February’s Wildlife Watch Walk was held on Tuesday 21st of February, which happened to be during the half term holidays and it was lovely to welcome a small group of girls who joined us.
We immediately spotted some signs that spring was on its way as we walked through the Jenkinson Garden at the beginning of our walk, with the crocuses which were just peeking through the soil last month, now in full bloom.
We could hear a great tit shouting close to the bridge and a pair of coots were spotted in the undergrowth at the side of the island, along with a grey squirrel. We could also see goat willow in full bloom on the island.
Despite last month’s flooding, the water level in the pond has already receded significantly. There were 2 pairs of mute swans and one male on the lower end of the pond. We saw a number of mallards, including a female sitting on a branch of a tree by the side of the pond, creating a real racket!
We saw 2 robins and a number of wood pigeon and a red kite across the Great Meadow. There was a large cluster of frog spawn in the ditch that runs from the old oak tree to the hedge line. We noticed a deep hole that had been dug at an angle in the soil. We couldn’t identify what had created it, but we felt it was too deep and at the wrong angle to have been dug by a dog. A fungus, which we think were oyster mushrooms were seen growing on an old oak tree in the hedge line. The horse chestnut at the bottom of the meadow had large, sticky buds developing on it.
In the grassland, we noticed that the docks were starting to come through, thistles starting to develop, along with spurge, nettles, bitter cress and speedwell.
On the lawn, a number of daisies and a few lesser celandine were starting to flower, along with a carpet of snowdrops along the side of the lower path and the Ha-ha.
Posted: 07/03/2023 by Ffiona Jones
Spring Plant Fair
Our 2nd Annual Spring Plant Fair will be held on Saturday 29th April, stalls to open at 11am.
There will be a range of stalls by local growers, along with other local businesses. We will be holding tours of the park & gardens, along with talks and demonstrations throughout the day.
If you would like to book a stall, please complete the form below and return to FfionaJones@tywigateway.org.uk or for further enquires, please contact our Head Gardener, Piers Lunt on 07444438168 or Ffiona on 07395082719
file:///C:/Users/FfionaJones/Documents/Stall%20Booking%20Plant%20Fair.pdf
Posted: 28/02/2023 by Ffiona Jones
Wildlife Watch Walk February 2023
February’s Wildlife Watch Walk was held on Tuesday 21st of February, which happened to be during the half term holidays and it was lovely to welcome a small group of girls who joined us.
We immediately spotted some signs that spring was on its way as we walked through the Jenkinson Garden at the beginning of our walk, with the crocuses which were just peeking through the soil last month, now in full bloom.
We could hear a great tit shouting close to the bridge and a pair of coots were spotted in the undergrowth at the side of the island, along with a grey squirrel. We could also see goat willow in full bloom on the island.
Despite last month’s flooding, the water level in the pond has already receded significantly. There were 2 pairs of mute swans and one male on the lower end of the pond. We saw a number of mallards, including a female sitting on a branch of a tree by the side of the pond, creating a real racket!
We saw 2 robins and a number of wood pigeon and a red kite across the Great Meadow. There was a large cluster of frog spawn in the ditch that runs from the old oak tree to the hedge line. We noticed a deep hole that had been dug at an angle in the soil. We couldn’t identify what had created it, but we felt it was too deep and at the wrong angle to have been dug by a dog. A fungus, which we think were oyster mushrooms were seen growing on an old oak tree in the hedge line. The horse chestnut at the bottom of the meadow had large, sticky buds developing on it.
In the grassland, we noticed that the docks were starting to come through, thistles starting to develop, along with spurge, nettles, bitter cress and speedwell.
On the lawn, a number of daisies and a few lesser celandine were starting to flower, along with a carpet of snowdrops along the side of the lower path and the Ha-ha.
Posted: 21/12/2022 by Ffiona Jones
Visitor Centre Christmas Opening Times
Posted: 11/10/2022 by Ffiona Jones
Monthy Wildlife Watch Returns
We’ll be resuming our monthly Wildlife Watch walks at Parc Yr Esgob-Bishop’s Park to record the site’s flora & fauna after a break over the summer. Recording the wildlife across the site is an important part of the ecological work we do here at Parc Yr Esgob-Bishop’s Park. It enables us to monitor if the work we’ve already completed to expand the site’s biodiversity is working.
Everyone is welcome to join us, including experienced naturalists or members of the public who want to learn more about the natural environment.
We’ll be meeting at the reception area at 2pm on the 3rd Tuesdays of the month. Please wear suitable clothing for the weather and sturdy shoes/boots or wellingtons.
Posted: 14/09/2022 by Ffiona Jones
Funeral of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
@Stacey’s kitchen will be offering ‘Afternoon Tea’ boxes which will need to be ordered in advanced and picked up between 10am & 11am on Monday morning. Please contact them directly to order.
