The gardens in autumn
We are all very excited about what the future holds for the Bishop’s Park. In looking to return the park to its previous grandeur, one of the big decisions has been through examining all available evidence deciding on what time period the park is going to be restored to.
After a lot of research the inspiration for the restoration will be how the park looked at the time when Dr John Jenkinson was the Bishop of St Davids in the early nineteenth century.
When he became bishop in 1825 both the palace and grounds had fallen into decay. The palace was rebuilt and the grounds redesigned in a style where the plants were the centre of attention, all paid for by Bishop Jenkinson. This was to be the last time the Bishop’s Park had any major landscaping works undertaken.
Bishop Jenkinson died in 1840 but his legacy at Abergwili was already secured as in the same year his palace was described as being a ‘noble mansion’ and it was acknowledged that much beauty had been added to the grounds through his work.
It’s exciting to think that nearly 200 years later working with the community, our partners and the Heritage Lottery Fund our project can help restore his much loved lost garden, bringing it to back to life for the community and future generations to enjoy.
The palace and lawns seen from the south east towards the end of the nineteenth century
Courtesy of Carmarthenshire Museums
Restoring the Garden of Bishop Jenkinson
Posted: 16/08/2015 by Caroline Welch
The gardens in autumn
We are all very excited about what the future holds for the Bishop’s Park. In looking to return the park to its previous grandeur, one of the big decisions has been through examining all available evidence deciding on what time period the park is going to be restored to.
After a lot of research the inspiration for the restoration will be how the park looked at the time when Dr John Jenkinson was the Bishop of St Davids in the early nineteenth century.
When he became bishop in 1825 both the palace and grounds had fallen into decay. The palace was rebuilt and the grounds redesigned in a style where the plants were the centre of attention, all paid for by Bishop Jenkinson. This was to be the last time the Bishop’s Park had any major landscaping works undertaken.
Bishop Jenkinson died in 1840 but his legacy at Abergwili was already secured as in the same year his palace was described as being a ‘noble mansion’ and it was acknowledged that much beauty had been added to the grounds through his work.
It’s exciting to think that nearly 200 years later working with the community, our partners and the Heritage Lottery Fund our project can help restore his much loved lost garden, bringing it to back to life for the community and future generations to enjoy.
The palace and lawns seen from the south east towards the end of the nineteenth century
Courtesy of Carmarthenshire Museums
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