Dewstow House,
Caldicot,
Monmouthshire
Monmouthshire ( ; ) is a Principal areas of Wales, county in the South East Wales, south east of Wales. It borders Powys to the north; the English counties of Herefordshire and Gloucestershire to the north and east; the Severn Estuary to the s ...
,
Wales
Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...
, is an early nineteenth century villa in a
Neoclassical style. The house is notable as the site of "one of the strangest gardens in Wales." The building itself is plain; described by architectural writer John Newman as a "simple three-bay villa", it has extensive views over the
Severn Estuary
The Severn Estuary () is the estuary of the River Severn, flowing into the Bristol Channel between South West England (from North Somerset, Bristol and South Gloucestershire) and South Wales (from Cardiff, Newport to Monmouthshire). Its very h ...
. The house is a
Grade II listed building
In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, H ...
, while the garden is listed at the highest grade, Grade I, on the
.
History and description
Dewstow House is a simple, two-storey villa. It is notable for its "network of very rare and unusual underground gardens" constructed in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Comprising "underground passages and top-light chambers with artificial rock-work and stalactites," the garden structures have three separate
Grade II*
In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, H ...
listings as a result of their importance.
After the death of the garden's creator, Harry Oakley, in 1940, the gardens were gradually abandoned. In the 1960s, during the construction of the
M4 motorway
The M4, originally the London-South Wales Motorway, is the third longest motorway in the United Kingdom, running from west London to southwest Wales. The English section to the Severn Bridge was constructed between 1961 and 1971; the Welsh ele ...
and the
Severn Bridge
The Severn Bridge () is a Controlled-access highway, motorway suspension bridge that spans the River Severn between South Gloucestershire in England and Monmouthshire in South East Wales. It is the original Severn crossing, Severn road crossi ...
, soil from these sites was used to fill in the grottoes and pools. The gardens were rediscovered, excavated and restored at the beginning of the twenty first century and were opened to the public. At the end of the 2024 season, the owners announced that Dewstow would be permanently closed. The gardens They are registered Grade I on the
.
Gallery
File:Grotto, Dewstow Gardens - geograph.org.uk - 656357.jpg
File:Dewstow Gardens - geograph.org.uk - 656373.jpg
File:Dewstow Gardens - geograph.org.uk - 656367.jpg
File:Dewstow Gardens & Grottoes, the Lion Grotto-461268361.jpg
File:Grotto, Dewstow Gardens - geograph.org.uk - 659344.jpg
File:Grotto in Dewstow underground gardens - geograph.org.uk - 154167.jpg
File:Grotto, Dewstow Gardens - geograph.org.uk - 659342.jpg
File:Entrance to the rock garden, Dewstow Gardens - geograph.org.uk - 656361.jpg
File:Rock Garden at Dewstow Gardens, near Caerwent-geograph-2892173.jpg
File:Part of the ornamental gardens at Dewstow-geograph-2427209.jpg
Notes
References
*
*
*
External links
{{Commonscat, Dewstow House, Monmouthshire, Wales
Dewstow Gardens & Grottoesofficial website.
Parks & Gardens UKDewstow Gardens info on Pulham.org.ukGardens and Grottoes. The story so far.
Grade II listed buildings in Monmouthshire
Grade II* listed buildings in Monmouthshire
Country houses in Monmouthshire
Registered historic parks and gardens in Monmouthshire