Tyntesfield Names

Tynings Walk

1. Leave from the top left hand corner of the car park and turn left. Follow the track until you reach a way-mark post.

1. Turn left down into the wood, an ancient woodland called Truckle Wood. Follow path through the woods until you come out on a wide grass track.

1. Turn right down the track to a small gate on your left. Enter the field called Tynings which is a Somerset word for enclosure, the separation of land from common ground by a fence.

1. Follow the field edge round to your right along the bottom of the field. In May and June this field is full of meadow flowers, especially oxeye daisies. Now follow the mown path up alongside Lime Avenue which was planted in the late 1880s. Up until 2005 this field was intensively farmed and has been returned to pasture land under the Countryside Stewardship Scheme.

1. At the end of the avenue go through gate on right and join tarmac track. Follow this track back to the car park.

Features

Tyntesfield names

Names can provide some interesting historical clues. Tynings has been known as such since the early 1700s. It comes from a Somerset word for enclosure, the separation of land from common ground by a fence. In the 1837 tithe map it is referred to as ‘The Great Tyning’. Fowl Pens is a reminder of the estate’s decline in the 20th century. It refers to the poultry farm established in the 1940s which was one of numerous attempts to boost declining income in the area.

Hidden history, decline and rediscovery

Aerial photographs of Tynings show evidence of medieval open field cultivation and the area was still being farmed in the 19th century. By 1884, the Gibbs family had converted Tynings to parkland, planting clumps and specimen trees, as well as Lime Tree Avenue. However, in the late 20th century it was ploughed up for intensive farming to boost income. Trees were damaged and much of the archaeology was destroyed. The Countryside Stewardship Scheme made it possible to return Tynings to parkland pasturein 2005.

Wildlife

Truckle Wood and Tynings have high biodiversity value influenced by historic management. There are many ancient woodland indicator species here: old coppiced hazels, wood avens, bluebells and many more. In Tynings the hedge is home to the beautiful yellow-hammer bird. Buzzards are often seen riding the thermals overhead or sitting on a fence post. In May and June, Tynings is full of meadow flowers, mostly oxeye daisies, but also bird’s foot trefoil, red campion, cowslip and wild carrot. Look out for small tortoiseshell, red admiral and meadow brown butterflies. You may also spot some of the Lesser and Greater Horseshoe bats that forage beneath the lime trees.