Powis Castle and Garden, medieval fortress in Wales.

Address: Welshpool, Powys, SY21 8RF.

Powis Castle was built in the 13th century as a medieval fortress for the Welsh prince Gruffudd ap Gwenwynwyn. In the 16th century, the castle was purchased by the Herbert family, Earls of Powis. In the late 17th century, under their influence, the Castle was transformed from a fortress to an aristocratic country house with stunning gardens. The big contribution to the garden creation was made by architect William Winde, who had been employed by William Herbert to design the terraced gardens. Since 1952, Powis Castle is under the care of the National Trust.

The distinctive feature of Powis Garden is giant yews that were first planted in the 1680s. Strict geometric shapes were in fashion at that time, and yew trees were trimmed regularly. In the 1780s, garden styles changed, and the geometric gardens were replaced by naturalistic shapes. Yew trees were allowed to grow naturally. Later, the fashion in geometric gardens returned. The shapes of the yew topiary that you can see now are controlled by regular trimming.