Treago Castle

Treago Castle stands in the Parish of St Weonards in the English county of Herefordshire (gbmapping|SO48922396).

Main building

The building was probably built by Sir Richard Mynors (c.1440–1528 [Herefordshire Council, [http://www.smr.herefordshire.gov.uk/hsmr/db.php?smr_no=6255 Historic Building #6255: Treago Castle] .] ), a tax collector in Wales. The name originates from "Tre" (homestead or farm) and "Ago" ("Iago" being the Welsh form of "James"), suggesting there was a previous dwelling on the land. The fortified house was built to keep the Welsh out, but was never under attack.

Originally the building was of a secure design, featuring a central courtyard and no externally facing windows. Later, the courtyard area in the centre of the building was covered over in stages and new windows added to the outside walls, forming a more traditional house. Mason's marks matching those at Raglan Castle and traced to William Herbert, 1st Earl of Pembroke were detected following a visit in 1975 by the Chief Inspector of Ancient Monuments, A. J. Taylor.

Whilst Treago Castle remains a private family home, wine tasting sessions and local charity events do allow the public a limited opportunity to view inside the castle.

Estate and gardens

Surrounding the main buildings is parkland, probably landscaped during the late 18th century. There is no indication of a moat, although early plans of the estate do show a leat following the contour line across the estate, to the adjacent Furnace Farm. The parkland grounds became neglected for a period between the 1790s and 1840s. Four major improvements were constructed after c.1840:
* Walled garden near the road, separated from the house by a shrubbery collection named "The Wilderness".
* Walled kitchen garden furnished with well stocked fruit trees, on the site of the modern-day vineyard and to the south of the house.
* Tudor/Italianate styled garden containing gravel paths, grass, flower beds and clipped Irish yew trees. Referred to as "Treago Garden" on tithe maps from the period.
* A long driveway, forming a new principal entrance to the property approaching from the east.

Recent history

During the 1990s, the original stables area received renovation work, being converted into three connected cottages named "Hollyhock", "Coach House" and "Looseboxes" that now see continual use as weekly holiday cottages. At the same time, the main house saw addition of a modern 10 m indoor heated swimming pool and the accompanying renovation of a grand piano.

Behind the cottages and main building are a joint garden and small quarry, Japanese garden and vineyard used for producing "Treago" branded award-winning [South West Vineyard Association awards 2005 [http://englishwineproducers.com/SWVACompetition2005.htm Section B, Class 6 category: "Highly commended": Treago, Sparkling 2003] ] red, white and sparkling wines.

Mynors family association

The house is still owned by the Baskerville Mynors family and currently inhabited by Sir Richard Mynors (b. 1947)—the present holder of the Mynors of Treago Baronetcy and vintner—and his wife Lady Fiona Mynors who works as an educational consultant. The couple have inhabited the main building since 1989, along with their three daughters: Alexandra, Frances and Victoria. As a result of the move, major restoration and modernisation work took place.

Although some family history can be traced back to 11th century, the direct association between the Baskerville Mynors and the local area of St. Weonards is only recorded back to the mid-15th century, around the time of the construction of the present building.

Other uses of the name

In 1932, the Great Western Railway named steam engine No. 5019 "Treago Castle". The "Castle Class" locomotive continued to carry this name for 30 years, before finally being withdrawn in 1962.

References

ee also

* [http://www.treago.co.uk/ Treago Castle] website.
* [http://www.groupaccommodation.com/propertydetails.asp?adId=265 Treago Castle Cottages] booking site.