Wolvesey Castle, Hampshire

Right in the centre of Winchester, 800 feet from the cathedral, Wolvesey Castle was the primary residence of the bishops of this ancient city, between the 12th and 16th centuries. The castle, also known as Old Bishop's Palace, was constructed on the site of an earlier bishop's residence, built by Aethelwold in 970, which in turn was preceded by other structures, at least as far back as Roman times. 'Wolvesey' derives from Wulveseye or Wulv's Island, since it was built on a small island between two ancient channels of the River Itchen, the westernmost of which is now mostly filled in, surviving only as a narrow ditch; now all the river flows 500 feet east of the castle.

The Winchester bishops also owned two other substantial medieval residences, Farnham Castle (in Surrey) and Bishop's Waltham Palace, 9 miles southeast of Winchester. The current residence is Wolvesey Palace, an 18th century building that occupies the southwest corner of the medieval castle, which, although partially fortified, was not a castle in the traditional sense, yet still a very grand, substantial building.

Early History

The older section of the ruins, dating from around 1100, is the west hall, erected by William Giffard, the second Norman bishop of Winchester. Most of the remainder was added by his successor, Henry of Blois (brother of King Stephen), the third Bishop, including a second hall to the east, the kitchen block, chapel, and north and south ranges, all completed by 1171. Also around this time the palace was fortified, during a long period of general unrest in the country, following on from The Anarchy, when the king was warring over the succession with his sister. The final major change, towards the end of 12th century, was enclosure of the site by a curtain wall and a moat, after which there were no significant alterations until the partial destruction of the palace in 1646, during the Civil War.

Later History

For over 400 years the palace remained one of the most impressive buildings in the country, reflecting the importance of Winchester as a seat of royal and religious power, second in this respect only to London. The ruins were finally abandoned in 1684, replaced by the new, baroque palace to the southwest, that incorporated the chapel of the older structure. This palace originally consisted of three wings but those to the south and east were removed in 1786, since they were deemed surplus to requirements, as the bishops at that time mostly resided in Farnham Castle. But the west wing survives, and is once again the bishop's residence, while the castle is now owned by English Heritage.

The Ruins

Wolvesey Castle, and the palace, are reached by College Street in Winchester city centre; metered parking is available. Just beyond the driveway to the palace, the current bishop's house, is a pathway through a belt of trees, past the English Heritage entrance booth, into the ruins. The booth is situated along the southernmost wall of the medieval castle, once linking with the south wall of the chapel, which survives as part of the palace. Ahead, beyond a small courtyard and some wall foundations, is the most substantial part of the ruins, the north wall of the south block, also the south wall of the great (east) hall. Once through an arched doorway, lined by red tiles, all the rest of the site comes in to view, centered around a large rectangular courtyard. To the east of the great hall are several rooms including the kitchen area and the southeast (Wymond's) tower, while to the north are various corridors and rooms, principally the gatehouse (Woodman's gate), latrine block and treasury, and to the east are low walls from the hall of 1100 - only the north end, since all the remaining eastern structures are gone, replaced by the west wing of the 18th century palace, though they originally extended beyond, further west, into what is now a lawn.