What we believe

There are many examples of lost houses across Wales that could have contributed millions of pounds to local economies and the Welsh Exchequer if they had not been neglected and eventually become beyond recovery.

In the last 200 years, a total of 370 country houses in Wales and their supporting farms and communities have been lost.  This has had a catastrophic impact on our Welsh heritage, language and culture as people were forced to leave our rural communities to find employment.

Some amazing examples of architecture were lost as houses fell into disrepair. Important collections of fine art and furniture were looted or sold to buyers outside of Wales.

The houses that have survived to the 21st century through the entrepreneurial efforts of charities and independent owners now bring huge benefits to Wales as destinations for tourism and by providing employment, housing, health and well-being benefits for their local communities.

We believe in preventing further loss of the country houses and gardens of Wales by ensuring those that remain are sustainable into the 21st century.

Independent owners are often families for whom a historic house is also a home.  Some will be descendants of the first families to own the property and others will have had a lifelong ambition to restore a historic house.  Independent owners maintain deep personal connections to their houses and gardens and work hard to ensure their survival against the odds.

Independent owners are innovative.  This was demonstrated during the pandemic when owners adapted their businesses to the changing regulations.  In order to keep their staff employed, houses that host weddings in normal times, opened instead for B&B and offered take-away meals.

Independent owners often bring other resources to support the repair and maintenance of their houses and make sure that money is spent efficiently, thus saving the costs of looking after heritage assets on the public purse.

As well as their architectural importance in Wales, many member houses retain a continuity of ownership dating back hundreds of years to the noble tribes of Wales and the origins of our Welsh bardic traditions and language.

Those member places opening to the public on a regular basis, and those that do so less frequently for charity events, bring together opportunities for appreciation of Welsh arts and architecture, gardens and landscape both to the people of Wales and visitors to our country.

Our Historic Houses Wales website is bilingual and we actively encourage our open houses to provide visitor information in both Welsh and English.

To cover the high costs of maintaining these special places, many of our members establish and operate businesses which bring employment and affordable housing to local people in rural communities.

Our member places are taking a lead in reducing their carbon footprint and environmental impact by preserving and restoring natural habitats in their surrounding landscape, thus contributing to Wales’ national targets to mitigate climate change.

Many of our member places offer opportunities for craftsmanship, fitness and mindfulness activities, education, community engagement and access to beauty, nature and open space that is beneficial to health and well-being.

In normal times, our houses in Wales welcome over 192,000 visitors annually and contributes £28m for the Welsh economy.

Find out more about how historic houses and gardens benefit their communities and the nation in line with Wales’ Well-being of Future of Generations legislation by reading Our stories.

By working together, independent owners and custodians can share their experience and knowledge in looking after a historical property and in developing commercial activities to generate income.

We welcome all who are passionate about the houses and gardens of Wales, their links to notable Welsh people and their role in the development of Welsh arts and culture over the centuries.

By working together, our members and organisations who share our passion can ensure our places are sustainable for the 21st century.