The Weir Garden
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The Weir Garden is a National Trust property near Swainshill (see Stretton Sugwas), Herefordshire, lying alongside the River Wye 5 mi (8.0 km) west of Hereford on the A438 road.[1]
The garden covers 10 acres (4 hectares), and was the creation of its prior owner, Roger Parr, and his head gardener William Boulter. The adjoining house is used as a nursing home and is not open to the public.[2]
The south facing aspect of the garden allows for a wide variety of plantings, and this, combined with the riverside, attract a notable variety of wildlife. Notable birds include blackcaps, mute swans, kingfishers, goosanders and in summer, sand martins, whilst teal often over-winter here. There are also a great many insects, including the rare club-tailed dragonfly, banded demoiselle damselflies and white-legged damselflies, plus a range of butterflies, hoverflies and crickets.[2]
The ruins of a Roman temple possibly associated with a high-status Roman villa, which may have connections to the nearby Roman town of Magnis, lie inside the Weir Garden by the River Wye. There is an octagonal cistern filled by a spring, and a ruined buttress by the river. These are the highest standing Roman ruins in Herefordshire.[3][4]
The property is open on Wednesday to Sunday from February until October.[1]
External links
References
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- ^ a b National Trust web pages for 'The Weir' accessed 4 November 2013 Cite error: The named reference "ntweb" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
- ^ a b National Trust leaflet entitled 'Welcome to The Weir Garden - Information to help you enjoy your visit' Cite error: The named reference "leaflet" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
- ^ "Suspected Romano-British Temple, The Weir Gardens". www.Roman-Britain.org. Retrieved 2013-04-04.
- ^ "Roman Riverside Building Complex, The Weir Garden". Herefordshire Monuments Search. Retrieved 2013-04-04.