Work began on the walled kitchen garden today in preparation for the next round of site surveys. It’s going to be fascinating to see what remains of the gardens history and what it can tell us about how the garden was developed and used across the last 300 years.  Needless to say there were …

One of the most amazing parts of being on site and in the grounds on a day to day basis is being able to see the incredible range of fungi that suddenly appear like magic overnight.  Sometimes only seeming to be around for just a day or so before disappearing as quickly as they came.   Every day you see a …

  More evidence of spring in the grounds today as the crocus come into flower.

One of the exciting discoveries  that came out of our tree survey was this magnifcent tree which is believed to be around 300 years old and the oldest specimen on site! This is exciting as this tree dates to the early 18th century and the restoration of both palace and grounds under Bishop Ottley.  His restoration provides …

As we walked the park undertaking the tree survey on a day that provided a brief and welcome break from the rain we came across this one cherry in flower – surely spring can’t be too far away.

Today was a fascinating day on site as the trees in the park were assesed for any health issues. So many interesting  facts came out of the day to report on – so watch this space for future posts on our magnificent trees.

As the latest winter storm swept over the site the Great Meadow was once again under water. This time however the water was so deep that the ha ha was breached over night and part of the lower grounds and circuit paths were flooded. By day break the water had dropped back but it was still …

This week as part of getting to know our site better and to make sure our restoration project is supportive of wildlife as well as plants we’ve been busy surveying for bats in the grounds. Whether it was the glasshouse boiler room in the walled garden or old trees in the grounds, places bats might …

Today winter has brought the first hard frost to the park, a welcome relief after all the rain. As the sun rose and the sky turned a vivid blue the grounds sparkled in the sunlight bringing lots of people out, cameras in hand, for a brisk walk around the grounds.

Today we are pleased to announce the receipt of a grant from the Laspen Trust towards the development of our project.