Monday 30 January 2023

Nant Gwylan Edwardian Cottage and Garden

Nant Gwylan
Cottage and Garden

33A Exeter Street
Camden
Lots 15 and 16, DP193308
-34.06821268457085, 150.7157508170685
 
Nant Gwylan Edwardian farmhouse and garden c1920s (Camden Images)


Nant Gwylan 33 Exeter Street Camden front fence in 2023 (I Willis)

History and Description


Nant Gwylan, built in 1903 by John Peat, a Camden bricklayer of note, is an entire four-room Edwardian house and outbuilding set in a cottage garden of the same period. The house was extended in 1950 and included a bedroom and an enclosed veranda. (McSwan, Vincent & Vlack, 1985)

Occupied for more than 90 years by the Davies family, the garden has been mostly the same from its inception until recent times. The house has organically evolved with pavilion additions and enclosed verandas. (HNSW; )

A brick federation-style house with extensive gardens of the period. Both the house and the garden are in their original form. The property has remained in the ownership of one family for most of this century (LEP, 2010).

The garden was laid out in 1911 by Mr Davies, father of Llewella Davies, while some trees pre-date this period. The paving between the planting beds is sand stock bricks from a nearby demolished cottage. By 1985 the garden was described as having an ‘informal character’ with ‘tropical’ elements with its dense canopy, ferns and exotics. (McSwan, Vincent & Vlack, 1985)

The garden has been little altered from its inception until recent times, while the house has organically evolved with pavilion additions and enclosed verandas. (Clive Lucas, Stapleton & Partners, 2004)

Nant Gwylan maintains a visual relationship with the farmland lying opposite, which was associated with the Davies family from 1908 to 2000, and was donated to the town through the will of Miss Davies (Clive Lucas, Stapleton & Partners, 2004)

Condition and Use


The privately owned house is in good condition.
The garden is in moderate condition. (HNSW)

Heritage Significance


Nant Gwylan is a significant early twentieth-century Edwardian-style cottage and garden. The garden has retained much of its integrity.

Heritage Listing


Local Environment Plan 2010 LEP Item I-25
Heritage Act - State Heritage Register 00243

Read more


Camden Heritage Walk Tour
Clive Lucas Stapleton & Partners, 2004, Conservation Management Plan, Nant Gwylan 33a Exeter Street, Camden
Karen McSwan, Lynda Vincent & Roxanna Vlack, 1985, Report on Nant Gwylan, Camden.