Lamphey Bishop's Palace facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Lamphey Bishop's Palace |
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Part of the ruins in 2006
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| General information | |
| Status | ruined |
| Type | medieval palace |
| Location | Lamphey |
| Address | SA71 5NT |
| Town or city | Lamphey, Pembrokeshire |
| Country | Wales |
| Coordinates | 51°40′18″N 4°52′01″W / 51.67176°N 4.86704°W |
| Elevation | approx. 12m |
| Owner | Cadw |
Lamphey Bishop's Palace, also known as Lamphey Palace, is a fascinating ruined medieval building in Lamphey, Pembrokeshire, Wales. It's a very old and important historical site. Because of its history, it's protected as a scheduled ancient monument. This means it's a nationally important archaeological site. It has also been a Grade I Listed building since 1970, which is the highest level of protection for historic buildings.
History of Lamphey Palace
Some parts of Lamphey Palace date back to the early 1200s. However, most of the palace was built much later. It was largely constructed between 1328 and 1347. This work was done under Bishop Henry de Gower, who was the Bishop of St David's at the time.
The palace was built in three main stages. It was a very grand place, designed for important church leaders to live and work. It originally had more than 20 rooms, including a huge great hall that was about 25 meters long!
Outside, the palace grounds were just as impressive. They featured special ponds for fish, orchards with fruit trees, and gardens where herbs and other plants grew. There were also large areas of parkland where deer grazed, making it a beautiful and self-sufficient estate.
In 1546, during the reign of King Henry VIII, the palace was given to the Crown. This happened as part of a big change where the King took control of many church properties. The palace was then granted to Richard Devereux and later passed to the Earls of Essex.
Interestingly, Walter Devereux, 1st Earl of Essex, who became a famous figure, lived in the palace when he was a child. The palace was eventually sold in 1683 to the Owens of Orielton. It's thought that the palace might have been damaged during the English Civil War, which could be why it was sold and fell into disuse. After this, parts of the buildings were possibly used for farming purposes.
Gallery
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Engraving from 1774
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Engraving from 1815
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Engraving from circa 1830
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The undercroft
