Welcome to Gerddi Clun, or Clyne Gardens in the City of Swansea, Wales.Clyne Garden started back in 1860 when William Vivian purchased Clyne Castle.The Clyne Castle estate was passed down to his nephew Algernon in 1921. Algernon was locally known as ‘The Admiral’ and was the one mostly responsible for the development of the garden surrounding the castle.
The Admiral would bring back interesting plants and trees from his travels around the world.
This worldly influence is most evident in the Japanese Gardens. This bridge was originally built in 1929 inspired by a trip to Japan. The bridge fell into disrepair but was rebuilt in 1973. Due to the temperate environment of Swansea, many plants would grow here that would otherwise not survive in the UK.The garden was originally built to impress visiting royalty and politicians. But today, it is a public park with paths and trails you are free to explore. The gardens are home to over 2000 plants including some trees that date back to the 11th century. There are over 800 rhododendrons in the park. If your get lucky on the timing like I did, the flowers are incredible. When the gardens were private, it took a staff of 30 just to maintain. Today, they are maintained by the city of Swansea council. I couldn’t get over the size of the leaves on this Elephant Rhubarb, it looked like something from Jurassic park. You could easily spend many hours in the gardens exploring all the pathways, taking in the sights, sounds and smells. Just don’t forget to stop and smell the flowers.
2 Comments
Trevor Lawrence · July 20, 2025 at 5:01 pm
This is such a beautiful pathway. I can feel my body relaxing just imagining walking down it. Great pictures.
Shawn · September 18, 2025 at 1:43 am
Thank you!