15th February 2022 2-3.30pm. With Caroline, Suzie, Huw, Max, Ruth, and Malcolm
Another grey day for our February session – but what a joy to have so many expert naturalists on board for the 1.5 hours in the Park today! We were joined by local wildlife enthusiast Huw, also a garden volunteer – and Ruth and Malcolm, with ecological background, as well as Max (our ornithology expert from last month), and Suzie (garden volunteer and wildlife enthusiast).
Meeting Max in the car park he immediately identified the song of a song thrush and a blackbird – always keep your eyes and ears open for wildlife!
In the Jenkinson garden we spotted many of the hundreds of bulbs planted by garden volunteers coming up through the bare earth – orange and purple crocus, tulips in the borders; daffodils in the grassed areas flanking the circular borders; lime green primrose leaves waiting to flower in the corners of the site. Huw reported siting of snipe / jack snipe near the pond last week – did you see or hear them? Let us know!
En route to the Woodland Garden we spied mole hills and a grey squirrel, primroses out in the flower and daffodils in bud; toadflax creeping its way over the earth.
Primrose – thrum or pin?
The non experts among us were introduced to this fascinating and unusual feature of the native primrose! Did you know it has two almost identical types of flower – one with a ‘thrum’ or ‘thrum-eyed’ (cluster of yellow antlers) and the other with a ‘pin’ or ‘pin-eyed’ (a greenish disc)? The flowers are perfectly composed to enable pollination by insects such as the brimstone butterfly – read more about these unusual flower types here.
Lots of birds were seen and heard in the woodland despite the damp and gloom – robins squeaking, with blue tits, great tits, chaffinch, crow and pigeon all around us.
Reaching the Bishops Pond we heard a moorhen call, but could see no birds on the pond today. We saw willow and hazel catkins and identified polytrichum (hair cap or hair moss) on a large stump, growing up through the primroses.
Grumpy Snowdrops
Today we also all learnt about ‘grumpy snowdrops ‘ from Suzie! A little known phenomena when the occasional snowdrop can be found with its downturned mouth accompanied by the two green dots for eyes above. A lovely way to get little ones excited about these Winter flowering gems.
We saw lesser celandine in flower on the edges of the main grassy park , where last year we delighted in a whole host of wildflowers in areas deliberately left unmown as part of our new regime, managing the Park for wildlife (and beauty!).
A pair of pied wagtails were spotted on the edge of the ha-ha – and then a heron flew over Waun Fawr. We learnt about ‘Mares Nest’ from Ruth – the tangle of branches encasing a mature (is it a lime?) on the bottom, meadow-facing, path; and Huw noted he’d seen a sparrowhawk here a few months ago. A blackbird scuttled across the path in search of food and while retrieving the keys to the walled garden, at the Museum entrance, we saw a mistle thrush and two collared doves.
Burnt Cakes
Outside the walled garden is an unassuming pile of logs – but look closely and you’ll spy King Alfred’s Cakes ! Looking for all the world like little, round, burnt buns, this characterful fungi grows only on ash wood and was used as firelighters and torches in times past. As we talked, a squirrel hurtled along the top of the 18th century walled garden wall.
In the walled garden
Inside the walled garden we saw more great tits, a robin, goldfinches, a dunnock (our first so far on this walk) and wild strawberry valiantly in flower. Thrillingly two greenfinches, a male and a female, were spotted in the old apple trees – an increase from the single one we saw last month. These birds are on the ‘red list’ for endangered species – so its just fantastic to know they’ve made the walled garden their home! (Read more about their plight and how you can help them in last month’s wildlife watch).
A buzzard flew across the churchyard next door, and while we stood chatting at the end of the session we were treated to a small but perfectly formed murmuration of starlings in the field – close enough to see their glistening bodies rise up en masse against the backdrop of the Tywi valley.
What a wonderful way to spend a couple of hours on a dull day – learning lots from others. The Park is full of life when you look – and listen – up close!
Join us!
Inspired to join our next wildlife watch or want to help monitor our wildlife? Get in touch by email: enquiries@tywigateway.org.uk or complete the contact form here.
Posted: 18/06/2022 by Louise Austin
National Meadows Day 2022
Come and celebrate National Meadows Day with us at Parc Yr Esgob-Bishop’s Park. There will guided tours of Y Waun Fawr, our floodplain meadow, with ecologist, Laurence Brooks. Matthew Collison will be demonstrating his scything skills and how to look after your scythe and there will be a chance for children to go on a bug hunt around the Park.
