Bishop's Palace, Wells
Encyclopedia
The Bishop's Palace, Wells
, Somerset
, England, is adjacent to Wells Cathedral
and has been the home of the Bishops of the Diocese of Bath and Wells
for 800 years.
Part of the buildings are still used as a residence by the current bishop, however much of the palace is now used for public functions.
It has been designated by English Heritage
as a Grade I listed building.
but principally dates from 1230. The north wing (now the Bishop's residence) was added in the 15th century by Bishop Beckington
, with further modifications in the 18th century, and in 1810 by Bishop Beadon
. It was restored, divided, and the upper storey added by Benjamin Ferrey
between 1846 and 1854.
The chapel was built between 1275 and 1292 for Bishop Robert Burnell
.
The gatehouse has a bridge over the moat
and dates from 1341.
Bishop Burnell's Great Hall is now in ruins after a Bishop in the 1550s sold the lead
from the roofs.
The main palace is open to the public, including the chapel and a long gallery. There is a restaurant in the medieval undercroft
.
One of the two surviving Glastonbury chair
s may be seen, together with other early furniture.
There are 14 acres (5.7 ha) of gardens including St. Andrew's Spring from which the city takes its name. The spring supplies St. Andrew's Well from which water flows at a rate of 40 gallons (181.8 l) per second into the moat which holds 4 million impgals (18,184,360 l). The Well House was built in 1451, for Bishop Thomas Beckington.
Much of the existing landscaping on the South Lawn was carried out by Bishop George Henry Law
in the mid-19th century. In the outer garden is an arboretum
, planted in 1977 by Bishop John Bickersteth
to commemorate the Silver Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II
.
The Mute Swan
s in the moat
at the Bishops Palace have for centuries been trained to ring bells
via strings attached to them to beg for food. Two swans which were given to the bishop by Queen Elizabeth II in 2006, are still able to ring for lunch.
Every August bank holiday
the moat is used for the Wells Moat Boat Race, a charity raft race organised by Wells Lions Club
and Air Training Corps
. In 2007, the Bishop entered a raft into the race.
.
Wells
Wells is a cathedral city and civil parish in the Mendip district of Somerset, England, on the southern edge of the Mendip Hills. Although the population recorded in the 2001 census is 10,406, it has had city status since 1205...
, Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
, England, is adjacent to Wells Cathedral
Wells Cathedral
Wells Cathedral is a Church of England cathedral in Wells, Somerset, England. It is the seat of the Bishop of Bath and Wells, who lives at the adjacent Bishop's Palace....
and has been the home of the Bishops of the Diocese of Bath and Wells
Bishop of Bath and Wells
The Bishop of Bath and Wells heads the Church of England Diocese of Bath and Wells in the Province of Canterbury in England.The present diocese covers the vast majority of the county of Somerset and a small area of Dorset. The Episcopal seat is located in the Cathedral Church of Saint Andrew in...
for 800 years.
Part of the buildings are still used as a residence by the current bishop, however much of the palace is now used for public functions.
It has been designated by English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
as a Grade I listed building.
Buildings
The building was begun around 1210 by Bishop Jocelin of WellsJocelin of Wells
Jocelin of Wells, also known as Jocelinus Thoteman or Jocelin Troteman, was a medieval Bishop of Bath and Wells. He was the brother of Hugh de Wells, who became Bishop of Lincoln. Jocelin became a canon of Wells Cathedral before 1200, and was elected bishop in 1206...
but principally dates from 1230. The north wing (now the Bishop's residence) was added in the 15th century by Bishop Beckington
Thomas Beckington
Thomas Beckington was the Bishop of Bath and Wells and King's Secretary in medieval England.-Life:...
, with further modifications in the 18th century, and in 1810 by Bishop Beadon
Richard Beadon
Richard Beadon DD was Master of Jesus College, Cambridge 1781–1789 and later Vice-Chancellor of the University, Bishop of Gloucester and Bishop of Bath and Wells.-Life:...
. It was restored, divided, and the upper storey added by Benjamin Ferrey
Benjamin Ferrey
Benjamin Ferrey, F.S.A., F.R.I.B.A. was an English architect who worked mostly in the Gothic Revival.-Family:Benjamin Ferrey was the youngest son of Benjamin Ferrey Snr, a draper who became Mayor of Christchurch. He was educated at Wimborne Grammar School....
between 1846 and 1854.
Robert Burnell
Robert Burnell was an English bishop who served as Lord Chancellor of England from 1274 to 1292. A native of Shropshire, he served as a minor royal official before entering into the service of Prince Edward, the future King Edward I of England...
