Wolvesey Castle
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Wolvesey Castle , also known as the Old Bishop's Palace , is a ruined castle in Winchester in the English county of Hampshire . It is near the cathedral .
Castle
The castle was built between 1130 and 1136 on an island between two arms of the River Itchen at the behest of the Bishop of Winchester , Henry of Blois , the brother of King Stephen . This is also where the Battle of Winchester took place, in which Empress Matilda attacked the castle during the Anarchy in 1141 . The castle was besieged for the first and only time. But the supporters of Bishop Heinrich thought they were their King Stephen.
The besieged defenders of Wolvesey Castle burned down with fireballs all the houses in the city that were too close to the castle wall and provided cover for the attackers. So much of the old town of Winchester was destroyed. The troops of Empress Matilda were kept in check for three weeks (August – September 1141) until Stephen's wife, Mathilda of Boulogne , arrived with reinforcements from London.
King Henry II is said to have razed Wolvesey Castle after the death of Bishop Henry in 1171 . Obviously, this did not include the destruction of the residential quarters, as many later ministers of the Diocese of Winchester lived there comfortably. However, the gate and portcullis were probably removed and some breaches were made in the curtain wall.
The castle was once a very important building; on July 25, 1554 the wedding reception of Queen Maria I of England and Philip II of Spain took place there. In 1646, during the English Civil War , the castle was destroyed by the parliamentarians .
The chapel is the only significant remnant of the southern flight of the castle. It is still in use today as it is also adjacent to the palace.
palace
Bishop Morley had the palace built on the same site in 1684 based on plans by Christopher Wren .
today
The vast ruins are now managed by English Heritage . Since March 24, 1950, they have been listed as historical buildings of the first degree, as is the palace at the same location. A large part of the curtain wall has been preserved, but almost all of the buildings inside the castle no longer exist. You can still see where the knight's hall once stood, from which a round arch and a Norman window have been preserved.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d Wolvesey Castle (Old Bishop's Palace) . English Heritage. Retrieved December 20, 2016.
- ↑ a b c Charles WC Oman: Castles: An illustrated guide to 80 castles of England and Wales . Beekman House, London 1978. ISBN 0-517-26196-0 .
- ^ Lorimer Poultney (editor): Three Palaces of the Bishops of Winchester . English Heritage, London 2000.
- ↑ a b Wolvesey Castle . Historic England. English Heritage. Retrieved December 20, 2016.
- ↑ a b Wolvesey Palace . Historic England. English Heritage. ( Memento of the original from December 22, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved December 20, 2016.
Web links
Coordinates: 51 ° 3 ′ 32.8 " N , 1 ° 18 ′ 36.2" W.