|
History of Bishopthorpe
Palace immediately below York
By Michael Ford
BISHOPTHORPE
PALACE
The Home of the
Archbishops of York
The Palace
was originally built in 1241 for
Archbishop Walter de Grey with the
undercroft being constructed using stone
from an old manor house which was
demolished nearby. The Great Hall, which
was rebuilt during the 17th
century and the Chapel from that time
still remain today. The Palace is set in
nine acres of beautiful grounds with many
rare and ancient trees.
In 1364
Archbishop Thoresby started to make
additions to the house and in 1483
Archbishop Rotherham added the north
range in diapered brickwork.
After the
Civil War the building fell into
disrepair and was sold to a Colonel White
during the Commonwealth period. With the
return of the monarchy Archbishop
Accepted Frewen took up residence and
rebuilt the Great Hall between 1660 and
1664.
During
Archbishop Drummond’s residency he
had the stables and the Gatehouse built
between 1761 and 1765. The latter reused
stones taken from the ruins of Cawood
Castle further to the south above Selby.
It incorporates the Royal coat of arms on
one side and those of Archbishop Drummond
on the other. The large blue faced clock
was moved here from the stables. In 1766
work started on a Gothic block to the
west and on the main entrance hall and
the drawing room, all of which was
completed in 1769.
In 1835
further rooms were added by Archbishop
Vernon Harcourt.
On
entering the house the striking
Strawberry Hill Gothic architecture can
be seen in all its glory in the entrance
hall. A small Elizabethan stained glass
window showing Archbishop Grindal’s
coat of arms appears above the doorway.
From here a door leads into the beautiful
drawing room with its finely decorated
ceiling, fireplace and doorway all in the
pure Georgian style. The old exterior
wall of the 17th century front
of the Palace can be seen from the
Gallery passage. The Great Hall rebuilt
in the 17th century but based
on that of the original 13th
century room has rich plasterwork in the
ceiling and the deep frieze. The windows
have coats of arms of various Archbishops
in colourful stained glass. Archbishop
Richard Scrope was tried for treason here
in the Great Hall in 1405 before Henry
IV. Having been found guilty he was
beheaded and was the only Archbishop in
England ever to be executed. The Chapel,
although having been restored by
Archbishop Maclagan in 1891, retains much
of its original fabric from 1241, in
particular the walls and lancet windows.
The attractive blue ceiling was inserted
in Archbishop Vernon Harcourt’s time
to allow rooms to be built above.
The
Palace is not generally open to the
public but may be visited, during
weekdays, by groups of ten or more by
prior arrangement for a guided tour.
| 
