The ruins of the bishop's palace in Winchester stand at the eastern end of the city, near the River Itchen. Very little of the section built around 1100 by William Giffard and known as the West Hall, remains today. Giffard was the second of the Norman bishops of Winchester, and had previously been the canon and dean of Rouen. Giffard had been a very able Chancellor to William I, William II and Henry I, and it was Henry I who, in wishing to provide himself with a strong supporter within the Church, installed Giffard as Bishop of Winchester.
Most of what is still visible dates from the time of Henry de Blois, who was appointed Bishop of Winchester in 1129, having previously been Prior of Montacute and Abbot of Glastonbury. Winchester was the wealthiest See in England, and de Blois, brother of King Stephen, was one of its most famous bishops.
Wolvesey Castle
The keep was added in 1138 and Wolvesey is known to have had a second hall and substantial defences by 1141.
After capturing King Stephen at the Battle of Lincoln in February 1141, the Empress Matilda spent most of the year trying to consolidate her position as Queen of England. The powerful Henry of Blois did not immediately submit to the Empress, but the Bishop's differences with his brother, eventually persuaded him to give way to pressure from Matilda and Earl Robert of Gloucester. On 2nd March, Bishop Henry agreed to meet with the Empress and most of the English nobility outside the gates of Winchester. The day was grey and overcast and rain began to pelt down on the two parties as the Empress promised "that all matters of chief account in England, especially gifts of bishoprics and abbacies, should be subject to his control if he received her in Holy Church as lady, and kept his faith to her unbroken". Bishop Henry agreed to recognise the Empress as Queen so long as she kept her side of this bargain.
The following day, Matilda was publicly welcomed into Winchester. She took up residence in Winchester Castle and Bishop Henry handed over to her the keys to the Treasury and the Royal Crown. He then arranged a large meeting of the citizens of Winchester in the Market Place so they could salute her as "their Lady and their Queen". From here, the party entered the cathedral with great pomp. Matilda led the procession with Henry of Blois to her right and the Bishop of St. Davids to her left. Relatives of the bishops of Salisbury, Ely and Lincoln were also present and Henry sent for Archbishop Theobald of Canterbury who arrived a few days later.
Theobald and other bishops were reluctant to abandon King Stephen. So, while the Empress moved north to Oxford in triumph, a Church Council was called at Winchester. William of Malmesbury, who was amongst the attendants, provided detailed accounts of the events. Henry of Blois explained his change of stance as being due to King Stephen having broken his promises to the church. He was keen to remind those present of the arrest of three bishops two years previously and declared that though "I should love my mortal brother, I should esteem far more highly the cause of my immortal Father". The church did not want a country without a ruler and secret meetings with Henry soon brought them round to his way of thinking.
Wolvesey Castle – From a Vintage Postcard
However, during the spring and early summer, things did not run so smoothly for the Empress elsewhere. She needed the support of the City of London in order to take her place solidly on the throne and secure her coronation, but she treated the citizens with contempt and demanded taxation. When Stephen's Queen raised an army and marched south, she was soon joined by the Londoners and the Empress was forced to flee the City. It was not long before the Queen had persuaded Bishop Henry to join his brother's camp once more.
Bishop Henry returned to Winchester determined to turn the city back to the Royalist cause and immediately set about besieging the Empress' forces in Winchester Castle. Matilda responded quickly and arrived with her own besieging army on 31st July. The Bishop of Winchester's men were forced to retreat behind the walls of Wolvesey Palace, which had been fortified ready for any attack. The Bishop himself managed to escape and rode east for reinforcements from the Queen. A double siege then ensued - the Royalists and London militia blockading the whole city, while, within, the Imperialists besieged the Bishop's men.
Three days later, Winchester was set on fire, probably by the Imperialists at Wolvesey. St. Mary's Nunnaminster, Hyde Abbey and the Royal Palace were all burnt to the ground. Matilda all but lost her remaining provisions and the siege lasted only a month before she was forced to make a break for it. A diversionary attack under Robert of Gloucester was arranged for 14th September, possibly helped by events at nearby Wherwell. During the fighting, Matilda managed to flee the city to Ludgershall, Devizes and then Gloucester.
