The Bishop’s Palace is located above the north bank of the Afon Tywi and its flood-plain, in the village of Abergwili to the east of Carmarthen. It is noted for the historical interest of its nineteenth century woodland garden with its rich arboreal flora, on a site with a long history of landscape development around a religious establishment (nprn 17099).

The garden occupies a roughly triangular area, widest at its west end and tapering to the east end. It is bounded on the north side by a rubble stone wall about 1.7m-2m high, on the west by a stone wall up to about 1.5m high, and along its curving south and south-east side by a substantial ha-ha consisting of a roughly-coursed stone wall 2m high, with an external ditch. Beyond it, on the floodplain, is an area of parkland (700124). The Old Palace is at the west end of the grounds and is approached from the north along a short drive from an entrance and lodge, on the old A40 road, to a forecourt on the (west) front of the palace.

The ground is mostly level, with a drop to a lower level on the south, near and parallel to the south-east boundary. Towards the east end of the garden, where it narrows, the ground slopes steeply from north to south. At the east end a flight of steps leads over the ha-ha into the parkland. The grounds west of the palace, around the drive area, and also to the south-west, are heavily planted with evergreen trees and shrubs, native and exotic.

Lawns surround the house to the north, east and south of the house. To the south there are mixed specimen trees, deciduous and coniferous, including a huge Cedar of Lebanon. From the drive a winding path leads eastwards across an extensive lawn dotted with specimen trees such as a tulip tree, London Plane and mature conifers. A wooded area along the north (A40) boundary also contains specimen trees. North of the old palace is a more formal, circular area with cross paths.

The north-west corner of the garden, to the west of the palace, is now separate belonging to the present bishop’s residence, a building dating to 1978. Its garden consists mainly of a large lawn to the south of the house with some large specimen trees, including Scots pine, oak and beech. The lawn runs down to the north side of the kitchen garden (700125).

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The grounds were developing from at least the eighteenth century. A plan of 1796 shows a wide area, the 'Place Yard', on the west side of the Palace. It opens off the public road, with a lodge on the site of the present building, and is closed on the south by a coachhouse and stable yard. There is a kitchen garden between the stables and the churchyard to the east. North of the Palace is the former bowling green and to the east is a pleasure ground occupying a tapering plot between the road and the Tywi meadows.
By 1811 a new east-facing wing had been added to take advantage of picturesque views up the Tywi valley across a now redundant meander, the 'Bishop's Pond'. The pleasure grounds were extended and probably rearranged at this time. The Palace Yard was given up in favour of a more open arrangement on the west side of the Palace and new enclosures appear on the north side. A short canal was built to connect the Palace to the Tywi.
In 1825-40 the old stables were replaced by those still partly surviving by the road and the present kitchen garden established on their site. The picturesque lodge was built in the mid nineteenth century.

Sources:
Cadw Historic Assets Database (ref: PGW(Dy)59(CAM)
James in the Carmarthenshire Antiquary XVI (1980), 19-44.
Ordnance Survey first-edition 25-inch plan, sheet: Carmarthen XXXIX.4 (1889).

David Leighton & John Wiles 3 May 2022

Site Record

Bishops Palace Grounds and Gardens, Abergwili