A day trip to… Powis Castle and Garden Powis Castle, a medieval fortress built in the 13th Century, sits high on a rock above its world-famous garden in Welshpool.
Mother and child in the Fountain Garden, Powis Castle | ©National Trust Images/Megan Taylor
View from the Wilderness of Powis Castle | ©National Trust Images/Andrew Butler
Home to rulers of Powys, destroyed by Welsh Princes and
the Formal Woodland and the 300-year-old wisteria drapes
restored by new occupiers, it was passed down through
its pea-like flowers over the Aviary Terrace. This charming
generations of Herberts from the late 1500’s, who all
climber has wowed Powis’ visitors for decades.
commissioned artists and architects to bring their ambitions and visions for Powis to life. Much of their work can still be
Things to see and do
seen today, including Edward Herbert’s Elizabethan Long
There’s a little bit of something for everyone this summer.
Gallery and Violet Herbert’s Formal Garden.
Enjoy an ice cream while you wander the garden and find cool shade in the castle. From Saturday 23rd July to
Over 400 years, the castle and garden were beautifully
Wednesday 31st August, ‘come out and play’ with all the
transformed, creating one of the most noble residences
family. Enjoy self-led traditional sports and games activities
in North and Mid Wales. Cared for by the National Trust
on the Great Lawn, including badminton, cricket and croquet.
Cymru since 1952, its now home to a superb collection of art, statues, furniture, and textiles, as well as one of the UK’s most
For the film lovers out there, enjoy not one, not two, but three
significant collections of South Asian objects, housed in the
outdoor cinema experiences in the magnificent grounds of
Clive Museum.
Powis Castle and Garden. Mamma Mia brings the showbiz on Friday 2nd September, celebrating its 50th anniversary. Sing-
Below Powis Castle lies a garden steeped in history.
along to The Greatest Showman on Saturday 3rd September
Considered one of the finest surviving examples of its kind,
and, finally, on Sunday 4th September, West Side Story will be
dancing statues lead you along Italianate terraces, and grand
shown under the stars. Booking is essential. n
staircases show you the way to colourful herbaceous borders and stretches of impeccably mowed lawns.
Powis Castle and Garden is open daily in the spring and summer months and closes at 5pm. Please check opening
The 30ft high, cloud-like yew trees spill over the terraces and
times before travelling, as they are subject to change.
are a real showstopper. Surviving changes in style, design,
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and fashion over hundreds of years, today these unique and
www.nationaltrust.org.uk/powis-castle-and-garden
character filled topiary hedges are carefully trimmed by a team of dedicated gardeners every autumn. Don’t miss As spring edges towards summer, don’t miss the elegant apple blossom in the Formal Garden, planted by Violet Herbert,
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Countess of Powis, in her efforts to transform the garden into ‘one of the most beautiful, if not the most beautiful, in England and Wales’. Big and blousy rhododendrons come to life in
www.nationaltrust.org.uk/wales
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