Somerset
( en, All The People of Somerset)
, locator_map =
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, region = South West England
, established_date = Ancient
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, preceded_by =
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, lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset
, lord_ ...
, England, is an entrance gateway into a walled precinct, the Liberty of St Andrew, which encloses the twelfth century
Cathedral
A cathedral is a church that contains the '' cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denominatio ...
, the Bishop's Palace, Vicar's Close and the residences of the clergy who serve the cathedral. It has been designated as a Grade I
listed building
In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...
.
The Bishop's Eye was built around 1450, by Bishop
Thomas Beckington
Thomas Beckington (also spelt Beckynton; c. 139014 January 1465) was the Bishop of Bath and Wells and King's Secretary in medieval England under Henry VI.
Life
Beckington was born at Beckington in Somerset, and was educated at Winchester ...
(also spelt Beckyngton), and provides the entrance to the Bishop's Palace. It forms one of a pair with the Penniless Porch which formed the gateway into the cathedral from the market place and is in a similar style.
It is a three-storey building of
Doulting
Doulting is a village and civil parish east of Shepton Mallet, on the A361, in the Mendip district of Somerset, England.
History
The parish of Doulting was part of the Whitstone Hundred.
The parish includes the village of Bodden, which wa ...
ashlar stone, with a copper roof. The timber gates were added in the 18th century. On the front of the structure facing into the market place are a statue niche and
heraldic
Heraldry is a discipline relating to the design, display and study of armorial bearings (known as armory), as well as related disciplines, such as vexillology, together with the study of ceremony, rank and pedigree. Armory, the best-known bran ...
shields carved into the stonework.
It is frequently photographed and has appeared in films such as
Hot Fuzz
''Hot Fuzz'' is a 2007 action comedy film directed by Edgar Wright and written by Wright and Simon Pegg. Starring Pegg, Nick Frost, Timothy Dalton, and Jim Broadbent, the film centres on two police officers investigating a series of mysteriou ...
. It was drawn in 1785 by
Joseph Mallord William Turner
Joseph Mallord William Turner (23 April 177519 December 1851), known in his time as William Turner, was an English Romantic painter, printmaker and watercolourist. He is known for his expressive colouring, imaginative landscapes and turbule ...