Local history and heritage

Bryngarw used to be part of a much larger Estate, known as Coytrahen Estate and over many years was passed down and sold on to many different families.

From 1798, the Estate was inherited by the coal-owning Traherne family of Castellau, Llantrisant. The Estate itself originally extended far beyond the present confines but was largely sold off as farmland during the 20th century.

Bryngarw House was built in approximately 1830 by Morgan Popkin Traherne, the owner of the Estate at the time, as a gift for his recently widowed sister, Frances Jenner. Frances Jenner lived at Bryngarw House for 40 years until her death in 1873, aged 92.

Morgan Popkin inherited the Estate in the early 1800s and was an individual of high standing, becoming Justice of the Peace, High Sheriff of Glamorgan, and Deputy Lieutenant of Glamorgan. After his death, the Estate passed to John Popkin Traherne, Morgan’s second son, the eldest having sadly died.

As John Popkin Traherne didn’t live at Bryngarw, the House was rented out to wealthy couples, families and businessmen. Despite marrying, John had no children. After his death in 1901, the Estate passed to his brother Anthony Powell Traherne, but Anthony decided to gift the inheritance to his son, Onslow Powell Traherne.

Onslow inherited Bryngarw and was the last of the Traherne family to own the Estate. He was a wealthy stockbroker and industrialist living in a very desirable area of London. He rented out Bryngarw House for many years until he decided to finally live here in the 1920s.

Onslow Powell Traherne was the owner who had most influence on the Estate you see today. Between 1910 and 1920, he used some of his wealth to develop Bryngarw. He created the Oriental Gardens you can see today, as well as the lake at the bottom of the lawn, which was then used for sport fishing and wildfowl hunting.

In 1940, Onslow Powell Traherne sold the Bryngarw Estate to a local businessman, Mr Hayes, and moved to a nearby cottage in Betws where he lived until his death in 1950, aged 84. Mr Hayes and his family lived at Bryngarw until he died in 1958, and it was then sold and acquired by the Ogmore and Garw District Council.

Under council ownership, the Estate took a very different direction and was managed more as a provision for council accommodation. Bryngarw House was converted into nine flats, and the Estate orchard was removed to make space for 32 residential caravans.

In 1980, the council underwent reorganisation and Ogwr Borough Council took charge of Bryngarw and designated it a future Country Park. This led to a five year restoration period where the formal gardens and lake were regenerated, and the caravans were removed in order to create the car park you see today.

Bryngarw Country Park was officially opened to the public on 23rd May 1986, complete with car park, toilets, cafeteria and children’s play area - still popular today, although with new and inclusive play equipment!

In 1993, European funding was received to transform Bryngarw House into a hotel with 19 bedrooms and, with the addition of the conservatory and restaurant, it was granted a license to hold weddings. Now managed by Awen Trading Ltd, it is still a popular venue for weddings, conferences and events.

In 2012, the visitor centre was upgraded and extended as a multi-functional space including a display foyer, classroom/events space, rangers’ office, a fully accessible toilet and café. Since 2015, the House and Country Park have been managed by registered charity Awen Cultural Trust, in partnership with Bridgend County Borough Council.

Bryngarw has since won plenty of accolades, including achieving Green Flag Award status and Green Heritage accreditation. It is one of 12 Discovery Gateway sites, as designated by Welsh Government through their Valleys Regional Park (VRP) initiative. Bryngarw is part of the National Forest for Wales.