Wells worth a visit!
A £4m plan to open to the public part of the gardens of the Bishop's Palace in Wells has received a lottery boost.
The project includes restoring the 19th Century gardens and converting the undercroft (underground room) into an exhibition space.
A Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) award of £114,500 will be spent developing the scheme for submission for a full grant.
A further £877,500 has been earmarked to support the work from 2009 if the application is successful.
The palace is surrounded by 14 acres of gardens, including the St Andrew's spring which currently cannot be seen by the public.
The Bishop of Bath and Wells, Rt Revd Peter Price, said: "This is an exciting time for the palace.
"The palace has always played a central role in the community, not only of Wells but of the whole diocese and this project will ensure it continues."
It is hoped opening the gardens will boost the Bishop's Palace as one of the region's main tourist attractions.
The HLF grant has been matched by a grant of £1.1m from the Church Commissioners who own the site.
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