Wolvesey Castle
Old Bishop's Palace
History
Wolvesey Castle, also known as the Old Bishop's Palace, was the residence of the Bishops of Winchester and played an important role in England's ecclesiastical and political history.
The site is an eyot, or tiny island, in the River Itchen, and buildings stood here in Roman times. Bishop Æthelwold of Winchester built the first palace here around 970, beginning Wolvesey's role as the bishop's official residence. The first palace was made of wood and included a hall, residential quarters, and a chapel. It stood north of the later stone buildings, and nothing of it survives above ground. Around 1110, William Giffard, the second Norman Bishop of Winchester, built a new stone hall, the West Hall, within the palace. It was raised on an upper floor and served as private chambers and hosted royal guests.
A wall built by Henry of Blois after 1141, beside Wymond's Tower.
Giffard's successor was Henry of Blois, King Stephen's brother. He created most of the surviving castle and added a piped water supply, which archaeologists found in the late 1960s to be one of the earliest examples in a medieval building in England. He also added the East Hall, kitchens, a chapel, and ranges, and fortified the palace with two large towers. By 1170, the castle complex was arranged around an inner courtyard and surrounded by a moat.
During the Anarchy, Henry briefly supported Empress Matilda, Stephen's rival for the crown, but then returned to his brother's cause. In 1141, during the Rout of Winchester, Matilda took Winchester Castle and the city, but Wolvesey Castle held out for three weeks until Stephen's wife, Queen Matilda, relieved it. Afterward, Henry of Blois added a curtain wall, towers, stables, and gatehouses. These changes gave the palace defensive features and converted it from a palace to a castle, though it remained a residence.
Looking across the foundations of the palace.
During the First Barons' War, Louis of France besieged Wolvesey Castle in June 1216. Oliver FitzRegis, an illegitimate son of King John of England, defended the castle.
Later bishops, including William of Wykeham and Cardinal Beaufort, made improvements to the palace. In 1403, Wolvesey Castle hosted the wedding feast of Henry IV and Joan of Navarre. In late June and early July 1415, Henry V lodged at Wolvesey and received a French embassy led by Guillaume Boisratier, Archbishop of Bourges, in the last major diplomatic exchanges before his invasion of France and the Battle of Agincourt.
A round-arched doorway.
On July 25th, 1554, the castle hosted the wedding breakfast of Queen Mary I and Philip of Spain, later King Philip II, in the East Hall. They were married in nearby Winchester Cathedral.
During the English Civil War, Parliamentarian forces destroyed Wolvesey Castle in 1646. By then, Bishop George Morley was building a new palace beside it, completed in 1684, and the medieval palace was abandoned. Morley's baroque palace was largely demolished in 1786, leaving its west wing, which survives as Wolvesey Palace beside the ruins. Today, English Heritage manages the site.
Castle Highlights
Wolvesey Castle often gets overlooked as a tourist destination, as Winchester also has Winchester Castle and Winchester Cathedral. Even so, it is worth a visit, and substantial ruins remain, mostly from the time of Henry of Blois.
The chapel of Wolvesey Palace beyond the ruins.
You can see large portions of the curtain wall, parts of the East Hall, and some towers and gatehouses, including Wymond's Tower and Woodman's Gate. East of the East Hall stands a square, roofless building that looks from the outside like a great tower or keep. Its walls are actually thin, and it was always intended as the Great Kitchen. Bishop Henry probably built it between 1141 and 1154, using stone from the recently demolished royal palace of Winchester, which once stood next to the cathedral. Inside, the foundations of many other buildings give a sense of the castle's layout and scale.
You can explore Wolvesey Castle in 1 or 2 hours. It is in the city of Winchester, not far from Winchester Cathedral. To make a full day of medieval history, I suggest spending the whole day in Winchester, starting with the Great Hall of Winchester Castle. Then walk down High Street, where one of the medieval towers from the old city wall remains, before visiting Winchester Cathedral and then Wolvesey Castle.
