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surrounding the mansion are reached, although for the greater 

 portion of the route the public road bisects the Margam estate. 

 The demesne, the property of Miss Talbot, is one of the noblest in 

 South Wales and extends over an area of 20,000 acres. It presents 

 a beautiful panorama of richly wooded hills, grassy mountain 

 sides, fertile valleys, and fair homesteads, with here and there 

 glimpses of wind-blown sand dunes. Below ground the estate is 

 also of great value, for it is rich in coal. 



Like many another stately British home, Margam lias passed 

 through various vicissitudes. At one period it occupied some 

 importance in the ecclesiastical world, and the ruins of a large 

 abbey, which dates back to the eleventh century, still exist. 

 Near these ruins stands the mansion, a fine stone structure, 

 crowning the summit of a small hill, and placed at the end of a 

 long vista. In its vicinity are extensive lawns merging into well 

 wooded park land, which gradually passes over to the distant 

 series of hills and valleys thickly clothed with trees. 



Throughout the gardens a number of fine specimens of native 

 and exotic trees are to be met with, among them the sweet bay, 

 Laurus nobilis, many specimens of which are remarkable both 

 for height and spread of branches. Other noticeable trees an 

 Sequoia gigantea, with a girth near the ground of 21 feet 

 11 inches ; Acer palmatum, a well furnished tree 20 feet high ; 

 Liriodendron tulipifera, % feet high, with a girth of 13 feet 

 8 inches at 3 feet from the ground ; Aesculus Hippocastanum, 

 with a girth of 17 feet 10 inches ; Fagus sxjlvatka, var. hetero- 

 phylla, 40 feet high and 8 feet in girth, with a head diameter of 

 69 feet ; Abies cephalonica, 12 feet 7 inches in girth ; Pnms 

 pinea, 7 feet 7 inches, and Cryptomeria japonica, 8 feet 3 inches 

 in girth. Pinus muricata is represented by a fine example 

 upwards of 60 feet in height, with a girth of 10 feet 8 inches at 

 3 feet above the ground. Amongst shrubs, Olearia macrodonta 

 was in very fine condition at the time of my visit, one specimen 

 10 feet high and as far across being specially noteworthy. 



Margam Park has long been celebrated for its orange trees, 

 which looked remarkably well. About 50 specimens are grown 

 in tubs, and during the summer they are placed on a brainui 

 pleasure grounds, winter accommodation being P«>viaea in . 

 spacious orangery 100 yards long. Although Margam can boast 

 so many fine orange trees, little account is taton (J to m 

 comparison with two decrepit specimens that stand alone liiese, 

 I was informed, have been on the estate for ab out ^ r e e ce ntur ie* 

 and are supposed to be the first two plants ^^l^tl 



British We? They were ^.£%^^V^£ 

 the then reigning monarch, but the \essei wu Talbot, 



was wreckedf and the plants were washed ashore at Port ^lalbot 

 whence they were conveyed to Margam, and here the king 

 directed them to be retained. 



The orangery is similar in W%»»£% Siting 

 orangeries seen in gardens. It <»?* m * Neither of Hercules, 

 statues, one of the Emperor Serrius, and tbeMf antiquarians 

 Both are very ancient work, and the 1st er u «d by 



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