Wolvesey Castle, also known as the "Old Bishop's Palace", is a ruined building in Winchester,

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English cities on its south coast, Southampton and Portsmouth, Hampshire ...

, England that was a bishop's palace, and was briefly fortified during the later years of Henry of Blois, the Bishop of Winchester.

History

The first building on the site, an

eyot An ait (, like ''eight'') or eyot () is a small island. It is especially used to refer to river islands found on the River Thames and its tributaries in England. Aits are typically formed by the deposit of sediment in the water, which accumu ...

in the River Itchen known as ''Wulveseye'' or Wulf's island, was constructed around 970 by

Æthelwold of Winchester Æthelwold of Winchester (also Aethelwold and Ethelwold, 904/9 – 984) was Bishop of Winchester from 963 to 984 and one of the leaders of the tenth-century monastic reform movement in Anglo-Saxon England. Monastic life had declined to ...

, the Bishop of Winchester from 963 to 984, as his official residence or palace. Winchester came under siege during the

Rout of Winchester In the Rout of Winchester (14 September 1141) the army of imprisoned King Stephen of England, led by his wife, Queen Matilda of Boulogne, Stephen's brother Bishop Henry of Blois, and William of Ypres, faced the army of Stephen's cousin Empress M ...

in 1141 by the Empress Matilda during the period of civil war known as The Anarchy, and held out for three weeks until relieved by Stephen's wife,

Matilda Matilda or Mathilda may refer to: Animals * Matilda (chicken) (1990–2006), World's Oldest Living Chicken record holder * Matilda (horse) (1824–1846), British Thoroughbred racehorse * Matilda, a dog of the professional wrestling tag-team The ...

. Subsequently Henry, the brother of

Stephen, King of England Stephen (1092 or 1096 – 25 October 1154), often referred to as Stephen of Blois, was King of England from 22 December 1135 to his death in 1154. He was Count of Boulogne ''jure uxoris'' from 1125 until 1147 and Duke of Normandy from 1135 unti ...

, enlarged and fortified the palace by building a curtain wall, giving the palace the appearance of a castle. The fortifications were

slighted Slighting is the deliberate damage of high-status buildings to reduce their value as military, administrative or social structures. This destruction of property sometimes extended to the contents of buildings and the surrounding landscape. It is ...

by Henry II after the death of Henry in 1171. In June 1216,

Oliver fitz Regis Oliver fitz Regis or Oliver Fitzroy (died 1218/1219) was an illegitimate son of John, King of England. Oliver's mother was Hawise (Hadwisa), a sister of Fulk FitzWarin. He was probably born before John became king in 1199. Oliver fought for his ...

defended the castle when it was besieged by Prince Louis of France during the

First Barons' War The First Barons' War (1215–1217) was a civil war in the Kingdom of England in which a group of rebellious major landowners (commonly referred to as barons) led by Robert Fitzwalter waged war against King John of England. The conflict resulte ...

. Catherine Hanley, ''Louis: The French Prince Who Invaded England'' (Yale University Press, 2016), p. 103. The palace was the location of the

wedding breakfast A wedding breakfast is a feast given to the newlyweds and guests after the wedding, making it equivalent to a wedding reception that serves a meal. The phrase is still used in British English. Nowadays the wedding breakfast is not normally a m ...

in 1554 of Queen Mary and Philip II of Spain. It was destroyed by the

Roundheads Roundheads were the supporters of the Parliament of England during the English Civil War (1642–1651). Also known as Parliamentarians, they fought against King Charles I of England and his supporters, known as the Cavaliers or Royalists, who ...

during the

English Civil War The English Civil War (1642–1651) was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Parliamentarians (" Roundheads") and Royalists led by Charles I ("Cavaliers"), mainly over the manner of England's governance and issues of re ...

in 1646. The ruins are located next to the existing bishop's palace, near to

Winchester Cathedral The Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity,Historic England. "Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity (1095509)". ''National Heritage List for England''. Retrieved 8 September 2014. Saint Peter, Saint Paul and Saint Swithun, commonly known as Winches ...

, and are currently owned and maintained by

English Heritage English Heritage (officially the English Heritage Trust) is a charity that manages over 400 historic monuments, buildings and places. These include prehistoric sites, medieval castles, Roman forts and country houses. The charity states that i ...

