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Introduction
Tyntesfield
lies about six miles to the west of Bristol.
The house, a High Victorian Gothic masterpiece, sits against a wooded
hillside with rolling parkland.
Following
the death of the 2nd Baron Wraxall (Richard Gibbs) in 2001, the Tyntesfield
estate was put up for sale.
An enormous fund-raising campaign was started by the National Trust and
the conservation charity, SAVE.
Within
weeks, an unprecedented amount was raised through public appeal, to which
a massive grant of over
£17 million was added by the National Heritage Memorial Fund. The
National Trust was able to buy Tyntesfield
including the mansion and most of its contents; approximately 530 acres
of farmland, woodland and parkland,
of which about 50 acres are garden; the support buildings and a walled
kitchen garden complex, complete
with standing greenhouses.
Tyntesfield
opened to the public within ten weeks of purchase by the Naitonal Trust.
The Rock
Garden
The
formal gardens at Tyntesfield lie to the south and west of the house,
including several specific areas
designed to reflect the horticultural curiosity of Victorian plant collectors
and gardeners.
These
include an arboretum, a rose garden, a boating lake, formal walks and
shrub planting, a formal
terrace and a substantial rock garden. The rock garden encloses the rose
garden, which stands above the house.
A
footpath, lined with cobbled drainage channels, runs around the east side
of the rock garden with narrow
paths and steps. The rock garden covers approximately 1000 square yards
of garden area.
Much
of the planting of this the rock garden has been lost, although mature
specimens of Deutzia,
Philadelphus, Acer, Box and Yew still survive, as well as some ground
cover and many native ferns.
Large trees, including Dawn Redwoods also survive.
The Project
The
Rock Garden will be treated as a specific area within the Conservation
Management Plan for Tyntesfield,
to be written during 2005. In order to gain a full understanding of this
resource and to inform future conservation proposals, the following work
is required:
- A
ground survey of the resource, recording general form and extent, surviving
planting and surviving features
- An
examination of the soil
- An
examination of how, if any, irrigation system works within the resource
- Research
to place the feature in its historical context, within the rest of the
Tyntesfield garden
- Research
the surviving planting, its dates of introduction etc., and together
with other contextual research, produce a planting list of suitable
species, which could be used in a restoration together with information
on suppliers
This
work will be presented in a bound report, to be supported by illustrations.
There may be an opportunity
for the recipient to write a short article based on his or her research
and experience, to be published
in a National Trust journal or newsletter of local Gardens Trust.
Benefits
to Recipient
- Participate
in a major international conservation project
- Experience
life and work at a National Trust property
- Develop
research and survey skills (which may include visits to other centers
of learning or collections -
Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew, RHS Lindley Library, and specialist
nurseries)
- Become
familiar with conservation practice in U.K.
- Liaise
with National Trust Gardens Advisors
Support
- The
recipient will be supervised and supported by the Head Gardener, Access
& Outreach Officer
and Assistant Head Gardener.
- The
Head Gardener will offer specific advice concerning the nature of the
project,
parameters of research, contacts, etc.
- The
recipient will become part of the wider Tyntesfield team and be encouraged
to participate in events,
and to help in other departments as opportunities arise.
- Limited
office space and support will be given to the recipient, as required.
- Support
and advice will also be available from the wider National Trust staff,
particularly from the
Gardens Advisors based at Swindon.
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