BISHOPS WALTHAM PALACE

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The remains of Bishop's Waltham Palace, constructed in the 12th century. The earliest surviving buildings date to the episcopate of Henry of Blois (1129-1171). These include the kitchen, hall, tower and chamber, and the chapel crypt. Excavations have revealed evidence of a smaller stone building underlying the hall and great chamber. This may be the castle built by Henry of Blois at Waltham and slighted (partially demolished to render it indefensible) in 1155-6. The kitchen and brewhouse were rebuilt in 1252 and extra chambers were added in 1339/1340. The palace was rebuilt by Bishop William of Wykeham from 1378 until 1404. Wykeham was succeeded by Henry Beaufort (1404-47) who added a new storey to the west tower in 1406. A new chapel was built between 1416 and 1427 and in 1438-43 a new gatehouse and the major range of buildings on the north side of the inner court were constructed. Bishop Langton (1493-1501) subsequently refaced many of the timber framed buildings and rebuilt the gatehouse into the wall of the inner court.

The palace was used as an active residence until the English Civil War. It was considerably damaged after the royalist garrison surrendered. After the Restoration in 1660 some buildings were used for agricultural purposes while others were used as a source for building materials. The ruined palace is now under the guardianship of English Heritage.

The palace buildings are arranged around a single large courtyard defined by a moat. The lodgings, the majority of which survive below ground only, were ranged along the inner edge of the northern side of the moat, with the bakehouse and brewhouse along the most northerly part of the eastern arm of the moat. To the south of these lie the chapel and crypt, which occupy the southern part of the inner court and extend alongside the western arm of the moat. The southern buildings include the bishop's great chamber, the west tower, cloisters and the hall with, to its north, the service rooms and kitchen.

DETAIL

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MORE INFORMATION & SOURCES

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(SU 55201735) Palace (remains of) [NAT] (1)

The Bishop's Palace, first built on the site of a cemetery
c1135 by Bishop Henry of Blois, appears to have been
reconstructed c1160-80. Various alterations were carried out
until the 15C when extensive rebuilding took place. Occupied
until the early 17c, it was then damaged in the Civil War and
allowed to fall into ruin. Fragments of a moat remain. (2)

Plan with brief history and description. (3)

Excavations by Portsmouth City Museum adjacent to the mill-pond revealed a stable, a Tudor malt-house and a barn overlying a
large Medieval centre post barn. These are on top of late Saxon timber structures. (4)

Area centred SU 552 175. (5)

The main Palace complex is as described.
Published 1:2500 revised.
Nothing remains above ground of the structures revealed by the 1967 excavations. (6)

Bishops' Palace (NR) remains of (7)

The ruins of the Bishops of Winchester's Palace. Grade I. (8)

Scheduled No. 99. (9)

This source is a full report of the excavations carried out between 1967 and 1978. The findings include a mesolithic working site, late Saxon hall and C 11 - C 12 settlement. (10)

This source includes discussions on the economy of the Bishop Waltham's fishponds. (11)

This source includes discussions on the rooftiles and their sources. (12)

The Palace was probably originally built as a castle, first mentioned in 1138, and dismantled in 1156. (13)

Bishop's Waltham Palace, a magnate's residence, was constructed in the 12th century and in use until its ruin in the Civil War.
The buildings of the palace are arranged within an inner court, a rectangular area defined by a moat. The buildings of the inner court are arranged around a single large courtyard, entered through a gatehouse on the causeway in the north west corner of the moat. Ranged along the inner edge of the northern side of the
moat were the lodgings. The bakehouse and brewhouse lie along the most northerly part of the eastern arm of the moat. To the south of these lie the chapel and crypt, the most easterly elements of the complex of buildings which occupies the southern part of the inner court and extends alongside the western arm of the moat. The southern buildings include the bishop's great chamber, the west tower, cloisters and the hall with, to its north, the service rooms and
kitchen.

Beyond the inner court, to the south and east, lies the Lord's Garden, an area of park or garden enclosed by a brick wall which incorporates corner turrets on its south west and north east angles.
To the west of the Inner Court and Lord's Garden lie the remains of the fishponds.

