Lincoln Medieval Bishop's Palace is an historic visitor's attraction in the city of Lincoln, Lincolnshire

Lincoln, Lincolnshire

Lincoln is a cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England.The non-metropolitan district of Lincoln has a population of 85,595; the 2001 census gave the entire area of Lincoln a population of 120,779....

. When it was first built, in the late 12th century, it was one of the grandest residential structures in England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

 and the administrative center of the vast Diocese of Lincoln

Diocese of Lincoln

The Diocese of Lincoln forms part of the Province of Canterbury in England. The present diocese covers the ceremonial county of Lincolnshire.- History :...

, which stretched from the Humber

Humber

The Humber is a large tidal estuary on the east coast of Northern England. It is formed at Trent Falls, Faxfleet, by the confluence of the tidal River Ouse and the tidal River Trent. From here to the North Sea, it forms part of the boundary between the East Riding of Yorkshire on the north bank...

 to the Thames.
The palace was sacked during the Civil War and subsequently abandoned; today it is a ruin, open to the sky on a sloping site between the cathedral

Lincoln Cathedral

Lincoln Cathedral is a historic Anglican cathedral in Lincoln in England and seat of the Bishop of Lincoln in the Church of England. It was reputedly the tallest building in the world for 249 years . The central spire collapsed in 1549 and was not rebuilt...

 and Lincoln Castle

Lincoln Castle

Lincoln Castle is a major castle constructed in Lincoln, England during the late 11th century by William the Conqueror on the site of a pre-existing Roman fortress. The castle is unusual in that it has two mottes. It is only one of two such castles in the country, the other being at Lewes in Sussex...

 and set into a modern garden plan by Mark Anthony Walker, completed in 2001. The palace's most notable surviving feature is the West Hall, built over an undercroft

Undercroft

An undercroft is traditionally a cellar or storage room, often brick-lined and vaulted, and used for storage in buildings since medieval times. In modern usage, an undercroft is generally a ground area which is relatively open to the sides, but covered by the building above.- History :While some...

 by the Burgundian-born Bishop St Hugh of Lincoln

Hugh of Lincoln

Hugh of Lincoln was at the time of the Reformation the best-known English saint after Thomas Becket.-Life:...

 and completed in the 1230s. The range of buildings that included an expanded chapel and the tower gatehouse

Gatehouse

A gatehouse, in architectural terminology, is a building enclosing or accompanying a gateway for a castle, manor house, fort, town or similar buildings of importance.-History:...

 were built by Bishop William Alnwick

William Alnwick

William Alnwick was an English Catholic clergyman. He was Bishop of Norwich and Bishop of Lincoln .Educated at Cambridge, Alnwick was Archdeacon of Salisbury before being named Keeper of the Privy Seal on 19 December 1422...

, (bishop 1436–1450) in the 1430s.

The historic site is maintained by English Heritage

English Heritage

English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...

.

External links

• Lincoln Medieval Bishop's Palace - official site at English Heritage