 1990s, the gardens were rediscovered by their current owner, Anthony Taverner, who began a remarkable restoration project. His work suffered a major setback in 2015 when the gardens were badly damaged during the Boxing Day floods, but restoration has continued. In 2017, the gardens were visited by King Charles III (who was then the Prince of Wales).

After lunch in the garden’s  tea rooms, we enjoyed a two-hour guided tour led by Anthony Taverner himself. His passion for the gardens was evident throughout, as was his intimate knowledge of the plants and landscape — much of which he has restored or replanted from scratch over the past 29 years. 

Impressively, although he currently employs 3.5 gardeners, Anthony still does a great deal of the work himself. Despite being in his early 70s, he was straight back on the mower after the tour — and is also something of a dab hand at topiary.

The tour included access to areas usually closed to the public. The above photo shows him with our group in the lower part of the estate and a photo of the upper walled garden (of 2 acres) is shown in the extra.

After a further visit to the tea room for coffee and cake, we left Plas Cadnant around 4:30 pm and continued along the coast to Beaumaris, for a look around the shops (many of which were just closing) and  a chilly stroll along the seafront.

I highly recommend a visit to Plas Cadnant — but check ahead to make sure you're there for the tour.