Gwenonwy Owen’s memories

Gwenonwy Davies (nee Owen) (1887-1981) was the eldest daughter eldest daughter of Bishop John Owen (1854-1926) and the National Library of Wales holds two bundles of exercise books containing her memoirs of her time at Bishop’s Park. then the private garden of Bishop Owen, her father.

Here are some of her memories of the gardens:

My first impression of Abergwili was wonderful!  It seemed like fairyland in the grounds.

 

The azaleas & rhododendrons were out and there was a wonderful chestnut tree in full flower in the centre of the lawn.

 

Our gates were big wooden ones with a door at the side. To enter the ground you usually had to ring the bell and the lodgekeeper would come to open the door for you.

 

When the lawn was mown the horse had to wear shoes. It must have taken a long time to mow the lawns because they were so big, but everything was kept in very good order.

 

There was a nice summer-house and a very nice arbour, covered in honeysuckle, in another part of the grounds.

Our head gardener was Thomas. He had sandy hair and a beard. 

 

We had three gardens. The small one and a very large and well-cultivated one in which were the greenhouses and a big garden near the station for the potatoes and some fruit. We grew pineapples for years until it became too expensive.

 

Also we had a lovely vinehouse, divided into two parts so that there was a sequence of grapes. Another small house had orchids and lots of maidenhair fern growing in it. Yet another house had flowers such as camellias and in one corner was an orange tree – the oranges were bitter though!