Modernised visitor facilities and restored historic features at Neath’s 240-acre Gnoll Country Park are now open to the public after a major £12m redevelopment.
Led by Neath Port Talbot Council and funded by the UK Government through the Vale of Neath Heritage Corridor project, the project has created:
- A brand new, fully accessible two-storey visitor centre, replacing the former ageing building – offering a modern café, a stylish south-facing balcony with spectacular lake views, flexible event and meeting spaces, and a dedicated children’s soft play area (the play area will open in the coming weeks).
- ‘Gnoll Towers’ woodland adventure playground, featuring three interconnected climbing towers – each increasing in height, with the tallest reaching nearly 30ft.
- Dog-friendly holiday accommodation, sleeping up to six people at the historic Pond Cottage – once a Victorian groundkeeper’s cottage its features include a log burner with wood sustainably sourced from the park, private gardens and a seating area offering views of the park’s pond and wildlife (the cottage will be available to book soon).
- Consolidation and repair work to the Gnoll House ruins.
- Restoration of the park’s historic cascades.
- A new website, branding and information and interpretation assets across the site.
- Walking and recreation routes, via a new bridge linking the park with nearby Brynau Farm, the relaxing, 57-hectare Woodland Trust wildlife haven.
The work was completed for the council by contractors Andrew Scott Ltd, one of Wales’s oldest contractors, with150 years of experience in building and civil engineering work.
The Leader of Neath Port Talbot Council, Cllr Steve Hunt, said: “The modernisation of this cherished attraction and the restoration of its historic features will support the growth of our visitor economy, enhancing the appeal of the park and attracting additional visitors to the area.”
Cllr Cen Phillips, the council’s Cabinet Member for Nature, Tourism and Wellbeing, added: “The redevelopment project at this historic park is complete with the renovation work and new facilities now available for our residents and visitors to use.
“While the Gnoll has a long and interesting history the work completed here will ensure it plays a part in our future and will continue to offer a combination of natural beauty and recreational opportunities, providing both a space for relaxation and a place for active leisure.”
Gnoll country park has a long and distinguished history with Queen Elizabeth I initially granting the Gnoll Estate to the Earls of Pembroke. However, it was the Evans and Mackworth families who fully developed it.
The first recorded individual owner was Evan ap David (Evan the Salt), who became wealthy through the salt trade and after years of ownership by the Evans family, the estate passed to Sir Humphrey Mackworth through marriage to Mary Evans in 1686.
Sir Humphrey Mackworth made the estate the centre of an industrial empire and began to enlarge the house and gardens. His son, Herbert Mackworth, continued the work, laying out the grounds as a landscape garden and adding formal features like cascades and a grotto.
