Gregynog Hall
| Gregynog Hall | |
|---|---|
 Gregynog (pronounced "greh-gun-og" ) | |
  Gregynog Hall Gregynog Hall withinWales. | |
| General information | |
| Location | Tregynon |
| Town or city | Tregynon |
| Country | Wales |
| Coordinates | 52°34′07″N03°21′14″W/ 52.56861°N 3.35389°W |
| Elevation | 200m |
Gregynog(Welsh pronunciation:[ɡrɛˈɡənɔɡ]) is a large country mansion in the village ofTregynon,4 miles (6.4 km) northwest ofNewtownin the old county of Montgomeryshire, nowPowysin midWales.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 theUniversity of Walesas a conference and study centre byMargaret Davies,granddaughter of the nineteenth century industrial magnate and philanthropist,David Davies 'Top Sawyer'ofLlandinam.
The gardens and park surrounding the house are listed at Grade I on theCadw/ICOMOS Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in Wales.
History
[edit]The original mansion was rebuilt in the 1840s byCharles Hanbury-Tracy, 1st Baron Sudeley.Its concrete cladding, designed to replicate the black-and-whitetimber-framedarchitecture 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 manyCadw-listed examples can still be seen in Tregynon and the surrounding countryside. At its largest, the Gregynog estate was over 18,000 acres (73 km2) in extent, but the estate was broken up in 1913, leaving the mansion with 750 acres (3.0 km2) of farms, woodlands and formal gardens. The sunken garden andarboretumare of particular note.[1]The gardens and park are listed at Grade I on theCadw/ICOMOS Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in Wales.[2]
Gregynog and the Davies sisters
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Gregynog was bought by Margaret and her elder sisterGwendoline Daviesin 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.[3]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.[4]
Theirs was one of the most important British collections of French Impressionist and Post-Impressionist painting acquired before 1920.[5]Their advisorHugh Blakerwas the younger brother of their governess Jane Blaker.[6]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.[7]Seen as a whole, the sisters' collections are a tribute to the multiplicity and Catholicism of their tastes.[8]
TheGregynog Music Festival,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, includingGustav Holst,Ralph Vaughan Williams,Edward ElgarandSir Adrian Boult.The Festival is still held at Gregynog every June. In more recent years, leading international artistes have performed at Gregynog, includingBenjamin BrittenandPeter Pears.[9]The sisters also established theGregynog Press,which still exists under the name ofGwasg Gregynog,and is famous for its limited edition hand-printed books with fine bindings and exquisite wood-engraved illustrations.[10]
Gregynog is also home to the annualYoung Musicians Competitionwhich attracts participants from all over Wales and beyond.
- Photos taken in the 1900s byPercy Benzie Abery
Gregynog today
[edit]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 aNational Nature Reserve.The trainingapiaryof 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.[11]Established byDennis Lindleyduring his tenure at Aberystwyth, Gregynog Hall has welcomed a number of internationally renowned statisticians, some of which includeHenry Daniels,David Cox,Peter Bickel,David Kendall,George Barnard,John Nelder,Brad Efron,Adrian Smith,Peter Donnelly,David SpiegelhalterandJulian Besag.[11]
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.[12]
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See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^Hughes, Glyn Tegai (ed.)Gregynog.Cardiff: University of Wales Press, 1977
- ^Cadw."Gregynog (PGW(Po)33(POW))".National Historic Assets of Wales.Retrieved6 February2023.
- ^White, EireneThe Ladies of Gregynog.Cardiff: University of Wales Press, 1985
- ^Ingamells, JohnThe Davies Collection of French Art.Cardiff: National Museum of Wales, 1967
- ^Sumner, AnnColour and Light: 50 Impressionist Paintings in the National Museum of WalesCardiff: National Museum of Wales, 2005
- ^Meyrick, Robert 'Hugh Blaker: Doing his bit for the Moderns’,Journal of the History of Collections,Vol. 16, No. 2, Oxford University Press, 2004, pp. 173–189
- ^MacIntyre, BethSisters Select: Works of Art on Paper from the Davies Collection "National Museum of Wales, Cardiff 2001
- ^Fairclough, Oliver, Anne Sumner; Robert Meyrick, et al.Things of Beauty.Cardiff: National Museum of Wales, 2007
- ^Parrot, IanThe Spiritual Pilgrims.Pembrokeshire: H. G. Walters Ltd., 1968
- ^Harrop, DorothyThe History of the Gregynog Press.Pinner: Private Libraries Association, 1980
- ^ab"Past Gregynog Statistical Conferences".University of Warwick. 15 September 2015.Retrieved27 October2015.
- ^"Gregynog".Wales.ac.uk.Retrieved27 October2015.
External links
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