Picton Castle and Gardens

About

Picton Castle Gardens is managed by Picton Castle Trust – a charitable trust established in 1987, putting in hand a repair, conservation and refurbishment programme to secure the Castle’s long term future.

There is always something new to see and do at Pembrokeshire’s Award Winning Castle & Gardens, including our newest addition, The Welsh Owl Garden & Zoo, located in our East Garden.

Visit and enjoy superb collections, a beautiful hybrid, Picton Castle consists of a 13th century castle with a splendid Georgian wing. Guided tours span nearly 800 years of history, with inspiring family stories.

Relax amid idyllic gardens, carefully planned to provide colour and interest all year round. You can enjoy woodland walks which have strategically placed benches to sit and enjoy the views and the birdsong. The kids can let off steam in the adventure playground and walk the NEW Jungle Walkway – The real maze is a challenge for all the family! There’s nearly 2 miles of paths and there are no ‘keep off the grass’ signs at Picton Castle so you can stray where you wish, just enjoying the wonders of Nature.

Something for everyone, Picton’s changing programme of events and exhibitions throughout the year is an excuse to visit time and time again. Do check our events page periodically for updated information.

Set in the heart of the beautiful Pembrokeshire landscape, Picton Castle is surrounded by 60 acres – from the formality of the extensive lawns and Walled Garden to the wild, and luxuriant areas such as Peach House Wood where the wild flowers, ferns, grasses, moss and lichens are as much part of the richness of Picton as the rarest rhododendron from the remotest corner of Burma.

Widely acknowledged as one of the most beautiful and atmospheric gardens in Wales, hundreds of new plants have been introduced to Picton over the past twenty years. Boasting one of the largest private collections in Wales and affiliated to the Royal Horticultural Society, many bamboos, tree ferns, myrtle and unusual shrubs, few of which have ever been grown in this part of Great Britain before, can be found here. Also home to dozens of rare, endangered conifers from as far away as Taiwan and Chile, Picton plays a vital role in an international conifer conservation scheme, preserving many species as their natural habitat declines.

The Walled Gardens are home to an vast and eclectic range of summer flowering perennials, a herb garden, a Mediterranean garden and a collection of 30 old-fashioned style roses that were chosen with Pembrokeshire weather in mind.. Created around 1800, this was the major focus for horticultural activities at Picton where, in its heyday, greenhouses with elaborate heating-flues covered the south-facing and far end walls where peaches, exotic fruit, grapes and tropical ‘stove plants’ were grown in profusion.

A voluptuous mix of large leaved exotic plants are a pleasure to behold in the Jungle Garden. The banana plants predominate, with their enormous leaves beginning to unfurl from around mid May, with Canna lilies providing splashes of colour while the lush foliage of Ginger lilies often fill the air with their heady, sweet scented flowers.

Much like the Gardens, Picton’s Castle is a fusion of different styles over many centuries. Built in the 12th Century by Sir John Wogan, it has descended by unbroken inheritance through three famous south west Wales families.

A guided tour of the Castle allows visitors to savour its wealth of history and hidden secrets and to enjoy its stunning architecture, fascinating collections and magnificent 18th century interiors – from the handsome circular Library to the magnificence of The Great Hall and the gloriously charming White and Gold Drawing room which provided a most fitting lunch venue for HRH Her Majesty the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh earlier this year.

After a stroll around the Gardens and a guided tour of the Castle, children can enjoy a break in the superbly designed Adventure play area, you take a look at the amazing Lumsden Antique and Vintage Lawnmower collection and later browse the Castle Gift shop – and everyone can take a well-earned light lunch or afternoon tea in the Courtyard Restaurant.

And, if you fancy having these magnificent gardens to yourself during the evenings, it would be well worth considering a break in one of our delightful Holiday Cottages.

We hope you enjoy your visit and look forward to seeing you – again and again….in which case, you may wish to consider a Season Ticket….