Lydney Park facts for kids
Lydney Park is a historic country estate in Gloucestershire, England. It is located near the town of Lydney in the Forest of Dean. The estate is famous for its beautiful gardens and ancient Roman temple ruins.
Lydney House and Its Gardens
The Lydney Park estate was bought in 1719 by Benjamin Bathurst. His family has owned the estate ever since. The first house was near the main road. It had a large deer park behind it.
In 1875, a new house was built in the middle of the deer park. This new house had amazing views of the River Severn. The old house was taken down, except for some buildings that are now used as a crafts center.
The gardens you see today were mostly created after 1950. The second Viscount Bledisloe and his family worked on them. Betty Fairfax Horsfall also helped redesign many parts. There is a special woodland garden in a quiet valley. It is filled with beautiful plants like magnolias, rhododendrons, and azaleas. There are also formal gardens with paved areas. These gardens are very popular in the spring when the daffodils bloom.
The gardens are private but are open to visitors on certain days. The house also has a museum. It displays items found at the Roman site. There are also artifacts from New Zealand, collected by the first Viscount Bledisloe.
Ancient Roman Discoveries
The area around Lydney Park has a very old British Iron Age fort. It is called Lydney Camp and covers about 4.5 acres. The Romans dug for iron ore here around the 3rd century AD. However, they stopped because the mines were not very productive. You can still see open-pit iron mines, called scowles, and tunnels on the hill.
In the late 4th century, the Romans built a special temple here. It was a Romano-Celtic temple dedicated to Nodens. Nodens was a Celtic god. His name is linked to later figures in Irish and Welsh stories. The name Lydney itself comes from Lludd, another form of Nodens.
Many small dog statues were found at the temple. This shows it was a healing shrine. Dogs were often linked to such places. People believed dogs could help heal wounds by licking them. The temple had an unusual design. It was rectangular, not square like most Roman-Celtic temples. The main part of the temple, called the cella, had three rooms. These were separated by stone walls.
The temple walls were originally arched. But a problem with the rock below caused the temple to collapse. It was then rebuilt with solid walls. A mosaic floor was found with pictures of fish. It also had a message about 'Victorinus the Interpreter'. He might have been someone who explained dreams. Next to the temple were other buildings. These included a large guest house, a long building for sleeping, and fancy baths.
Archaeologists Tessa and Mortimer Wheeler dug at the site in 1928–1929. More digs happened in 1980–1981. They found a collection of fake Roman coins. These were first thought to be from the 5th century. But now, experts believe they are from the 4th century. The report about the digs includes a section written by the famous author J. R. R. Tolkien. He wrote about the name 'Nodens'.
See also
In Spanish: Lydney Park para niños
