Picton Castle & Garden

Ideal Setting

Tucked away in a corner of south-west Wales, a few miles from Haverfordwest is the National Trust property of Picton Castle and Gardens.  It’s at the top of the Daugleddau which exits into Milford Haven. Imagine a wishbone - two rivers joining to form a larger one which then flows past Pembroke into the large harbour area of Milford Haven. Picton Castle sits at the top of that wishbone, nestled in the area of land between the two rivers.  It is a balmy setting; the climate in this part of Wales is milder than elsewhere and plants grow which benefit from the proximity of the Gulf Stream.  There are no mountains attracting rain (although it certainly gets its fair share of that!) and snow is rare.  It seems like an ideal place to set up home.

A History of Ownership

The family who chose to do so were called Phillips and they could claim ancestry back to the Kings of Dyfed.  As Welsh lords of some importance they were involved with renowned characters from both Welsh and English history.  They were originally based in Clisant, Carmarthenshire and it was from here that Sir Aron ap Rhys went on Crusade with Richard I (the Lionheart).  The English king was so impressed with Sir Aron that he made him a Knight of the Holy Sepulchre and was allowed to add a golden crown and chain to the the family crest of a black lion.

The family moved to Picton Castle in the late fifteenth century and descendants of Sir Aron lived there for many hundreds of years.

Prior to this, the Castle had been the home of the Dwnn family. Another ancient Welsh family who could claim royal descent; in this case from one of the greatest of Welsh kings - Rhodri Mawr.  Originally based in nearby Kidwelly, they moved to Picton Castle around 1420.  By this time they already had some notoriety!

Henry ap Gryffyth Dwnn (born c.1340) became steward of Kidwelly Castle (then owned by the English King).  He was loyal to the King and fought in France and Ireland before joining the rebellion of Owain Glyndŵr at the beginning of the 1400s. Always with an eye to improving his lot, he used the excuse of the rebellion to seize land from his neighbours.  Until the rebellion failed and he was imprisoned in Kidwelly Castle.

Both he and his grandson Gruffydd were released in 1413 and reverted back to supporting the monarch. Gruffydd was part of the victorious army of Henry V at the Battle of Agincourt in 1415 and gained important government positions as a result.

His brother Owain married the heiress of Picton Castle. The only problem with this was that he had done so without royal permission and was promptly thrown into prison.  19 years later (!!) he received a royal pardon and was reunited with his wife and regained the estate.

Tales of Rebellion and Loyalty

And now we are in the troubling times we call the Wars of the Roses, a dynastic battle for the throne between two branches of descendants of Edward III.  Owain and his son Harry supported the House of York until Harry was killed in battle in 1469.  Having thus lost the only male heir, the daughter Joan became the heiress. In 1491 she was married to Sir Thomas Phillips. A supporter of Henry Tudor (last remaining claimant on the Lancastrian side) he turned out to be on the winning side.  In 1483 Henry Tudor landed in Pembrokeshire and made his way to Bosworth Field where he defeated Richard III and claimed the throne of England and Wales as Henry VII.

Joan Dwnn’s husband, Sir Thomas Phillips of Clisant had been a squire to Henry Tudor.  He went with him to France during the period of exile and returned to fight at Bosworth.  The new Tudor monarch needed support in Wales and Sir Thomas was ready to give it.  In return he received lordships and positions of authority in Wales.

Modern Times

Despite centuries of ownership, the family eventually passed the estate into the care of the National Trust in 1987.

Visitors can have a guided tour of what is now essentially a comfortable late 18th century home. The tour I had was excellent and I highly recommend it.

Beautiful garden

Much as I love interiors, I especially enjoy wandering around gardens and this one certainly didn’t disappoint. It was October, not the best of times for many gardens but I still found plenty of interest. In fact, it was one of the best gardens I have been to for this time of year.

Good structure and well-planned planting resulted in a late autumn visual delight. Still plenty of colour in the borders which was by the many grasses which punctuated the design.

My favourite place in any garden is almost always the greenhouses and these didn’t disappoint. A wide variety of shape, texture, colour and scent made it a joy to be in.

I particularly liked the fact that they have brought sustainability and wildlife gardening to the fore at Picton.  Many rare species make their home here and a bat roost has been created.  The walled garden contains walls and buildings in which creatures roost, breed and hibernate.  Restoration of the walls has meant that special spaces have had to be created for the birds, bats and insects.

Final thoughts

This is definitely a place I will return to - and would take groups to.  The tour of the house brought the owners and the history alive in a way which just isn’t possible by reading room cards.  Having time to wander the garden at my own pace, literally stopping to smell the flowers, elevated the visit for me.  I didn’t check out the cafe but there is one if you are in need of lunch or a snack.