Erddig

Erddig is a country house and estate about 3 km south of Wrexham in north-east Wales, in the community of Marchwiel. Cared for by the National Trust, it is best known for two things: a house that preserves the story of the people who worked in it, and a restored walled garden of national importance.

What is Erddig and who built it?

The main house dates mostly from two building phases. The central block was built between 1684 and 1687 by Joshua Edisbury. In the 1720s John Meller, the second owner, added the flanking wings. In 1733 the estate passed to Simon Yorke, and it stayed with the Yorke family for well over two centuries, until Philip Scott Yorke gave it to the National Trust in 1973.

Why do visitors come to see the servants' portraits?

Erddig is unusual because it does not only celebrate the owners. Starting in 1791, the Yorke family commemorated their staff with painted portraits, photographs and verses. These hung in the Servants' Hall and in a corridor of the house. The collection is described as the most remarkable continuous record of domestic service in any British country house.

Among the earliest subjects is gardener Thomas Pritchard, painted in 1830 at the age of 67. One of the last was gamekeeper Alfred Thomas, whose photograph hangs beside a poem written about him in 1920 by Philip Yorke II. The tradition then lapsed for a century. In April 2024 a temporary portrait of retiring Head Gardener Glyn Smith became the first new one since 1920.

What is the garden like?

The walled garden is considered one of the most important surviving formal gardens of its period in Britain. Look for:

• trained fruit trees along the walls;
• exuberant herbaceous borders;
• avenues of pleached limes and formal hedges;
• a rose border;
• a nationally important collection of ivies.

Autumn is a good time for apple lovers, when around 180 varieties are on display.

How did the estate survive?

By the 1970s the house was in a desperate state and the gardens had become overgrown. The National Trust took it on and began a long programme of rescue. Head Gardener Mike Snowden later helped bring the garden back to its former glory by studying historic plans and reading clues left in the land itself.

Frequently asked questions

Where is Erddig? About 3.2 km (2 miles) south of Wrexham, Wales.

Who owns it today? The National Trust, since the gift from Philip Scott Yorke in 1973.

What is the main highlight? The combination of the 17th and 18th century house, the collection of servants' portraits and the historic walled garden.

When is the best time to visit the garden? Autumn is notable for the apple displays, while the borders and roses suit the summer months. Check current opening times with the National Trust before you travel.