The weekends expedition was a short drive along the M4 to Swansea. The weather forecast predicted sun along the coast, but it didn’t look very promising as the rain splattered on the windscreen. Then as we passed Port Talbot the clouds cleared and the sun came out. Perfect for fossicing about in the Clyne Gardens. William Graham Vivian purchased ‘Clyne Castle’ in 1860 and lavished time and money on it to reflect his wealth. The estate passed to his nephew Algernon, ‘The Admiral’ in 1921 who owned it until his death in 1952. He had the greatest influence on the gardens as we see them today.He sponsored plant collecting expeditions overseas, and many of Clyne’s rhododendrons still bear their original collector’s numbers. The gardens consist of 19 hectares of land and include over 2,000 different plants including over 800 rhododendrons for which the gardens are renowned. Clyne holds National Collections of Pieris, Enkianthus and Rhododendrons. But I’ll stop there and let the photos tell the story.
Travels With My Aunt 
1 thought on “Clyne Gardens. Welsh 100 – No 23.”