Posted: 17/06/2022 by Louise Austin
Monthly Wildlife Watch
Join us on our monthly wildlife watch walk at Bishop’s Park – next Tuesday, 21st 2022
2-3pm to help monitor what’s growing and living in the Park.
Wildlife enthusiasts warmly welcomed but no prior knowledge needed. Meet in the Jenkinson Garden at 2pm.
Posted: 23/05/2022 by Louise Austin
Pollinator Logo Competition
The competition winner was Seren Atherton from Talley Primary School and in 2nd place was Oliver Hedd Horn from Nantgaredig Primary School.
Our Community Engagement & Learning Officer and two of our trustees, Betsan Caldwell & Anne Loughrane, visited the schools recently to present Seren & Oliver with their prizes.
Seren’s picture can be seen on our new interpretation boards to note information on the park’s wildlife and Oliver’s picture will soon be seen in our new centre.
There’s a gallery of the contestants pictures on our website.
Posted: 13/05/2022 by Louise Austin
Bishop’s Park Horticultural Show 2022
Following the success of last year’s event, the Bishop’s Park Horticultural Show will be back this year on Saturday 3rd of September, with new classes for bee keepers, as well as classes for growers of vegetables and flowers, bakers, preserve makers, crafters and junior classes.
The show schedule is available here: Show schedule 22 – LA edit-CND02830BL
entry form: Entry Form
Judges will be announced shortly.
Posted: 15/03/2022 by Caroline Welch
New Spring Plant Fair at Bishops Park!
PRESS RELEASE 15/03/22
Spring has sprung at Bishops Park!
Popular Carmarthenshire visitor attraction to host new Plant Fair this Easter
Bishops Park and Gardens at Abergwili goes from strength to strength this Easter launching its 2022 activities with a new Spring Plant Fair on Sunday 10th April, 10am-2pm. Organised by the Tywi Gateway Trust, the tiny charity behind the restoration of the Park and conversion of the derelict outbuildings, the event will promote the newly-restored visitor destination and highlight it as one of Wales key places to visit, enjoy and learn.
Celebrating key West Wales growers including Farmyard Nurseries, West Wales Willows, Liliwen Herbs and Brynllwyd Nurseries, the new Plant Fair will help put Carmarthen on the tourist and horticultural map, welcoming gardeners, plant hunters and visitors from all over the area.
Highlights include a talk by Head Gardener Piers Lunt about the new Jenkinson Garden (11am), including the inspiration for his design and how the planting takes its cue from heritage cultivars for maximum wildlife benefit. Visitors will also be able to join a free tour of the park by Piers at 1pm, including the walled garden not normally open to the public.
Louise Austin, Trust Manager, said, “We are so delighted to hold this exciting event for Carmarthen and the wider area. It has been a huge project to restore the park and gardens to their former glory and we are just thrilled to see all our hard work, and that of our volunteers finally come to fruition. We are passionate about sustainability and a celebration of local growers, encouraging more of us to garden and grow our own, for wellbeing and for the future of the planet, is the perfect way to open our activities for the year.”
Unique window onto Carmarthenshire’s Heritage
Bishops Park & Gardens at Abergwili surrounds Carmarthenshire Museum, formerly the Palace of the Bishops of St Davids – and visitors can now spend a full day on the site as the two visitor attractions showcase Carmarthenshire’s unique horticulture, wildlife and heritage. With two new garden areas, restored parkland, new seating and interpretation panels, views opened up across the Tywi Valley, scramble ropes and a balancing log for children, with a cafe and learning centre opening later in the Spring, there’s lots to see and do for visitors of all ages.
Help ensure the reinvigorated Bishops Park is here to stay….
Tywi Gateway Trust is a tiny charity and needs more support to ensure the reinvigorated Bishops Park is here to stay. Support them by visiting, volunteering, donating, or spreading the word about their work on social media. More events in the park are planned for the Summer, including a re-enactment of the Battle of Abergwili on 13th August and the return of the popular Bishops Park show in September. Find out more at: www.parcyresgob.org.uk
To download these & more image for this Press Release: https://photos.app.goo.gl/Dsunas8aDh17uQZi8
For general visitor images: https://photos.app.goo.gl/PynhZjTB4un7NKsh6
©Tywi Gateway Trust / Aled Llwyelyn
©Tywi Gateway Trust / Aled Llwyelyn
©Tywi Gateway Trust / Aled Llwyelyn
©Tywi Gateway Trust / Aled Llwyelyn
Notes to editors
About the Tywi Gateway Trust
The Trust was set up in 2016 to: “promote for the benefit of the public at the Bishop’s Park and its cultural setting in Abergwili the conservation, protection, improvement and understanding of the built and natural environments.”
