THE Bishop’s Palace in Wells has announced that the entire site is now closed to visitors.

The closure applied from Tuesday, March 14, in response to the Prime Minister’s instructions about staying at home to prevent the spread of Coronavirus and would apply 'for the foreseeable future', the Palace said.

Chief executive, Rosie Martin, said: “The Bishop’s Palace is closed to help reduce the spread of Covid19. We are doing the best we can to support our NHS and are working from home.

"Please stay at home and keep in touch with us and the rest of the community by social media and phone”.

Head gardener, James Cross, lives in an apartment on site and will do his best to maintain the much loved gardens during this time, so that as soon as it is safe, the gardens can be enjoyed by the public again.

For those wanting to see something uplifting, it is hoped that the Palace Swan Cam will go live shortly on the Palace website to allow people to watch the swan nest - which currently has five eggs - from their own homes.

But for now, the famous drawbridge gates are closed.