Vaynol, Estate in Gwynedd, United Kingdom
Vaynol is an expansive estate with parkland and gardens situated along the Menai Strait in North Wales. A seven-mile stone wall encircles the approximately 1000-acre property and marks its boundaries beside the water.
The bishops of Bangor controlled the land from around the 1200s until the 1500s when ownership changed hands. Thomas Williams acquired it afterward and built the medieval hall that still stands on the grounds today.
The estate features medieval and Georgian architecture that shapes how the landscape looks today. The two main halls and numerous listed buildings across the grounds reflect different periods of ownership and use.
Visitors can access the estate through specific pathways and roads from Parc Menai or Gelli Morgan Lane. Access remains limited to these marked routes year-round.
From 1870 to 1980 the estate maintained a rare cattle breed known as Vaynol cattle that was raised specifically here. These white animals became a defining feature of the landscape and an example of specialized farming.
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