De Blois' successors decided against adding to the defences, opting only to keep it in a reasonable state of repair. Minor modifications were made, but in the main, later bishops chose to reside elsewhere, or accompany the king’s court as holders of major state offices.
Reconstruction of Wolvesey Castle, from the North-East
Some damage occurred during the reign of Henry II, for in 1155 the bishop fell from royal favour, and his castles were confiscated and slighted. De Blois decided to retire to Cluny, the continental monastery where he had become a monk. Three years later, in 1158, he returned to England, and repairs were carried out sometime after his return, but before his death 1171. He died at Wolvesey Castle and was buried in Winchester Cathedral.
Wolvesey was captured by Prince Louis and his rebel barons in 1216, but was recaptured by William Marshall in 1217.
After being married in Winchester Cathedral, Queen Mary and Prince Philip II of Spain held their wedding banquet here in 1554. Wolvesey Castle was damaged during the Civil War, and although some repairs were made in 1660, it was superseded by a new bishop's palace, which was built over the site of the southern end of the West Hall in 1684.
The layout of the West Hall was only discovered during excavations in the 1970s. It had a central block measuring 50m long by 10m wide, and contained various private rooms for the bishop. It was set one level above the courtyard but the space below was filled with earth. To the west of the hall lay a raised garden, and to the east there was a two-storey corridor.
A latrine block to the north was added later in the 12th century. Projecting westwards from the southern end was a three-storey tower. This contained the bishop's treasury, private chapel and sleeping accommodation. This section was remodelled in the 1370s. A 15th century chapel built by Bishop Beaufort on the site of the original chapel extending eastwards on the other side of the building still survives attached to the new palace of 1684.
Taken from "The Castles of Wessex" by Mike Salter
The east hall containing the bishop's public hall occupied the northern two-thirds of a block 43m long by 12m wide. It also contained a 13th century western aisle with a three-bay arcade and lean-to roof. The fourth bay was adjoined by a porch which opened to an aisle on the north-western corner, although the public entrance to the hall lay in the south-eastern corner. The north end of the main hall has blind arcading, while at the southern end private rooms lay above the service rooms.
To the east of the southern end of the hall lies Wymond's Tower. This building measures about 9m square, with pilaster buttresses at the corners and middle of the outer sides – five in total. It provided latrines that discharged down the outside wall. There are also pilasters on the walls of the East Hall, and on the kitchen block, which was built like a keep.
The kitchen block measures 15m square over walls 1.5m thick, and lies to the east of the East Hall. The kitchen lay in the southern half of the building and extended up to roof level, with evidence of huge fireplaces still visible.
From the kitchen block a curtain wall runs to the north, and then to the west, to Woodman's Gate on the northern side of the castle. Probably built in the 1160s, this structure has a pair of rectangular towers flanking a central passage, closed by a drawbridge raised by counter-weights in a stone-lined pit. Despite its size and plan, this gateway never formed the main entrance. In the 1370s the upper rooms were remodelled to provide accommodation for the bishop’s treasurer, the present fireplaces and windows dating from that time.
The actual main entrance was a more modest gatehouse on the southern side of the castle. The entire castle was surrounded by a moat, and further out, by a low wall, forming an outer court – as large as 200m long on the northern side. This outer court would have contained outbuildings such as barns, stables and the bishop's prison.
Wolvesey Castle
On the day of my visit to Wolvesey Castle, fog unfortunately spoiled my view, and hence my photographs are not very good. If others are able to provide additional pictures in other postings in this topic, they would help to create a better idea of what the place really looks like.
Bibliography
William George Barron – The Castles of Hampshire & Isle of Wight – Paul Cave Publications Ltd., 1985
Martin Biddle & Beatrice Clayre – Winchester Castle and the Great Hall – 1983
Jim Bradbury – Stephen and Matilda: The Civil War of 1139-53 – 1996
Tom Beaumont James – Winchester – 1997
John Kinross – Discovering Castles in England & Wales – Shire Publications, 1973
Elizabeth Lewis – A Prospect of Winchester – 1978
Mike Salter – The Castles of Wessex – Folly Publications, 2002
Barry Shurlock – The Winchester Story – 1986
Barbara Carpenter Turner – Winchester – 1980
Wolvesey Castle