Tredegar House & Park

Newport isn’t all foreboding expanses of concrete or never-​ending houses with design nous that fails to extend beyond tastelessly pebble-​dashing the exterior walls. It’s a close run thing, mind: you’ll need to escape to the very outskirts, most of the way to Cardiff in fact, to experience a setting as picturesque as Tredegar House & Park. The impressive stately home is a sturdy destination for those interested in nosing around stuffier destinations, though the park part of the equation is where the finest views are at. Rolling green spaces and beautiful grounds that are wonderful for civilized summer relaxation, they host a variety of events around the year. Sadly, one of its best functions, as a gig venue, has been underused: Radiohead played a huge gig in a specially-​constructed marquee here just over a decade ago, yet since then the calendar has hardly been filled with bands. On the flipside, that does maintain a certain air of exclusivity around Tredegar House & Park.

Tanya is right on the money when she says this park is straight out of a BBC costume drama (don’t even get me started on their version of Pride and Prejudice — I know the whole damn thing by heart and that series is most likely the reason I moved to the UK in the first place).
I used to work at the government building that’s right around the corner, so a few lunch hours were spent walking around this park’s stunning grounds.
The park and woodland walk is open from 9 am to dusk. The House is open from Easter to the end of September, with house tours from Wednesday — Sunday. Tours last a little over an hour starting at 11am, then run hourly until 4pm. Events are held year round, and more information can be found on their website.
Tredegar House is licensed for weddings and caters for conferences, although I’m happy just meandering around the park with the grand house serving as part of the background.
If you’re not a driver, you can get here via the number 30 and 36 Cardiff Bus, which I’d recommend instead of taking the train, as Newport Railway Station is a fair bit away.

This is a beautiful old house just outside Newport, very easy to get to from the motorway, and well worth a visit.
For anyone who’s a fan of BBC costume dramas, then this is the type of house that would make any Jane Austen heroine fall in love with even the most ruthless and cutthroat of villainous rich men. It packs quite a punch.
Sitting in 90 acres of surrounding parkland, this is a lovely oasis of tranquillity. The house and gardens are open to the public during the summer months, and there are also countless festivals and seasonal events happening throughout the rest of the year.
There is also a short avenue of arts and crafts shops which are open throughout the year. Here you’ll find Busy Bees Patchwork and many other pottery, art and smithies.
Pop along for a cultural afternoon.

Tredegar House is set in a 90 acre park and is one of the examples of a 17^th centuary Charles II mansion in Britain. Visitors can tour the house and see first hand what it would have been like to live in this era. Both in the state rooms and in the servant quarters. They also hold many events during the year here. My favorite is the Easter Egg Hunt, evan though my daughter is too old to attend we spent many happy hours there. The idea is that every child is given a clip board and told that there is a teddy bear hiding in every room, at the end once you have written down where every teddy bear is hiding you win a easter egg. Halloween is also a very popular event with ghost stories in the attic, but you need to book very early for this as it sells out very quick.

I have visited Tredegar House on many occasions growing up near Newport. You can take a tour of the house, learning about the ancestry and heritage. It’s a popular venue for weddings, and at Christmas they have mince pies and mulled wine. When I was younger I did country dancing there and have been to some fantastic bonfire and firework nights.
The estate has fields around the House which are perfect for a leisurely stroll or to exercise in the fresh air, and the Park across the road has a large children’s wire climbing frame with swings and a slide. Great fun for all the family.

While the grounds a nice to walk around throughout the year, the best times to go into the house are at Halloween and christmas. The halloween event is great fun for kids, and I dont mind saying that the masked man chasing us with a chainsaw (fakeI think!) made even a big lump like me quicken my step. Nothing nicer than a walk around the lake on a sunny day either.

Fab for the kids in the summer, with lots of little play area’s. Close to the m4 so good transport links. They have fab fireworks displays for Halloween and bonfire night. Good for weddings and Christmas parties.

Good location between Cardiff and Newport
Beautiful stately home and parklands full of the history of the Morgan family.
Also a fantastic venue for xmas parties and weddings.
There is also a caravan park on the outskirts of the woodland with full facilities.