.
The gatehouse has a bridge over the moat
Moat
A moat is a deep, broad ditch, either dry or filled with water, that surrounds a castle, other building or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. In some places moats evolved into more extensive water defences, including natural or artificial lakes, dams and sluices...
and dates from 1341.
Bishop Burnell's Great Hall is now in ruins after a Bishop in the 1550s sold the lead
Lead
Lead is a main-group element in the carbon group with the symbol Pb and atomic number 82. Lead is a soft, malleable poor metal. It is also counted as one of the heavy metals. Metallic lead has a bluish-white color after being freshly cut, but it soon tarnishes to a dull grayish color when exposed...
from the roofs.
The main palace is open to the public, including the chapel and a long gallery. There is a restaurant in the medieval undercroft
Undercroft
An undercroft is traditionally a cellar or storage room, often brick-lined and vaulted, and used for storage in buildings since medieval times. In modern usage, an undercroft is generally a ground area which is relatively open to the sides, but covered by the building above.- History :While some...
.
One of the two surviving Glastonbury chair
Glastonbury chair
Glastonbury chair is a 19th century term for an earlier wooden chair, usually of oak, possibly based on a chair made for Richard Whiting, the last Abbot of Glastonbury, England...
s may be seen, together with other early furniture.
Gardens
Much of the existing landscaping on the South Lawn was carried out by Bishop George Henry Law
George Henry Law
George Henry Law was the Bishop of Chester and then, from 1824, Bishop of Bath and Wells. He was the son of Edmund Law, Bishop of Carlisle....
in the mid-19th century. In the outer garden is an arboretum
Arboretum
An arboretum in a narrow sense is a collection of trees only. Related collections include a fruticetum , and a viticetum, a collection of vines. More commonly, today, an arboretum is a botanical garden containing living collections of woody plants intended at least partly for scientific study...
, planted in 1977 by Bishop John Bickersteth
John Bickersteth
John Monier Bickersteth KCVO was Bishop of Bath and Wells from 1975 to 1987, and Clerk of the Closet from 1979-1989. Educated at Rugby School and Christ Church, Oxford he was ordained in 1951 and began his career with a Curacy at St Matthew Moorfield's Bristol...
to commemorate the Silver Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...
.
The Mute Swan
Mute Swan
The Mute Swan is a species of swan, and thus a member of the duck, goose and swan family Anatidae. It is native to much of Europe and Asia, and the far north of Africa. It is also an introduced species in North America, Australasia and southern Africa. The name 'mute' derives from it being less...
s in the moat
Moat
A moat is a deep, broad ditch, either dry or filled with water, that surrounds a castle, other building or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. In some places moats evolved into more extensive water defences, including natural or artificial lakes, dams and sluices...
at the Bishops Palace have for centuries been trained to ring bells
Bell (instrument)
A bell is a simple sound-making device. The bell is a percussion instrument and an idiophone. Its form is usually a hollow, cup-shaped object, which resonates upon being struck...
via strings attached to them to beg for food. Two swans which were given to the bishop by Queen Elizabeth II in 2006, are still able to ring for lunch.
Every August bank holiday
Bank Holiday
A bank holiday is a public holiday in the United Kingdom or a colloquialism for public holiday in Ireland. There is no automatic right to time off on these days, although the majority of the population is granted time off work or extra pay for working on these days, depending on their contract...
the moat is used for the Wells Moat Boat Race, a charity raft race organised by Wells Lions Club
Lions Clubs International
Lions Clubs International is a secular service organization with over 44,500 clubs and more than 1,368,683 members in 191 countries around the world founded by Melvin Jones Headquartered in Oak Brook, Illinois, United States, the organization aims to meet the needs of communities on a local and...
and Air Training Corps
Air Training Corps
The Air Training Corps , commonly known as the Air Cadets, is a cadet organisation based in the United Kingdom. It is a voluntary youth group which is part of the Air Cadet Organisation and the Royal Air Force . It is supported by the Ministry of Defence, with a regular RAF Officer, currently Air...
. In 2007, the Bishop entered a raft into the race.
In the media
The palace was used as a location for some of the scenes in the 2007 British comedy Hot FuzzHot Fuzz
Hot Fuzz is a 2007 British action dark comedy film written by Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright, and starring Pegg and Nick Frost. The three had previously worked together on the 2004 film Shaun of the Dead as well as the television series Spaced...
.
