The Bishop's Palace is the

residence A residence is a place (normally a building) used as a home or dwelling, where people reside. Residence or The Residence may also refer to: * Domicile (law) In law and conflict of laws, domicile is relevant to an individual's "personal l ...

of the

Bishop of Exeter The Bishop of Exeter is the Ordinary (officer), ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Exeter in the Province of Canterbury. The current bishop is Mike Harrison (bishop), Mike Harrison, since 2024. From the first bishop until the sixteent ...

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 ...

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 ...

. It is a Grade I Listed building.

History

The Bishop's Palace was originally built under

William Briwere William Briwere (died 1244) was a medieval Bishop of Exeter. Early life Briwere was the nephew of William Brewer, a baron and political leader during King Henry III of England's minority.Vincent ''Peter des Roches'' p. 213 Nothing else is kn ...

, an early 13th century Bishop of Exeter. The palace originally incorporated a

great hall A great hall is the main room of a royal palace, castle or a large manor house or hall house in the Middle Ages. It continued to be built in the country houses of the 16th and early 17th centuries, although by then the family used the great cha ...

, though this was later demolished. In 1916, the palace was requisitioned by the government and served as a military hospital during the First World War. The palace returned to use as the Bishop of Exeter's residence in 1948. The garden is thought to be the oldest in Devon. The grounds contain a first generation Lucombe oak.

Architecture

The palace was originally built in the 13th century of

Heavitree stone Heavitree stone is a type of breccia stone, red in colour, of very coarse texture and prone to weathering, which occurs naturally in the parish of Heavitree near the City of Exeter in Devon, England. It was quarried in the area from about 1350 to t ...

. The building underwent extensive work by

Ewan Christian Ewan Christian (1814–1895) was a British architect. He is most frequently noted for the restorations of Southwell Minster and Carlisle Cathedral, and the design of the National Portrait Gallery (London), National Portrait Gallery. He was Arch ...

in 1846-8. The chapel was built in the 13th century and later restored by

William Butterfield William Butterfield (7 September 1814 – 23 February 1900) was a British Gothic Revival architect and associated with the Oxford Movement (or Tractarian Movement). He is noted for his use of polychromy. Biography William Butterfield was bo ...

. The palace's south porch holds an inner doorway built circa 1200 composed of a monumental

Gothic arch A pointed arch, ogival arch, or Gothic arch is an arch with a pointed crown meet at an angle at the top of the arch. Also known as a two-centred arch, its form is derived from the intersection of two circles. This architectural element was part ...

. An early 16th century

oriel window An oriel window is a form of bay window which protrudes from the main wall of a building but does not reach to the ground. Supported by corbels, bracket (architecture), brackets, or similar cantilevers, an oriel window generally projects from an ...

was taken from the house of

Thomas Elyot Sir Thomas Elyot (c. 149626 March 1546) was an English diplomat and scholar. He is best known as one of the first proponents of the use of the English language for literary purposes. Early life Thomas was the child of Sir Richard Elyot's fi ...

by St Petrock's Church, Exeter, when it was demolished with the

Broadgate Broadgate is a large, office and retail estate in the Bishopsgate area of the City of London. It is owned by British Land and GIC (Singaporean sovereign wealth fund), GIC and managed by British Land. History The original developer was a joint ...

around 1840.

The Gatehouse

The

gatehouse A gatehouse is a type of fortified gateway, an entry control point building, enclosing or accompanying a gateway for a town, religious house, castle, manor house, or other fortification building of importance. Gatehouses are typically the most ...

to the Bishop's Palace is separately Grade I Listed. Like the palace itself, the gatehouse was built of red Heavitree stone, though probably slightly later in the 14th century. However, some of the timbers date from the 13th century and possibly the late 12th century. The gatehouse was altered in the 18th century with a Georgian staircase and sash windows. Stone windows and a half-timbered top storey were added by

. A modern slate roof has since been added. The medieval palace wall, also built of Heavitree stone, is separately Grade II Listed.

Exeter Cathedral Library & Archives

The west wing of the Bishop's Palace houses the extensive library and archives of Exeter Cathedral. The collections span the 10th to 21st centuries and include the

Exeter Book The Exeter Book, also known as the Codex Exoniensis or Exeter Cathedral Library MS 3501, is a large codex of Old English poetry, believed to have been produced in the late tenth century AD. It is one of the four major manuscripts of Old Englis ...

. The archive is open to researchers on appointment.

References

{{Reflist

Diocese of Exeter 13th-century church buildings in England Buildings and structures in Exeter Grade I listed buildings in Devon Episcopal palaces in England Exeter Cathedral English Gothic architecture in Devon

History

Architecture

The Gatehouse

Exeter Cathedral Library & Archives

See also

References