Swans of Wells 2012
The Bishop's Palace was delighted to be offical partner of Swans of Wells, a major public event that took place in Wells over the summer.
A giant flock of sixty one, decorated swan sculptures were on display in public locations in and around Wells from July until September as part of a free contemporary public art event to celebrate England’s smallest city and to commemorate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.
The fibreglass swan sculptures were sponsored by local and regional businesses, organisations and community groups and transformed into stunning works of art by a team of talented artists and craftspeople.
Swansong Preview Auction Weekend
Over 5,000 people flocked across the drawbridge on the 15 and 16 September to enjoy the spectacular sight of all 61 giant, decorated swans dotted around the beautiful gardens.
"The feedback from the Swansong event was wonderful, we even had local residents tell us they had not visited the gardens before and who, in their own words: “couldn’t believe what I have been missing” and were planning a return visit very soon" says Sarah Moore, Visitor Services Manager.
We've enjoyed working in partnership with Swans of Wells and helping to put Wells and the Palace on the map - we hope you all had a lot of fun in the process too!
The Swansong weekend in pictures: 'Like' your favourite swan or tag yourself in our photo album of the weekend.
Swansong Auction Evening success
Martin Roberts from BBC's Homes Under the Hammer hosted the Swans of Wells Charity Auction evening event on Saturday 29 September when all 61 swans were sold.
An incredible £111k was raised for local charities on the evening and a record bid was achieved for our very own sponsored swan, Guinevere designed by artist Ian Marlow ARBS.
Guinevere achieved the highest bid of the evening and sold for £9000 in an exciting and tense bidding war led by local residents and supporters who have been campaigning to keep Guinevere on the moat.
We hope lots of visitors flock to see her still, as well as have the chance to see our resident swans who inspired this entire event.
How it all began one chilly February morning...
The Mayor of Wells, Danny Unwin initiated the event said “Having seen the success of the Lions of Bath and the Gorillas in Bristol, it seemed a wonderful opportunity to put Wells on the map and enhance everyone’s experience of our historic city, offering new perspectives and memorable photographic moments for residents and visitors alike. We chose the swan because it is a beautiful creature and mirrors our real life resident swans which have been gracing the moat at The Bishop’s Palace for hundreds of years.”
Sarah Moore, Visitor Services Manager at The Bishop’s Palace added “We are incredibly excited to be partner of the Swans of Wells 2012. Our world famous resident swans who have, since 1807, rung a bell alongside the Gatehouse when they want to be fed, will be getting a lot more attention this year! We’ve even built two new swan viewing platforms so everyone can enjoy watching them more easily as they go about ticking all the swans off on the map.”
Swans of Wells organiser, Megan Witty said “Wells is already known for its stunning cathedral and magnificent Bishop’s Palace and the “Swans of Wells 2012” public art trail will encourage flocks of visitors from far and wide to explore the stunning, medieval city and its surrounding Somerset countryside, making England's smallest city a must-see destination this summer".