Bishop's Court is a large

English country house image:Blenheim - Blenheim Palace - 20210417125239.jpg, 300px, Blenheim Palace - Oxfordshire An English country house is a large house or mansion in the English countryside. Such houses were often owned by individuals who also owned a Townhou ...

and former

Bishop's palace A bishop's palace is a form of ecclesiastical architecture constituting the official residence of a bishop.The term was not used in the British Isles until the Church of England was restructured following the Norman Conquest of 1066 AD. However, th ...

Sowton Sowton is a village and civil parish east of Exeter in East Devon, England. It has a population of 639. Its parish council merged with that of nearby Clyst St Mary in 1976 to form Bishop's Clyst. St Michael's church was rebuilt in 1844–45, ...

Devon Devon ( ; historically also known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel to the north, Somerset and Dorset to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Cornwall to the west ...

, near

Exeter Exeter ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and the county town of Devon in South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol. In Roman Britain, Exeter w ...

. It was built in the

13th century The 13th century was the century which lasted from January 1, 1201 (represented by the Roman numerals MCCI) through December 31, 1300 (MCCC) in accordance with the Julian calendar. The Mongol Empire was founded by Genghis Khan, which stretched ...

and is Grade I listed. It was a palace of the medieval

bishops of Exeter A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

from the 13th century to the 16th century.

Architecture

The building is described by Pevsner as 'intensely Gothic' in style and is largely built of Heavitree stone. The house unwent rebuilding works in 1803, having been purchased by Admiral Lord Graves. It then underwent further remodelling in 1860-4 by William White for the Garratt family, having come into the ownership of John Garratt, former

Lord Mayor of London The Lord Mayor of London is the Mayors in England, mayor of the City of London, England, and the Leader of the council, leader of the City of London Corporation. Within the City, the Lord Mayor is accorded Order of precedence, precedence over a ...

. The chapel contains a

triptych A triptych ( ) is a work of art (usually a panel painting) that is divided into three sections, or three carved panels that are hinged together and can be folded shut or displayed open. It is therefore a type of polyptych, the term for all m ...

by Nathaniel Westlake. The former stables were built in the early 16th century, also of Heavitree stone, and are Grade I listed. The former

tithe barn A tithe barn was a type of barn used in much of northern Europe in the Middle Ages for storing rents and tithes. Farmers were required to give one-tenth of their produce to the established church. Tithe barns were usually associated with the ...

is thought to have been built in the early 14th century and is also Grade I listed.

History

Bishop's Court was acquired by the bishops of Exeter in 1265 and used by them until 1546. In 1549, Bishop John Vesey was induced to grant the Manor of Bishop's Clyst, along with the palace, to

John Russell, 1st Earl of Bedford John Russell, 1st Earl of Bedford ( 1485 – 14 March 1555) was an English royal minister in the Tudor era. He served variously as Lord High Admiral of the United Kingdom, Lord High Admiral and Lord Privy Seal. Among the lands and property he ...

Sir Thomas Fairfax Sir Thomas Fairfax (17 January 1612 – 12 November 1671) was an English army officer and politician who commanded the New Model Army from 1645 to 1650 during the English Civil War. Because of his dark hair, he was known as "Black Tom" to his l ...

used Bishop's Court as a garrison during the blockade of Exeter in 1645. By the 1950s, Bishop's Court was being used as a company headquarters.

References

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Books and journals

Eastlake, C, History of the Gothic Revival, (1970), 108 Eastlake, C, History of the Gothic Revival, (1970), 108 Pevsner, N, The Buildings of England: South Devon, (1952), 82 'Transactions of the Devonshire Association' in Transactions of the Devonshire Association, Vol. 98, (1966), 132-53 'Transactions of the Exeter Diocesan Architectural and Archaeological Society' in Transactions of the Exeter Diocesan Architectural and Archaeological Society, Vol. 4, (1929), 87-96 'Transactions of the Exeter Diocesan Architectural and Archaeological Society' in Transactions of the Exeter Diocesan Architectural and Archaeological Society, Vol. 4, (1929) Grade I listed buildings in Devon Grade I listed houses in Devon Country houses in Devon Historic estates in Devon Episcopal palaces in England Exeter Cathedral Diocese of Exeter English Gothic architecture in Devon

Architecture

History

See also

References

Books and journals