[2] In 2010, the park was designated as a Key Strategic Site under the Valleys Partnership Initiative Action Program and is subsequently receiving funding from the Wales Assembly Government (WAG) Environmental Improvement Grant and Bridgend County Borough Council's Strategic Regeneration Fund.

[5] In 1775 John Popkin gave the house and its grounds to his sister Frances as a wedding present when she married into the Traherne family; the building appears to have been extensively modified during their residence.

The last member of the Traherne family to occupy the house was Captain Onslow Powell Traherne, a well travelled Victorian industrialist, who apparently renovated and extended the house and laid out the existing formal gardens between 1910 and 1920, introducing many exotic species (including many species of rhododendron, magnolia, tulip tree, handkerchief trees, sugar maple, paperbark dogwood, sequoia and ginkgo biloba).

[6] Towards the end of his residence Captain Traherne experienced money troubles and sold the estate to a local business man R.S.Hayes in the late 1940s.

Starting in 1982, a Manpower Services Commission team carried out construction and reclamation work throughout the site over a five-year period.

Its dilapidation continued until 1987 when work partially restored the building and created a self-contained flat to accommodate the Assistant Ranger of the Country Park.

Since 2009, the woodland has been subjected to a large-scale thinning project as the density of the stand had become too great and was affecting the health of the trees.

Another interesting habitat within this area is a semi-flooded wild flower meadow (nicknamed the wet triangle by the rangers.)

The rest of the canopy is dominated by a mixture of broad-leaf trees including oak, birch, larch, horse chestnut and hazel.

The site would have been categorised as ancient woodland until the end of the 19th century when it was felled and replanted with sycamore trees, to provide fuel for the house's biomass burners.

The modern management of this area is therefore to thin out the sycamore and add in native broadleaf trees (oak, hazel, birch and beech) to improve the health and biodiversity of the woodland.

The beech avenue was planted in 1837; since then however, many of the original trees have died and due to their similar age the others have all become susceptible to the parasitic fungus Ganoderma sp..

This work will not be able to be started until the bats have vacated these summer roosts and even then will have to be sympathetic, probably involving soft-felling techniques, where the limbs will be cut and lowered to the ground, to leave pollarded standards.

In addition, many woodland marginal species occur here along the hedgerows, including, whitethroat, spotted and pied flycatcher and common redstarts"[12] The meadows are managed in a style as close to traditional hay meadow management as the park's budget and requirements for access and amenity provision will allow.

It is understood that an additional cut and collection during mid-late July, at a slightly different time each year, would also be desirable as this would benefit plants with different grass regime requirements.

Whilst this scrub is controlled it has been deemed undesirable to completely remove it as it provides food for the faunal assemblages in the autumn.

As part of the contract, the land has been assessed and put under a "specially tailored grazing regime which maximises the biodiversity potential of the area whilst also providing a buffer zone for the park and generating additional revenue".

[14] The spring-fed lake opposite the house covers approximately 0.5 acres and is the home to the park's population of semi-domesticated ducks.

There is a small island located in the western half of the lake, it is dominated by flag iris and hence provides some shelter from both the elements and predators for young and nesting birds.

During the renovations, completed before the parks opening, in 1986 the lake was dredged and a sluice was installed to help regulate its water levels during periods of heavy rain.

The river now hosts a wide range of fauna e.g. otter, Daubenton's bats, kingfisher, spotted flycatcher and dipper.

[15] The Harlequin Restaurant, which has won the Wales Fine Cuisine Award, is situated in the house with the dining room in the large conservatory looking out over the lawn and grounds.

The Japanese style bridge and tea house that are present in the area are a modern addition, having been installed in the work completed before the estate opened as a Country Park.

Originally, the main entrance to the area would have been from the lawn in front of the house descending the hill to the west of the garden to the series of three linked ponds.

[18] The Orchard was originally part of the kitchen garden for Bryngarw House, and hence is the home of many very old specimens of fruit trees.

Whilst the young fruit trees develop, the open nature of the canopy has greatly benefitted the ground flora and allowed it to flourish.

It consists of a '50 ft tower slide' with 3 shoots at different levels, regular and toddler-safe swings, 2 combination adventure/climbing structures, self-spinning disc and 2 spring mounted 'wobbly horses'.

During busy and peak periods, the eastern part of this field, separated by a line of 2 ft posts, is used as the over-flow car park.