Working at The Bishop’s Palace and Gardens
The Bishop’s Palace and Gardens is an incredible building that has been around for over 800 years. Home to the Bishops of Bath & Wells, the site and buildings are owned by the Church Commissioners and operated by The Palace Trust, a registered charity which manages the site as a heritage visitor attraction welcoming over 145,000 visitors a year.
Surrounded by a breath-taking moat, drawbridge, and iconic gatehouse you couldn’t ask for a more beautiful and inspirational place to work.
For our Job Applicant Privacy Notice, see here.
Cleaner
Part time, flexible hours – between 4 – 20 hrs per week
£12.60 per hour
The Bishop’s Palace & Gardens in Wells is recruiting for an cleaner to join our Property Team.
The Role:
You will join the Property Team who look after the site and will be responsible for ensuring that the public areas of The Bishop’s Palace are clean and welcoming to the public.
Key tasks will include:
Clean, sanitise and restock toilets/restroom
Sweeping, vacuuming, mopping in the Palace building, offices and meeting rooms
Cleaning, dusting, polishing and waste removal across public areas and offices
Notify Property Manager of deficiencies or repairs required
Carrying out / assisting with Deep cleans as per cleaning schedule
Who are we looking for:
Ideally we are looking for someone with some experience working as a commercial/office cleaner
Good interpersonal and communication skills
High level of attention-to-detail and take pride in your work
Good organisational abilities and use your initiative
Ability to work unsupervised and deliver quality work
Positive and approachable manner
We are happy to discuss hours which could be between 4 – 20 hours per week. Hours would be worked over 2 – 5 days per week, averaging 2 – 3 hours per day. Hours to be worked either before 10am or after 4pm.
How to Apply
Send your CV along with a Covering letter to [email protected].
Applications will not be considered without a cover letter.
Full details of the role can be found: Cleaner
Applications should be received before 31 July. Applications will be considered as they are received and shortlisted applicants invited to interview. If this role is of interest please do send your application as soon as possible.
Anticipated start date – August 2025
We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible.
Chef
Full or Part time contracts available to included weekend days
Salary: from £27,000 per annum (based on 40 hours pw) depending on experience and qualifications
The Role:
We’re looking for a Chef who can work within a small kitchen team to produce exceptional food cooked to order. For the right candidates this could be either on a full or part time basis – offering the perfect work/life balance. We work on straight shifts and could accommodate hours around school times if necessary.
The Bishop’s Table offers breakfast, brunch and lunch in the busy café. The team work day shifts, generally 8am until 4.30pm. The café is open from 9.30am until 5.30pm daily. Some occasional evening if a special event is taking place. Our Kitchen team are responsible for creating menus, ordering and all health, safety and hygiene to ensure an efficient smooth-running kitchen. We are open year-round and part of a busy, historic visitor attraction so welcome both tourists and regular local customers.
Who are we looking for:
We’re looking for Chef with at least 3 years’ experience in a busy kitchen producing fresh food to order. This could be a great environment to develop your career. Or perhaps you are looking to change your work /life balance and come to an exciting catering environment which has daytime shifts. You must be a team player, be enthusiastic about creating and producing seasonal menus, be willing to learn and share learning. It is key time in the café’s development to join and to help influence the future catering offering. As a small team there may be times when you may be asked to assist in other areas.
Qualifications:
Ideally our Chef would have NVQ L1 or 2 or City and Guilds 7061/7062.
At least 3 years’ experience as a chef
Excellent communication skills and ability to place orders and maintain kitchen paperwork
Ability to work under pressure as part of team and use their own initiative.
How to Apply
Send your CV along with a Covering letter to [email protected].
Applications will not be considered without a cover letter.
You can view the full job description and person specification: Chef
Applications will be reviewed on receipt and interviews will be arranged as suitable applications are received.
Anticipated start date: June 2025
We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible.
Casual/Bank Chef
Casual Hours – kitchen over during holidays or additional support for events
Pay depending on experience – per hour
The Role:
We are looking to add some casual cover/ bank Chefs to join our small kitchen team. The Chefs we are looking for would work on an ‘as and when Basis’ and work as part of the kitchen team to produce exceptional food cooked to order. This would be perfect for a Chef who is looking to share their knowledge and experience with a new generation, whilst helping out and benefiting a charity at the heart of Wells.
This role offers the best work/life balance as hours will be on a casual basis. Rotas are planned in advance so you will have notice of workdays. We are looking for several chefs who are happy to be called upon and added to the rota to cover holidays, sickness, days off or to add additional support during high season or events.
The Bishop’s Table offers breakfast, brunch and lunch in the busy café. The team work day shifts, generally 8am until 4.30pm. The café is open from 9.30am until 5.30pm daily with occasional evenings for special events. Our Kitchen team are responsible for creating menus, ordering and all health, safety and hygiene to ensure an efficient smooth-running kitchen. We are open year-round and part of a busy, historic visitor attraction so welcome both tourists and regular local customers.
Who are we looking for:
We’re looking for Chef with at least 3 years’ experience in a busy kitchen producing fresh food to order.
This might be working 1 or 2 shifts per month or covering one of the chefs’ holidays so could be 8 days out of 14. Shifts could be a full day, or additional cover for a summer lunch time.
You must be a team player, be enthusiastic about creating and producing seasonal menus, be willing to learn and share learning.
Qualifications / Skills:
Ideally our Chef would have NVQ L1 or 2 or City and Guilds 7061/7062.
At least 3 years’ experience as a chef in a fast-paced kitchen
Willing to share skills and experience
Excellent communication skills and ability to place orders and maintain kitchen paperwork.
How to Apply
Please send a CV along with a Cover letter to [email protected]
Full details of the role can be found: Bank / Casual Chef
Applications will be considered as received and shortlisted applicants invited to interview.
Employee Benefits
You will be working for an independent charity whose main aim is to share, preserve and protect the 800-year Bishop’s Palace, with its medieval buildings, moat and spectacular gardens. We reinvest in the team and the site and work with local community groups and organisations as part of our community engagement.
- We are a real living wage and a Disability Confident employer.
- We provide an induction and training plan for each employee from day one.
- 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays
- Wellbeing support and access to the organisational Employee Assistance Programme
- Positive working environment
- Staff social events
- Free admission for yourself and a guest ticket
- Free event tickets and staff discounts
- Opportunity to join the Palace Trust Pension scheme (min of 12% basic pay contribution)
- Opportunity to support the local community through volunteer days