The first evidence of an Episcopal residence dates to the 12th century. The earliest surviving buildings, which provide the core of the kitchen, hall, tower and chamber, together with the chapel crypt, date to the episcopate of Henry of Blois (1129-1171), the nephew of Henry I. Excavation has produced evidence of a smaller stone building underlying the hall and great chamber. This may be the earlier castle built by Henry of Blois at Waltham and slighted in 1155-6 after the accession of Henry II. The kitchen and brewhouse were rebuilt in 1252 and extra chambers were added in 1339 and 1340.

In the late 14th century the palace was transformed by the rebuilding begun in 1378 by Bishop William of Wykeham and carried on almost until his death in 1404. There was a second phase of rebuilding between 1387 and 1393. A new pantry, buttery and serving place
were then built together with a chamber above them. The kitchen was heightened and enlarged and a new larder was added. The third stage of reconstruction in 1394-6 involved the rebuilding of the lord's great chamber to the east of the tower, together with remodelling and rebuilding on the tower itself. In 1401 major alterations were carried out in the inner court.

Bishop Wykeham was succeeded by Henry Beaufort (1404-1447) who, in 1406, added a new storey to the west tower in which lay his private accommodation. Work was underway on a new chapel in 1416 but was not completed until 1427. Beaufort's last major programme of work was in 1438-1443 when a new gatehouse and the major range of buildings on the north side of the inner court were constructed.

Subsequent works by Bishop Langton (1493-1501) involved facing many timber framed buildings, including Beaufort's range of lodgings, with brick. He also rebuilt the gatehouse into the wall of the inner court and may also have been responsible for the construction of the wall with turrets which encloses the Lord's Garden.

The palace was maintained as an active residence until the English Civil War when considerable destruction was caused after the surrender of its royalist garrison. After the Restoration in 1660 some buildings were used for agricultural purposes while others acted as quarries for building materials. (14)

A detailed description of the palace can be accessed in these two sources. (15-16)

Antiquity Models. (17-18)

A palace used by Bishops and senior clergy of Winchester as they travelled through their diocese. Winchester was the richest diocese in England and this is reflected in the buildings of Bishops Waltham palace. Much of the structure visible today was built by Bishop William Wykeham who was bishop from 1367. (19)

SOURCE TEXT

( 1) Ordnance Survey Map (Scale / Date)

OS 6" 1962

( 2) by Nikolaus Pevsner and David Lloyd 1967 Hampshire and the Isle of Wight

The buildings of England Page(s)105-108

( 3) General reference

Ministry of Public Buildings Works pamplet 1966

( 4) General reference

MOW Etc 1967 (K J Barton)

( 5) Oral information, correspondence (not archived) or staff comments

( 6) Field Investigators Comments

F1 CFW 29-SEP-68

( 7) Ordnance Survey Map (Scale / Date)

OS 25" 1971

( 8) List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest

Droxford Rural District 1960 Page(s)10-11

( 9) by Department of the Environment, Ancient Monuments and Historic Buildings London 1978 List of ancient monuments in England: Volume 1, Northern England; Volume 2, Southern England; Volume 3, East Anglia and the Midlands

2 Page(s)102

(10) Proceedings of the Hampshire Field Club and Archaeological Society

41 (1985) Page(s)81-126

(11) Proceedings of the Hampshire Field Club and Archaeological Society

42 (1986) Page(s)125-138

(12) Hampshire Field Club and Archaeological Society newsletter

7 (1987) Page(s)19-20

(13) by David J Cathcart King 1983 Castellarium anglicanum : an index and bibliography of the castles in England, Wales and the islands. Volume I : Anglesey - Montgomery

Page(s)188

(14) Scheduled Monument Notification

29-OCT-1997

(15) By J N Hare Bishop's Waltham Palace, Hampshire: William of Wykeham, Henry Beaufort and the transformation of a Medieval episcopal palace

The archaeological journalvol 1 (1844)- Vol 145 Page(s)222-254

(16) by J N Hare 1987 Bishop's Waltham Palace, Hampshire [official guide to palace of 12th century and later]

(17) SU 51 NE 1 (Bishops Waltham Palace) (1968)

(18) SU 51 NE 1 and LINEAR 245 (RR 420) (SU 5415) (1968)

(19) 2009 English Heritage Visitor Handbook 2009/10

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