| Summary : Medieval palace of the Bishop of Bath and Wells at Wookey, on low lying land in a loop of the River Axe. The site was one of the first palaces of the Bishops and is first documented in 1224 when Bishop Jocelin was licensed to use oak trees from Cheddar forest for its repair. In a 1330s history of Wells it was written that the chapels and chambers of Wookey and Wells were built 'magnificently' by Jocelin. The main grounds were encircled by a moat, enclosing a large polygonal area of over five acres, with the palace in the northern part where Court Farm now stands. The farmhouse is the only upstanding building of the period. An area of earthworks to the east of the house indicates the site of former buildings, and although the moat has been largely infilled its course can still be traced in places as an earthwork. Major repairs to the palace were recorded in 1461-2, including the re-roofing of the hall with lead. A survey of 1557 recorded new buildings and rooms, and the present farmhouse has been identified as part of the new build. The moat is believed to date from after this date as it is not mentioned in the survey, although it is depicted on the 1839 Tithe Map. The grounds were entered from the south east where a gatehouse stood. On one side were an ox house, hay house, stable and pigsty while on the other were a cow house and walled barton of two acres. Lynchets and banks suggest sub-division of this aprt of the grounds. Within the grounds were a garden behind the house, a barn, two bartons, an orhard, fishponds and a dovecote. |
More information : [ST 517457] COURT FARM [TI]
Remains of EPISCOPAL MANOR HOUSE [GT]
MOAT [GT]. (1)
Court Farm House, Wookey incorporates all that remains of a 13th century moated Episcopal Manor House, including a fragmentary doorway of c 1230 which probably led into the chapel. The front of the building is probably early 16th century. (2-4)
Externally the house is of little architectural interest. See GP/AO/66/243/8.
The moat which formerly encircled the house has been completely destroyed. On the west it has been built over and the southern side has been filled in.
Within the former enclosure are several low banks forming small plots and a trackway which probably indicate a post Reformation usage of the field. (5)
In 1971 a pipe trench cut at ST 517457 revealed a substantial unmortared wall c 1.3m wide with foundations c 2m deep,
possibly the boundary of the Bishop's manor house. In front and west of it was a probable ditch 10m side. (The map reference, though it may be only general, suggests that the trench was on the west side of the site and that the ditch discovered was the old moat). (6)
ST 517457. Site of Episcopal Manor House. Scheduled. (7)
Court Farmhouse,Grade II* (8)
RCHME architectural survey (9)
Scheduled. (10)
Mr Winstone (a professional architect) and Mrs Winstone became owners of Court Farm in 1996, since when an ongoing programme of research and repair has been conducted. The work is in three phases and will probably take 10 years to complete.
Phase 1 is the retiling of the stable roof, repairing floors and reducing garden levels.
Phase 2 will be the stabilisation of movement in the 14th century cloister which is now the prilncipal range. A second objective is to regain the end bay of the parlour.
Phase 3 is attended to address the kitchen, former bakehouse and dairy.
Mr Winstone possesses various records relating to the works, including:
architects drawings for the lsted building consent,
photographs,
an index of finds from 1996,
continuous diary relating to the works from 1996,
an issue record sheet,
an article on the architectural development of the Bishop's Palace by Mr Winstone, (1999), relating the 157 description of the palace to the reconstruction plan, (publication in Somerset Record Society Proceedings pending). (11-13) |