The ruined palace of Winchester's medieval bishops, built up by Henry of Blois and the site of Mary I's 1554 wedding feast
Open to visitorsan English Heritage site — check opening times and admission before you go
Substantial ruinsruined, but plenty survives above ground
The Bishops of Winchester were among the richest and most powerful men in medieval England, close to kings and sometimes running the country in their name, and Wolvesey was their main home for around 500 years. The earliest stone hall here went up around 1110 for Bishop William Giffard, but most of what survives was built by his successor, Henry of Blois, bishop from 1129 to 1171 and brother of King Stephen.
Henry added a grand new hall for public ceremonies, a kitchen big enough to feed a large household, and an early piped water system for a medieval English building, uncovered by archaeologists digging here in the 1960s. During the civil war between Stephen and his rival Empress Matilda, Winchester itself came under siege in 1141, and afterwards Henry fortified his palace with two large towers, giving it the look of a castle.
Wolvesey stayed the bishops’ main residence for centuries; its grandest recorded moment fell on 25 July 1554, with the east hall decked out in silk and gold for the wedding breakfast of Queen Mary I and Philip of Spain. The bishops finally abandoned Wolvesey in the 1680s for a new palace nearby, leaving the old buildings to fall into ruin. It’s a short walk from Winchester Cathedral and Winchester Castle, and about a kilometre from Winchester station.
