Orielton, Pembrokeshire

[1] The first known house at Orielton was a fortified manor built by the Wyriott family in about 1200,[2] which was mentioned by the historian Giraldus Cambrensis (c. 1146 – c. 1223).

[6] It passed down in the Owen baronetcy until it was inherited in 1806 by John Lord (1776–1861), a wealthy mineowner and politician, who remodelled the house in 1810 to its current form.

Lord changed his surname to Owen, and became a baronet in 1813 when the Orielton baronetcy was recreated for him.

At this stage, Owen had considerable wealth; the properties in north Wales had been disposed of in 1808 for nearly £100,000 and his status in Pembrokeshire has been enhanced by the purchase of the Llanstinan estate.

In 1977 he wrote Orielton, The Human and Natural History of a Welsh Manor about his time there.

The core of the house may have been created by Sir Hugh Owen (1604–1670) in the late seventeenth century, probably from brick and stone.

[15] The stables are a grade II listed building and are now used by the field studies centre for classrooms and laboratories.

[11] The Brick Hall is a grade II listed building,[19] as are adjoining garden walls and dog kennels.

[21] The Oil Pollution Research Unit of the Field Studies Council was established at the centre in 1967.