John Dillwyn Llewelyn (Swansea: 1810 – 1882)
At the Door of the Conservatory / the conservatory was an important addition made to Penllergare House during the renovations carried out by John Dillwyn Llewelyn and his wife Emma.
Because these were the very earliest days of photography when immense amounts of light were required as well as long exposure times, few interior images were made. Andrew Pettigrew, head gardener to the Marquis of Bute in Cardiff describes the conservatory as “..a substantially built half-span roofed structure [ ] slightly curved in its length to suit the wing of the building to which it is attached.
It is about sixty feet long (18.29m), twenty feet (6.10m) high and broad in proportion, with a fountain and beds in the centre, and a narrow stage at the side of the path round the back wall.”
Calotype image
c.1850
