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An elegant bird with a melodious song Turdus merul

An elegant bird with a melodious song Turdus merula, commonly known as an Eurasian blackbird, is one of the most intensely productive birds in the UK and is thought to have evolved from the Island Thrush found in South East Asia.

Adults males, as per their name, are totally black with a bright yellow beak and a similarly-coloured ring around each eye. However, female and juvenile varieties are quite different, displaying an intense reddish-brown plumage with a dark brown striped beak.

We believe this cheeky chappy to be a young male blackbird as they commonly have black streaks in their bill in their first winter before developing their yellow ones. He hasn’t quite shaken off his juvenile plumage on his chest yet, but his bright yellow eye ring is unmistakable – a feature not so prominent in females.

At Aberglasney, we’re fortunate to be home to a

At Aberglasney, we’re fortunate to be home to a wonderful indoor garden that can be quite a sanctuary during the colder, wetter, winter months... 🌧❄️

The Ninfarium houses an array of beautiful sub-tropical plants including Zygopetalum ‘Trozy Blue’. This stunning and tender orchid is native to Brazil, the Guianas, Venezuela and Columbia where it tends to grow in the crooks of branches absorbing water from the air through aerial roots.

It has elegant slender-petalled wax-like flowers that bloom in autumn or early winter. They’re an interesting mix of green, plum and purple-blue and are highly fragrant, producing a fresh, sweet scent in the early morning.

Its name is derived from the ancient Greek work ‘zygon’ which means yoke; a crosspiece that fastens over the necks of two animals to attach them to a plough or cart. Quite apt given that the plant is said to symbolise the spiritual connection between two people who belong together 🤝💫

Some believe it to have been named after the Greek mythological river Zygo from which all other rivers sprang. The rivulet pattern on it’s lip is thought to denote this and is visible in fine detail in this image thanks to the skill of Nigel McCall.

At the heart of Aberglasney lies its most extraord

At the heart of Aberglasney lies its most extraordinary and legendary feature – the Cloister Garden and Parapet Walk.

Investigation in the 1990’s concluded Aberglasney’s parapet walkway is a unique survivor of an Elizabethan style of garden architecture. Almost every other example of formal raised terraces from this period have disappeared, falling to Civil War depredations or the 18th century Landscape Movement which saw formal enclosures swept away in favour of open parkland.

During the restoration, clearing the rampant vegetation and sifting through the soil revealed the enclosure in its true form. Traces of a central pool and fountain were discovered along with a geometric layout of flowerbeds.

Further intensive digging uncovered the original ground levels and allowed archaeologists to date the cloister range in the 1600s, meaning they were constructed during Bishop Rudd’s ownership of the property. It also revealed the ornamental cobbling that extends from the Gatehouse along the western front of the house (see pic 3).

Unfortunately, no archaeological evidence could be found showing how the Cloister Garden would have originally been laid out – wiped clean by centuries of remodelling to satisfy contemporary garden fashion throughout its history. The current design is a copy of a garden featured in a 17th century painting of a noblewoman that's set within a cloistered courtyard.

The grass parterre is typical of a garden layout from the Elizabethan era. It would have been enamelled with recently introduced plants from around the world. Gardeners would plunge an array of flowering plants into the grass and would replace them with others as the seasons changed (see pic 4).

There’s so much to tell you about the restoration story of this enchanting part of the gardens. We’ll be back next week with another post detailing the painstaking restoration process and the trials, tribulations and mysteries it unearthed...

Our Jubilee Wood looking positively primeval on a

Our Jubilee Wood looking positively primeval on a misty autumn morning...

If you’re planning a trip to the gardens this weekend please don’t forget we are running our winter admission offer. This means each visitor will be given the value of their admission fee back in vouchers to use at the tearooms on the day of the visit.

Our gates are open every day from 10.30 to 4pm. Please note last entry the gardens is at 3pm and the tearooms and gift shop will be closed by 3.30pm.

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