Posted: 10/08/2022 by Ffiona Jones
New Skill Opportunities for Young People
14 -25 years old? An opportunity to learn new skills for free!
Scripting and film-making workshops at Bishop’s Park this month as part of out 15 Minute Digital Heritage project.
Scripting workshops – Thursday 25th & Friday 26th August 10.30am
Film workshops – Tuesday 30th August – Friday 2nd September 10am- 4pm
Contact Ffiona for more details or to book your place: 07395082719, FfionaJones@tywigateway.org.uk
Posted: 04/08/2022 by Ffiona Jones
Café Open!
It is with great pleasure that we can announce the long-awaited café has finally opened!
We welcome Stacey & Lisa, two local business women who live in Abergwili, who run ‘Stacey’s Kitchen’, along with their team.
There has been much excitement since they opened – long may it continue!
Stacey’s Kitchen’s opening times are 9.00am – 5.00pm, Monday – Sunday
Dogs are welcome & we are fully accessible
Posted: 26/07/2022 by Ffiona Jones
Bishop’s Park Recollections
We’re working with our volunteers and groups of local young people around the Carmarthen area to collect and record recollections and stories of the site of the Old Bishop’s Palace, Abergwili, which will then feed into the 15 Minute Digital Heritage project. The site has over 800 years of history & our historical research volunteers have worked hard to collate it, but we don’t have much on record from the 1930’s onwards. We have a number of visitors who tell us how they were allowed into the gardens on a Sunday afternoon, or how they would fish the Bishop’s Pond, or that their aunt was a maid in the Palac, or that they had their wedding photos taken in the grounds etc. Well, this project is a chance for us to collect these stories and memories and to keep them on record. We’ve received a grant from the 15 Minute Digital Heritage Fund in order to do this and to feed into the trust’s digital content, through working with young people from the Carmarthen area to create short films which will be based around the recollection & stories that we collect.
We’d like to invite anyone who has any connection to the Old Bishop’s Palace, Abergwili site to come for a cup of tea or coffee & cake in our brand new café area to share their stories, memories and recollections and our trained volunteers will be on hand to record them.
The drop-in sessions will be held:
02/08/22 (Wednesday) 2pm – 4pm
03/08/22 (Thursday) 10am-12pm and 4.30pm-6.30pm
09/08/22 (Tuesday) 11am – 4pm
For further details please contact Ffiona on 07395082719 email: FfionaJones@tywigateway.org.uk
Posted: 07/07/2022 by Ffiona Jones
Max Pulford
It is with great sadness that we have to let everyone know that our newly appointed Commercial Manager, Max Pulford, died suddenly last week. Although only a few weeks into the job Max had already begun to make an impact, and all of us were benefitting from his infectious enthusiasm, drive and ability to connect with everyone he met. His wife Penny said that Max was thrilled to have joined our team at the park, and that he came home from his last day at work feeling he’d had a particularly good day. Max evidently enjoyed his new role building practical relationships with local businesses and organisations, and encouraging them to view the park as a valuable asset that could enhance their work. Max was clearly dedicated to the ethos of the Trust, and to making Bishop’s Park a better place for everyone. Our thoughts and condolences go to his family and friends at this difficult time.
Posted: 24/06/2022 by Ffiona Jones
Wildlife Walk – 21st June 2022
Wildlife Walk – 21st June 2022, 2pm. The Bishop’s Park
8 attendees, led by Max Pulford
Phew what a scorcher! Bright sunshine, 27oC and light winds greeted the best turn out on the on the longest day of the year. Large numbers of bees (honey, bumble and carder) and hover flies were collecting pollen as we headed out from the Jenkinson Garden. The 200-year-old London Plane tree, standing proud was undergoing a June drop of leaves – whether this is because of the hot weather, the lack of rain or just what happens we don’t know but the wild bees’ nest was very active in the crevice up the left trunk. A song thrush was singing and then the fluty song of a male blackcap was heard whist the group looked at Carex pendula (the pendulous sedge) in a typical damp woodland edge. Sedges are easy to identify because sedges have edges on their stems. A flowering dog rose and St John’s wort and red campion were nearby in amongst the usual woodland plants including mallow and hedge woundwort. One of the attendees, a tree surgeon in previous life regaled the group with interesting facts about trees.
At the Bishop’s Pond (very low in water) two mallards and a heron were seen in amongst the starting to flower yellow water lilies, Nupar Lutea. Common blue damselflies were skimming over the water. Wrens and chaffinches were heard, and jackdaws seen but the highlight was a pair of spotted flycatchers with food in their beaks suggesting the likelihood of a nest with young. It was hoped a slow worm might be seen in the walled garden, but the day was even too hot for them. Ice creams were a fine finish to the walk and although not many birds were seen, a lovely and interesting walk was had by all. The next walk is Tuesday 19th July.
Max Pulford