Little House Garden
The Garden
- The garden surrounds Little House covering approximately 1/3 acre. The objective has been to make as much space for planting as possible by creating narrow paths for access and minimising open lawn. We have created a number of small features with a view to having space for a wide variety of plants. These include mini-meadow, sensory garden, 2 ponds and bog garden, mini-woodland areas, “dump”, raised bed vegetable area, auricula theatre, rhododendron and azalea bed, follies, alpine house, wild flower areas (including substantial stinging nettle plantings!) and, last but not least, a large number of plants for sale representing off-sets and self-sown seedlings from our garden.
The House (not open)
- Little House is believed to have been built in 1692 - 328 years old this year. During the 1930’s it had a thatched roof but a slate roof has since replaced the thatch. Over the years small extensions have been added to modernise it and provide more space. The census in 1841 recorded 4 adults and 7 children in Little House - representing three generations of the Davies family. In 1851 it reduced to 2 adults and 5 children. In 1861 the Humphreys family, 2 adults and 3 children were recorded and the house was renamed Gwernerin cottage. In 1871 the two older children had left home and three younger children arrived. In 1881 the three oldest children had gone and one more arrived as well as the 85-year-old grandmother. In 1891 the Bennett family, 2 adults and 4 children were residents. In 1901 it became Little House again with the same family but now three children, including one born since 1891. In 1911 Mrs. Bennett was recorded as a widow with three children (working) living in the house, recorded as having 5 rooms.