Page 31 - cn-The Art of Style Status STUDIO pres April 2024

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A castle was built on the present site in the mid- 13 c by a Welsh ruler Gruffudd ap Gwenwynwyn Lord of Powis.
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In order to be independent of the aggression handed out by the North Wales princes under Edward I. By the late 13 c,
Llwelyn ap Gruffudd of Gwynedd had established his position as Prince of Wales and in 1274 destroyed Powis Cas-
tle. Gruffudd ap Gwenwynwyn having been forced into exile had returned after three years and regained his
lordship and consequently rebuilt Powis Castle. After various exchanges of ownership by the 1530’s, Edward Grey,
Lord Powis, took procession of the whole castle and surrounding land and commenced a major building project that
made Powis the most imposing castle in North and Central Wales. In 1578 the last of the Greys leased Powis to Sir
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Edward Herbert, second son of the 1 Earl of Pembroke. Over the centuries Powis castle had various degrees of
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alteration. It is George Herbert 4 Earl of Powis {1862-1952}, who was great grandson of Edward Clive who
inherited Powis in 1891, and together with his wife Violet focused on restoring the castle and gardens.
Powis Castle has retained its culminated history of the garden’s evolution from the initial Dutch and French influences
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in formal garden styles. Created by the 1 Lord Powis, the work was carried out by the architect William Winde in
1660’s and 1680’s and the later revisions incorporating the Italianate terraces and opulent edwardian gardens. What
singles out Powis is the steep terrain surrounding the castle, the outer woodland belt and landscape affording stunning
views of distant hills and mountains. The view is taken from the Aviary Terrace, the figures mounted on the terrace
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balustrades are life- sized 18 c lead statues of shepherds and shepherdesses made in the Flemish Van Nost workshop.
Below is the Orangery Terrace stretching out along the main axis. Beyond this lies the woodland landscape that
bounds the estate, and the lower lawns which at one time contained the Dutch Water Gardens and Great Lawn in the
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18 century. The late afternoon accentuates the tints of autumn and adds to the drama of transient fading light over the
powerful view of the gardens. Whilst it can be imagined the shepherds and shepherdesses dance and play their tune to
the passing of another moment in time.

FG 139394

View from the Aviary Terrace
541/8 X 721/8 inches -o/c

Powis Castle, Powys,Wales. NT