Old Gwernyfed

The Gwernyfed estate is of ancient origin; it is reputed to have been given by Bernard de Neufmarché (), the earliest of the Norman marcher lords, to Peter Gunter. It came into the ownership of the Williams family at the end of the 16th century. David Williams (d.1613), made his fortune in the law, serving as attorney general for South Wales from 1581-1595, Recorder of Brecon 1581-1604, Serjeant-at-law in 1593 and a judge of the King's Bench in 1604. His earnings funded extensive land purchases including the Gwernyfed estate which he bought from John Gunter in 1600. He also built up a substantial estate centred on Kingston Bagpuize in Oxfordshire where he died in 1613. Subsequent…

Old Gwernyfed conforms to a E- plan, reputedly in honour of Elizabeth I. A range of former agricultural buildings also has a Grade II listing. Towers to the north and south of the main entrance gate are listed at Grade II*. The quite separate building of Gwernyfed Park (now Gwernyfed High School) has a Grade II* listing, The kitchen garden, the gardener's cottage, the greenhouses, a set of garden gates, and the lodge gates and walls, all have Grade II listings. The gardens are also listed, at Grade II*, on the Cadw/ICOMOS Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in Wales, and the Elizabethan earthworks are a scheduled monument.