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Historic site set to be restored
From the Swindon Advertiser, first published Friday 1st Jul 2005.
HISTORIC remains at Bradenstoke Abbey are to be restored to their former glory.
Medieval ponds and a Victorian orchard will be restored at the abbey, which sits on the perimeter of RAF Lyneham, with help from Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
The site, which was once home to the Augustinian priory of Clack in 1142, is now just ruins after US newspaper magnate William Randolf Hearst sent his architect on a tour of Europe 70 years ago to find buildings which could be incorporated into his castle at St Donat's in Wales.
The architect later bought the abbey buildings and the Kings Lodgings at Bradenstoke, dismantled them and took them to Wales.
Now work is being carried out by owners Mark and Vicki Thomas to protect the wildlife and ruins at the Abbey by preserving the remains.
One fish pond has already been restored and a second is due be restored under a new agreement. Orchards planted under the reign of Queen Victoria and once thought lost under scrub and bramble, have also been restored and still contain old varieties of apples and pears, which the owners have matched with replacement plantings.
It is hoped that the project will allow the wildlife in the area to thrive.
Isobel Whitwarn, an adviser with Defra's Rural Development Service, said: "This is where Defra not only supports wildlife through the Stewardship funding, but also help to protect England's heritage from further erosion.
"Bradenstoke Abbey is a fascinating site and the next 10 years will see further progress."
Among the animals seen at the site are great crested newts and plants like orchids and bog stitchwort.
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