What's On section.qxp_Layout 1 19/05/2022 16:50 Page 92
MENDIP TIMES
Palace garden festival returns
THE Bishop’s Palace and Gardens will be holding its popular three-day Garden Festival opening on Friday, June 17th. Returning for its eighth year, the ever-popular festival will once again reunite garden-lovers with specialists from around the country. Designed to celebrate the Great British Garden, the stunning 14-acre palace grounds will feature guided tours, live music, expert speakers, delicious food, skills and crafts and stalls, including some fabulous nurseries selling unusual and popular plants. Headlining on Friday is Mark Bobin (Head Gardener, Minterne Gardens), who will be talking about the Himalayan garden deep in the Dorset countryside. He'll also be sharing tales and footage from his plant-hunting trip to the Himalayas. Troy Scott Smith (Head Gardener at Sissinghurst) and
PAGE 92 • MENDIP TIMES • JUNE 2022
Sarah Venn (Incredible Edible Bristol) will also be giving talks over the weekend. The palace’s own swan expert, Moira Anderson, will also be giving a talk. Before the festival, the palace will be joining the local community to celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations. Celebrations at the palace are particularly poignant because the Bishop of Bath and Wells, who resides at the palace, has stood at the monarch’s side at each coronation since 1179. From Thursday, June 2nd there will a Jubilee Exhibition at the palace highlighting the significance of the Queen within the local community. All items featured have been generously loaned by local people, each with their own unique and interesting story. Visitors will also see the magnificent
The Garden Festival is returning for its eighth year
coronation cope on display at the Palace. First worn in 1902, this intricate, golden cope has been worn by the Bishop of Bath and Wells at every coronation since. Families are invited to join in with a community picnic on the croquet lawn on Monday, June 6th, where the Palace Croquet Team will be on hand for demonstrations and have-a-go sessions.
