Bishop's Manor and remains of Bishop's Palace

Details

SK7053
1919-0/11/1

SOUTHWELL
BISHOPS DRIVE (east side (off))
Bishop's Manor and remains of Bishop's Palace

(Formerly Listed as: BISHOPS DRIVE Bishops Manor with ruins of Archbishops Place)

07/08/52

GV
I
Bishop's Manor (official residence of the Bishop of Southwell) and remains of Bishop's Palace. Bishop's Palace probably built for Archbishop Alexander Neville and Archbishop Arundel between c1379 and 1396. Rebuilt and extended for Archbishop John Kemp, 1426-36, and extended for Archbishop Rotherham c1490. Occupied 1647 by the Scots Commissioners and largely demolished. House built in former Great Hall, late C18. Former State Chamber restored for suffragan Bishop Edward Trollope, 1881. Bishop's Manor, incorporating the C18 house and the west range of the former Palace, by W.D Caröe, 1905, in a vernacular revival style.

Palace remains are roofless ruins enclosing a square courtyard. Coursed squared rubble and ashlar with ashlar dressings. Chamfered plinths, quoins and string courses. Four bay south side has square headed window openings on two floors, and two square garderobe towers, the larger one, to east, with a spiral stair and unusual radial four-seat arrangement. To its left, in the angle, a corbelled stair turret, and to left again, a restored external stack with octagonal shaft. Inner face has a fireplace on each floor, the upper one with a moulded surround, and two carved corbels. Seven bay east side has mainly square headed openings on two floors. At each end, a gable with remains of a large traceried lancet window. Between them, a near-central external stack, and to its right a garderobe tower. Inner face has a fireplace on each floor, the upper one with an elaborate arcaded lintel.

Lower north side, two bays, has an off-centre stack and a simple fireplace on the inner face. Restored three bay great Chamber, to north west, ashlar with plain tile roof, has plinth, string course, coped gables, and to west, diagonal buttresses. West gable has a double transomed four-light lancet with panel tracery. North side has an off-centre external stack and to its left, two transomed double lancets with hood moulds, and two gabled buttresses. Below, four square headed windows of various sizes. To its left, a two storey porch, c1881, with a canted cross mullioned oriel window, and below, a moulded round headed doorway. To left again, former private chapel, c1881, coursed rubble and ashlar with plain tile roof. Central lean-to projection flanked by single lancets. East end has a squat segment headed five-light lancet.

Bishop's Manor, roughcast and colourwashed, has ashlar dressings and hipped and gabled plain tile roof. Plinth, six side wall and two gable stacks, most of them with round shafts. Windows are mainly mullioned and cross mullioned casements with leaded glazing. Irregular west entrance front, three storeys, eight windows, has an off-centre three storey tower porch with diagonal buttresses and a segment headed doorway covering a door to the screens passage of the original palace.

South side has a two storey block to the left, three windows, with a square two storey bay window on the left. Central moulded C14 doorway, formerly the kitchen access of the original palace. To its right, two renewed double lancets with flat heads and hood moulds. To the right, a higher block, two storeys plus attics, with four cusped double lancets with flat heads. Above, three box dormers. Below, an off-centre door with overlights and side lights, flanked by single double lancets. To left, a similar double lancet. These openings have linked hood moulds.

Rear elevation, C18 house with three glazing bar sashes and above, four box dormers. Below, three round headed glazing bar sashes. State chamber interior has an arch braced triple purlin roof with collars and wind braces, on angel corbels, some of them medieval. North side has a restored moulded fireplace with billeted frieze, and moulded arch with shafts to bay window. East end has a double chamfered C14 doorway each side. Porch has moulded C14 style doorways and C19 stone staircase.

Bishop's Manor interior has the triple arched opening to the pantry and buttery of the original palace, and fragments of the Great Hall west window.

Listing NGR: SK7015453744

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:

242291

Legacy System:

LBS

Sources

Books and journals
Summers, N, A Prospect of Southwell, (1974), 48-56
Williamson, E, The Buildings of England: Nottinghamshire, (1979), 329-330

End of official list entry

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