The Tywi Gateway Trust are currently delivering the Tywi Gateway Project at the Bishop’s Park, Abergwili, a £2.4m Parks for People project funded with a £1.2m grant by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
The Trust are a tiny charity with the equivalent of just 3 full time staff, relying on the generosity of volunteers and supporters to continue our work.
To find out more about the work of the Trust visit: https://parcyresgob.org.uk/
To give monthly to the Trust visit: https://localgiving.org/charity/the-tywi-gateway-trust/
Follow @ParkYrEsgob on Facebook – Twitter – Instagram – YouTube
Further information
For further information, images and interviews please contact Louise Austin at the Tywi Gateway Trust on 07399 265237, email: louiseaustin@tywigateway.org.uk
All Bishops Park Press:
Press Releases: https://tywigateway.org.uk/category/press-releases-2/
Posted: 15/02/2022 by Caroline Welch
Wildlife Watch: February 2022
Another grey day for our February session – but what a joy to have so many expert naturalists on board for the 1.5 hours in the Park today! We were joined by local wildlife enthusiast Huw, also a garden volunteer – and Ruth and Malcolm, with ecological background, as well as Max (our ornithology expert from last month), and Suzie (garden volunteer and wildlife enthusiast).
Meeting Max in the car park he immediately identified the song of a song thrush and a blackbird – always keep your eyes and ears open for wildlife!
In the Jenkinson garden we spotted many of the hundreds of bulbs planted by garden volunteers coming up through the bare earth – orange and purple crocus, tulips in the borders; daffodils in the grassed areas flanking the circular borders; lime green primrose leaves waiting to flower in the corners of the site. Huw reported siting of snipe / jack snipe near the pond last week – did you see or hear them? Let us know!
En route to the Woodland Garden we spied mole hills and a grey squirrel, primroses out in the flower and daffodils in bud; toadflax creeping its way over the earth.
Primrose – thrum or pin?
The non experts among us were introduced to this fascinating and unusual feature of the native primrose! Did you know it has two almost identical types of flower – one with a ‘thrum’ or ‘thrum-eyed’ (cluster of yellow antlers) and the other with a ‘pin’ or ‘pin-eyed’ (a greenish disc)? The flowers are perfectly composed to enable pollination by insects such as the brimstone butterfly – read more about these unusual flower types here.
Reaching the Bishops Pond we heard a moorhen call, but could see no birds on the pond today. We saw willow and hazel catkins and identified polytrichum (hair cap or hair moss) on a large stump, growing up through the primroses.
Grumpy Snowdrops
Today we also all learnt about ‘grumpy snowdrops ‘ from Suzie! A little known phenomena when the occasional snowdrop can be found with its downturned mouth accompanied by the two green dots for eyes above. A lovely way to get little ones excited about these Winter flowering gems.
A pair of pied wagtails were spotted on the edge of the ha-ha – and then a heron flew over Waun Fawr. We learnt about ‘Mares Nest’ from Ruth – the tangle of branches encasing a mature (is it a lime?) on the bottom, meadow-facing, path; and Huw noted he’d seen a sparrowhawk here a few months ago. A blackbird scuttled across the path in search of food and while retrieving the keys to the walled garden, at the Museum entrance, we saw a mistle thrush and two collared doves.
Burnt Cakes
Outside the walled garden is an unassuming pile of logs – but look closely and you’ll spy King Alfred’s Cakes ! Looking for all the world like little, round, burnt buns, this characterful fungi grows only on ash wood and was used as firelighters and torches in times past. As we talked, a squirrel hurtled along the top of the 18th century walled garden wall.
In the walled garden
Inside the walled garden we saw more great tits, a robin, goldfinches, a dunnock (our first so far on this walk) and wild strawberry valiantly in flower. Thrillingly two greenfinches, a male and a female, were spotted in the old apple trees – an increase from the single one we saw last month. These birds are on the ‘red list’ for endangered species – so its just fantastic to know they’ve made the walled garden their home! (Read more about their plight and how you can help them in last month’s wildlife watch).