Palace

The original palace on the site was built around 970 by

on a piece of land known as ''Wulveseye'' or Wulf's island, an

in the River Itchen east of the cathedral. About 1110, the second Norman bishop,

William Giffard William Giffard (died 23 January 1129),Franklin "Giffard, William" ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' was the Lord Chancellor of England of William II and Henry I, from 1093 to 1101,Fryde, et al. ''Handbook of British Chronology'' p. 8 ...

, constructed a new hall to the south west. His successor, Henry of Blois, brother of King Stephen added a second hall to the west between 1135 and 1138. A new palace in the baroque style was built to the south by Thomas Finch for

George Morley George Morley, 27 February 1598 to 29 October 1684, was a senior member of the Church of England from London, who served as Bishop of Worcester from 1660 to 1662, and of Winchester from 1662 to 1684. Early life Morley was born in London, Eng ...

in 1684. However,

Brownlow North Brownlow North (17 July 1741 – 12 July 1820) was a bishop of the Church of England. Early life, family and education Brownlow was born on 17 July 1741 in Chelsea, London, Chelsea, Middlesex, Great Britain, the only son of Francis North, 1st ...

demolished all but the west wing of this palace in 1786. After a variety of different uses the remaining part was refurbished for use once again as the bishop's residence in 1926 by

Theodore Woods Frank Theodore Woods (15 January 187427 February 1932) was a Church of England bishop. He was the Bishop of Peterborough from 1916 to 1923 before being translated to the See of Winchester, where he remained until his death. Family and education ...

Fortifications

The palace was the scene for the

during the period of civil war known as The Anarchy in 1141. The Empress Matilda and Bishop Henry fought for possession of Winchester. The besieged defenders of Wolvesey burnt with fireballs many of the houses of the city, and most of the old town of Winchester was destroyed. Empress Matilda's forces were held off for three weeks (August - September, 1141) until Stephen's wife,

, arrived with reinforcements from London.Charles W.C. Oman, ''Castles: An illustrated guide to 80 castles of England and Wales'', Beekman House, 1978 Printing, After the siege, Henry fortified the palace by linking the two Norman halls with a curtain wall which would have finally obliterated any remaining parts of the Anglo-Saxon palace, and gave the place the appearance of a castle. Henry II is said to have

the palace after the death of Bishop Henry in 1171. This did not include the destruction of the residential quarters as many later occupants of the

see of Winchester The Diocese of Winchester forms part of the Province of Canterbury of the Church of England. Founded in 676, it is one of the older dioceses in England. It once covered Wessex, many times its present size which is today most of the historic enla ...

dwelled there in high state. But the gate and portcullis were likely removed and some breaches made in the curtain . It was once a very important building, and was the location on 25 July 1554 of the wedding breakfast of Queen Mary and Philip II of Spain. The palace was destroyed by

during the

in 1646. The chapel is the only considerable remnant of the south range of the palace, and is still in use, being attached to the palace. The castle was in close proximity to

Winchester city walls Winchester city walls are a series of defensive walls in central Winchester, originally built during the Roman settlement of southern Britain, in what was then the settlement of Venta Belgarum. The area surrounding Winchester had been populated ...

, parts of which still exist today

Current ownership

The extensive surviving ruins are currently owned and maintained by

. The ruins have had Grade I listed status since 24 March 1950. A fair amount of the curtain wall remains, but nearly all the inner arrangements are gone, though it is possible to make out the hall, in which there is a good round arch and one surviving

Norman Norman or Normans may refer to: Ethnic and cultural identity * The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 10th and 11th centuries ** People or things connected with the Norm ...

window.

References

{{Reflist, refs= {{cite book , title=Three Palaces of the Bishops of Winchester , publisher=English Heritage , year=2000 , editor=Lorimer Poultney , editor-link=Lorimer Poultney {{cite web , url=https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/wolvesey-castle-old-bishops-palace/ , title=Wolvesey Castle (Old Bishop's Palace) , publisher=English Heritage , access-date=2013-10-16 {{NHLE, num=1095511, access-date=16 October 2013 {{NHLE, num=1095510, access-date=16 October 2013 Castles in Hampshire English Heritage sites in Hampshire Episcopal palaces of the bishops of Winchester History of Winchester Tourist attractions in Hampshire Grade I listed buildings in Hampshire Ruins in Hampshire Ruined castles in England

History

Palace

Fortifications

Current ownership

See also

References