The Jack Wigmore Garden, situated behind the Visitor Centre in Princetown, has been given a summer refresh by DPA Conservation Volunteers. Our hard working volunteers gave the garden a sensitive tidy, leaving room for wildlife whilst also making the area accessible and welcoming to visitors. The garden is free to access and has been designed to echo a quiet spot out on the moor, complete with genuine Bronze Age archaeology. Following a request for help from the DNPA, we were delighted to return to the garden and give it a spruce up ready for the half term and upcoming summer holidays.
Val Barns, DPA Conservation Volunteer, tells us: ‘On 22nd May, at the request of Dartmoor National Park, DPA volunteers spent a morning tidying up the Jack Wigmore Garden behind the visitor centre in time for half term. Leaving some of the long grass – “no mow May” – there are now paths cut and features cleared, including the cist, Ter Hill cross and seating areas. Blackbird, robin, goldfinch, chaffinch and dunnock were all around and house martins were flying overhead. The DPA was involved in the garden some years ago and it was good to be back.’
The stone cross in the garden is the original Ter Hill SW cross, which was moved to the garden for protection, after being repeatedly damaged by cattle rubbing against it on the open moor. It was one of a number of crosses that marked the route of the Monks’ Path which linked Buckfast Abbey to Tavistock and Buckland. A replica cross now stands in the original position on the moor, and the ancient cross has been repaired with cement and iron pins and erected in a secluded spot in the garden.
Accompanying the cross is the Thornworthy 2 Cist, which was originally situated below Thornworthy Tor, Chagford, nearby to Fernworthy reservoir. It was discovered beneath a burial mound in 1879 and excavated by William Pengelly, but was ransacked before his investigation was completed. Sadly, all that was left afterwards was some fragments of pottery and flint tools. Following the excavation, the landowner donated the cist to the Torquay Museum, who then loaned it to the Dartmoor National Park Authority.
Our Conservation Volunteers are a friendly team and we are always looking for new members. If you are interested in making a difference for your community, while working outdoors with a group of like-minded people, then we’d love to meet you. Tools and equipment are all provided, plus we have a small amount of waterproof gear to lend out if needed. Work is always flexible and can be tailored to suit the abilities of each person. Get in touch via info@dartmoorpreservation.co.uk or find out more on our website.
Image: Val Barns