A buzzard flew across the churchyard next door, and while we stood chatting at the end of the session we were treated to a small but perfectly formed murmuration of starlings in the field – close enough to see their glistening bodies rise up en masse against the backdrop of the Tywi valley.
What a wonderful way to spend a couple of hours on a dull day – learning lots from others. The Park is full of life when you look – and listen – up close!
Join us!
Inspired to join our next wildlife watch or want to help monitor our wildlife? Get in touch by email: enquiries@tywigateway.org.uk or complete the contact form here.
Posted: 15/02/2022 by Caroline Welch
Wildlife Watch – Jan 2022
25th January 2-3.30pm – With Caroline, Suzie, Max and Penny
Well its always a huge bonus when an ornithological expert turns up to your monthly wildlife watch! Local residents Max and Penny saw the publicity for January’s walk on Facebook and decided to come along – and how glad we were that they did! We spotted (and heard) more birds on our January watch than we ever have before – thank you Max and Penny!
It was a grey cloudy day but as we walked around the Park we heard dunnock, blackbird, and saw celandine, wild strawberries, cheering green primrose leaves and the spiked lords & ladies coming up through the leaf litter.
Near the pond we heard / saw 2 moorhen, jay, pigeon and mute swan, mistle thrushes, long tailed tits, great tits and blue tits. We noticed the pale yellow catkins, like tiny lambs tails – important early pollen for bees – on the hazel around the pond.
More primroses along the ha-ha path and turkey tail fungi on a log pile there. In the walled garden we heard song thrushes and a chaffinch, a very exciting turn up –a greenfinch in the apple trees! You can ID a greenfinch by its distinctive green colours and its repeated ‘cheese’ call – find out more.
The greenfinch population has been decimated in recent years due to ‘trichomonosis’, a disease that prevents the birds from feeding properly – and they are now on the ‘red list’ of UK endangered birds. Intensive farming has also diminished its food supply. To help stop the decline of the greenfinch population – make sure you clean your birdfeeder regularly – find out more.
What will you see in the Park today?
Posted: 27/01/2022 by Caroline Welch
Poetry Inspiration: Waiting for the Garden
Lockdown last year was challenging for so many of us, and we were particularly sad to have to close the Park to our regular team of committed volunteers.
We weren’t alone, and one of our garden volunteers felt so inspired at the closure, he put pen to paper. We love this poem as it encapsulates so much that we all missed at that difficult time – from friends, to work, to the places that are part of our daily lives… Thank you Neil.
Waiting for the Garden
I’m bored of my back garden
A small and boring square
I’ve strimmed and trimmed and tended
The soil’s now flat and bare
No weed will dare to spoil it
I’ll kill the bugger straight
The the spuds are up, the beans are in
I sit around and wait.
I’m waiting for the garden
That’s big and old and tough
Wrestling back the brambles
Gardening hard and rough.
I’m waiting for the garden
The wall that blocks out hell
The other side is tranquil
A space that makes you well.
I’m waiting for the garden
The space we hold so dear
The sound of apples hitting ground
The only noise you’ll hear.
I’m waiting for the garden
Space for all to dream
A space where all are equal
Wild, not farmed, deep green.
I’m waiting for the banter
And Dilys’ ‘valley tales’
Teaching Tad to swear in Welsh
It’s different see in Wales.
I’ve not seen new wild flowers
Walked knee deep in buttercups
I’ll hammer on the door next week
“Please Piers open up”
Neil Rosser is a local musician and recently retired teacher.
Inspired to volunteer with us? Find out more.
Posted: 11/01/2022 by Caroline Welch
Kickstart Opportunity – Assistant Gardener!
Posted: 04/01/2022 by Caroline Welch
15 Minute Heritage Grant!
We are thrilled to announce we’ve been awarded #15MinuteHeritage funding to train and support young people to create bilingual films and digital gaming apps of Bishops Park and Carmarthenshire Museums!
The project, called – ‘Parc yr Esgob Hanes a Chof: Capturing, Digitising and Sharing our Stories’, will deliver much-needed young people-centred interpretation on site and on-line, focussing on people’s history, climate change and biodiversity.
It will stimulate creative learning, the development of new transferable skills and cross-curricular knowledge, engaging young people more deeply with the heritage on their doorstep. Thank you so much to @HeritageFundCYM and @Cadw.