In Spring 2015 we will be revealing part of Bodnant Garden never before seen by the public.
Our Conwy hillside garden is well know for its Italianate Terraces, expansive Shrub Borders and pinetum in The Dell. Until now visitors have not been able to walk further than the dramatic Waterfall Bridge in The Dell, but from April next year they will be able to explore what lies beyond…The Far End.
It is the latest private area on the fringes of the garden to be opened to the public and part of our vision for the future – in 2012 we opened The Old Park, a wildflower meadow, and in 2013 the Yew Dell, a wooded Himalayan style glade. In 2017 we will also be opening Furnace Wood, to the west of the garden.
Leaving the Waterfall Bridge and Dell behind and following the river upstream to the Far End
The Far End is a tranquil riverside haven which follows the course of River Hiraethlyn, forming pools and ponds as it winds along, finally opening out into a lake. It is one of the oldest parts of the garden, originally laid out by Bodnant’s creator Henry Pochin from the 1870s who envisaged it as The Wild Garden – blending native and exotic trees to form an area very different from both the formal terraces at the top of the garden and from other wilder, informal areas of the garden too.
Pochin began by creating paths along the riverside and planting Asian and American conifers, some of which were new to Britain being introduced by plant hunters of the Victorian era. His successors continued planting along the banks of the river, adding a Skating Pond and an Arts and Crafts style boathouse (seen above).
Perhaps because it has never been open to the public and intensively managed, this area has a very different character from anywhere else in the garden. Making your way upstream from the steep sided Dell the valley opens out more widely; the conifers here don’t soar overhead in enclosed space but blend into the hillside along with wide drifts of deciduous natives an exotics – Chinese magnolias and Japanese acers mingling with waterside willows. The water doesn’t roar and rush quite like it does through the waterfall-powered gorge of The Dell (though it has done just that, quite spectacularly, when in flood!)
Bogside planting along the river which opens out into the Otter Pond (below)
The Boat House on the tranquil Skating Pond
The riverside here is less manicured with its reeds and bogside planting and the whole effect if less dramatic is more naturalistic, with a charm all of its own. It is a paradise for wildlife too; here you’re more likely to see birds and even otters enjoying the calm waters.
2012 flood damage to riverside beds (above) didn’t stop play…the new bridge takes shape (below)
Over the last few years area supervisor Maxine Singleton and her team have been renovating banks, beds and paths, creating a new circular walkway and bridge which will give visitors an easy access, level route around this beautiful part of the garden. It hasn’t been without setbacks – the floods of winter 2012 caused extensive damage as water swept away vast quantities new riverside plantings, but the work has continued and the ropes will come down in spring 2015.
The Far End in autumn
If you’d like to have a preview of The Far End and Furnace Wood before opening we’re running Secret Bodnant walks on the second Wednesday of every month, at 2pm. There’s no extra charge (normal garden entry applies) but call 01492 650460 to book a place as numbers are limited. For more details about Bodnant Garden call 01492 650460, check out our website www.nationaltrust.org.uk/bodnant-garden or Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/BodnantGardenNT
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