A bishop's palace is a form of ecclesiastical architecture referring to 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 A.D. [1] However the oldest has been dated to the seventh century. They provided luxury accommodation for the Bishop with facilities for their staff. The term was not developed in a consistent way: See palaces were those which were in the vicinity of the Bishop's cathedral, others were more modest manor houses. They were generally set within an enclosure, sometimes moated, often including ancillary buildings, such as a hall, a chapel or a gatehouse. Although many were used throughout the medieval period, their use declined after the reformation and only a few are still in use in the twenty-first century. Historic England have positively identified about 150 bishop's palaces in England, all of which they regard as being of national importance. [2]
Fulham Palace, in Fulham, London, previously in the former English county of Middlesex, is a Grade I listed building with medieval origins and was formerly the principal residence of the Bishop of London. The site was the country home of the bishops from the 11th century until 1973. Though still owned by the Church of England, the palace, managed by the Fulham Palace Trust, houses a number of restored historic rooms and a museum documenting its long history. The property resides next to Bishops Park and contains a large botanic garden. The palace garden is ranked Grade II* on the Register of Historic Parks and Gardens.
New Hall Manor is a medieval manor house, now used as a hotel, in Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands, England.
North Elmham is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. It covers an area of 7.41 sq mi (19.2 km2) and is located about 5 mi (8.0 km) north of East Dereham, on the west bank of the River Wensum. Including Gateley, the civil parish had a population of 1,428 in 624 households at the 2001 census; this increased slightly to 1,433 at the 2011 census.
Wolvesey Castle, in Winchester, Hampshire, England, was the main residence of the Bishop of Winchester in the Middle Ages. The castle, mostly built by Henry of Blois in the 12th century, is now a ruin, except for its fifteenth-century chapel, which is now part of the bishop's current residence, Wolvesey Palace. Wolvesey Castle was primarily a palace, although Blois had it fortified because of The Anarchy.
Weeting Castle is a ruined, medieval manor house near the village of Weeting in Norfolk, England. It was built around 1180 by Hugh de Plais, and comprised a three-storey tower, a substantial hall, and a service block, with a separate kitchen positioned near the house. A moat was later dug around the site in the 13th century. The house was not fortified, although it drew on architectural features typically found in castles of the period, and instead formed a very large, high-status domestic dwelling. It was probably intended to resemble the hall at Castle Acre Castle, owned by Hugh's feudal lord, Hamelin de Warenne.
Buckden Towers, formerly known as Buckden Palace, is a medieval fortified house and bishop's palace in Buckden, Cambridgeshire, England. It is now a conference and retreat centre operated by the Claretian missionaries.
North Elmham Castle, also known as North Elmham Bishops Castle and North Elmham Bishops Chapel, is a ruined castle in the village of North Elmham, in the county of Norfolk.
Walter Suffield was a medieval Bishop of Norwich.
The Bishop's Palace is the residence of the bishop of Bath and Wells in Wells, Somerset, England. The palace is adjacent to Wells Cathedral and has been the residence of the bishops since the early thirteenth century. It has been designated a grade I listed building.
Oldland is a village and civil parish in South Gloucestershire, England. The parish includes the villages of Cadbury Heath and Longwell Green, and part of Willsbridge. It does not include Oldland Common, which is in the parish of Bitton.
Flixton is a village and civil parish located in the north of the English county of Suffolk. It is around 2 miles (3.2 km) south-west of Bungay in the East Suffolk district and is one of the villages around Bungay which make up the area known as The Saints. The A143 road runs just to the north of the parish border linking Bungay with Harleston and Diss.
Bishopscourt consists of a 17th-century mansion house, the St Nicholas in the Church of England Diocese of Sodor and Man, and the former estate of Ballachurry or Bishopscourt Manse.
Flixton Priory was a nunnery under a prioress following the Augustinian rule, which formerly stood in the parish of Flixton in the north of the English county of Suffolk, about 3 miles (4.8 km) south-west of Bungay. It was founded by Margery de Creke in 1258, and was dissolved in 1536–37. It was the poorest of the nunneries within the Diocese of Norwich. The site of the priory, which was enclosed by a moat, was at the present Abbey Farm, where little apart from the position in the landscape and a small section of standing wall remain to be seen. It was scheduled as an ancient monument in 1953. It is privately owned and is not open to the public. It is suggested that some parts of the masonry may have been re-used in St Peter's Hall at St Peter, South Elmham.
All Saints Church is a redundant Anglican church in the village of All Saints' South Elmham, one of a group of villages jointly known as The Saints, in Suffolk, England. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade I listed building, and is under the care of the Churches Conservation Trust.
St Cross South Elmham is a village and civil parish in the north of the English county of Suffolk. It is in the East Suffolk district, close to the border with Norfolk and is 3 miles (4.8 km) east of Harleston and 4.25 miles (6.84 km) south-west of Bungay. It is one of the villages around Bungay known as the Saints.
St James South Elmham is a village and civil parish in the north of the English county of Suffolk. It is 4.5 miles (7.2 km) north-west of the market town of Halesworth and 5.5 miles (8.9 km) south-west of Bungay in the East Suffolk district. It is one of the parishes around Bungay known as the Saints.
St Margaret South Elmham is a village and civil parish in the north of the English county of Suffolk. It is 4 miles (6.4 km) south-west of the market town of Bungay in the East Suffolk district. It is one of the parishes surrounding Bungay which are known as The Saints.
St Peter South Elmham is a village and civil parish in the north of the English county of Suffolk. It is around 3 miles (4.8 km) south of the market town of Bungay in the East Suffolk district. It is one of the villages surrounding Bungay which make up the area known as The Saints.
The Bishop of Dunwich is an episcopal title which was first used by an Anglo-Saxon bishop between the seventh and ninth centuries and is currently used by the suffragan bishop of the Diocese of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich. The title takes its name after Dunwich in the English county of Suffolk. Previously a significant port, this town has now largely been lost to the sea.