1. Johnes' kitchen garden was upkept by the estate until around 1940, then maintained as a market garden before being taken over as part of a small private house during the 'fifties. In 1988 this became one of only two Listed Buildings upon the entire estate. It was completely abandoned between 1968 and 1988, but is now re-occupied by owners who intend to undertake limited restoration, having been bought privately in July 1988. Despite years of neglect, it is still possible to trace the boxwood hedges which delimited the seedbeds, at least since Victorian times. Many internal features probably of early date seem tracable. Enclosing over 2 acres, until summer 1989, its wall remained basically sound, but ground shrinkage during the drought caused extensive collapse, and re-building without the appropriate resources might prove to be a major future handicap.

The kitchen garden comprises a two and a third acre (about 1 ha) plot surrounded by a trapezoidally laid wall [480 ft by 190 ft: 146.3 m by 57.91 m] about three metres high. It lies on a flat terrace of the valley and is separated from the Ystwyth by another trapezoidal area of 1.5 acres (about 0. 6 ha). Whether or not this plot was intended for raising plant stock, or even had flower beds will remain an open question until excavations bring to light acceptable evidence for these functions (cf Kerkham and Briggs 1990, 199). It is extremely important that future research and archaeology ascertain where seedling trees were husbanded in Johnes' silvicultural experiments (Linnard 1970).
The garden is still stocked with many decaying fruit and rogue deciduous trees, the latter mostly of post-War origin. Along the S-facing N wall and W wall remain sections of steel wires for fruit cultivation;the walls are also pegged with innumerable nails from tagging and nailing. One part of the western wall is entirely of brick in the English Garden Bond (teste James Barfoot), brick being considered to have superior thermal qualities in successful peach growth. Here, surviving zinc species plates record pear cultivation. Set against the garden wall are two glasshouses, one quite massive, 7 m by 20 m, now under a tin or asbestos roof. The smaller, still largely glazed, stands 13 m by 7 m (only 3 metres for half length). Both incorporate a certain amount of original Victorian or earlier mechanical window winding furniture. Only one is depicted on the O.S. 25-inch map of 1888. However, the original glasshouses are believed to have extended almost the full length of the north wall (Lipscomb 1802, 129). John Nash is known to have supplied glass for the Hafod glasshouses 1792-6 (Jones 1939, 94-5). In Country Residences J.C. Loudon criticized Dr Anderson's design for heating hot-houses, outlining his own invention of an 'inner roofing' or curtain, which would 'not only save much fuel, but greatly lessen the risk of overheating or overcooling' .. In Wales these improvements could be seen at 'Havod, where ten large hot-houses are altering according to the author's mode' (Loudon 1806, vol. I, 290). Loudon's improvements were presumably to the original structures.
C.S.Briggs 19.10.05 from various texts published and unpublished of around 1990-92

2. This garden is depicted on the Second Edition Ordnance Survey 25-inch map of Cardiganshire XI, sheet 16 (1905). C.H. Nicholas, RCAHMW, 11th August 2006.