F A Qs

Q.  Can I take my car into Hafod?

A.  There is limited parking for the less abled at the Estate Office and at Mrs Johnes Flower Garden: phone 01974 282568 for further details.

Q.  Are there gardens at Hafod?

A.  Not in the usual sense of the term. Flowers and formality had very little place in the Picturesque.

Gate to Mrs Johnes' garden>

The Johnes family had two conservatories attached to the house and three walled gardens. At the kitchen garden (privately owned) the perimeter wall and some later structures survive. Some restoration work was carried out in the 1980s at
Mrs Johnes's and Mariamne's Gardens, but they contain virtually no traces of the original plantings.

Q.  How much is left of Johnes's landscape?

A.  Most of the paths built by Johnes can still be traced on the ground, though some sections have been destroyed by later road-building or erosion. In places along the paths are to be found trees planted by Johnes, including splendid beeches. Most of the built structures were associated with the paths, and included rustic bridges, summerhouses, caves, viewpoints, and a cold bath. A few have survived and the locations of others

Graphic of giant beech in the Hafod grounds

are known. There is also an icehouse and an obelisk commemorating the 5^th Duke of Bedford.

A more complicated and long-term task for the project is to restore the landscape - oak woods, meadows, wood pasture - around these features.

Q.  When did the house burn down?

The Library

A.  There is a common misconception that the house was damaged by fire in the 20th century. In fact the only recorded fire was in Johnes's time - March 1807 - and it destroyed much of the interior and contents, including the priceless library, leaving a burnt-out shell. Johnes rebuilt it within the same walls.

Johnes Memorial

Hafod church (Eglwys Newydd) and the Johnes memorial within it were badly damaged by fire in 1932.

Q.  Why was the house demolished?

A.  By the 1940s the house was in a poor state of repair. It was owned by a succession of timber merchants before coming into the hands of an asset-striping company. At an auction in 1949 all fixtures and fittings were sold off, including windows, stairs, and floors. Not surprisingly, when the Forestry Commission took over in 1950, they could not find a use or a buyer for the surviving wreck. Piecemeal demolition of the Victorian wing began, and eventually the remainder was dynamited in 1958. The 1882 stables were retained.

The Victorian Hafod

Q.  Do you plan to rebuild the house?

A.  No. Just clearing the site of rubble would be a very expensive and difficult task. But we shall keep the question of "what to do with the ruins" on the agenda.

Q.  Is there an exhibition about Hafod anywhere?

A.  Not yet, though we should like to establish one if a suitable venue could be found off-site. The Ceredigion Museum has some Hafod pictures on display, and much more material can be found in the collections  of the National Library of Wales and Ceredigion Archives (all in Aberystwyth).

Q.  Is there somewhere to stay at Hafod?

A.  The Hafod Trust has one holiday cottage to let, Hawthorn Cottage/ Pwll Pendre at the heart of the estate. Pentir Pumlumon Tourism Association maintains a list of guest-houses and cottages nearby, and see also our Links.

Q.  What can I do to help?

A.  The Trust is a non-membership organisation, but it maintains a mailing list of supporters who, in return for a donation of £15 per year, receive regular bulletins about progress, events, publications, etc. Go to How You Can Help page and e-mail us for a form.