A Wander Around Bishop Waltham Palace
If you’re nipping out to get some cheeky cinnamon buns from Hoxton Bakehouse and a paper before the rest of the household wake up, and you fancy squeezing in a bit of history; the ruins of the Bishops Waltham Palace awaits you!
There is a wealth of information online about the Palace, along with the various information signs around the grounds. Once the residence of all the Bishops of Winchester from the Middle ages, we are very lucky to have it just along the road in the next village.
In the summer, the grounds often host a number of events. These include plays (we went to see David Walliams ‘Gangsta Granny) and music, but at this time of year it was just myself and Eliot the dog.
The 2 phased maintenance of the Palace started in 2020, which was quite an attraction itself! Skilled abseilers and stonemasons, instructed by English Heritage, have recently been seen scaling the towers carefully removing the intrusive ivy which has taken over many of the walls. The second phase started in 2021 which saw the walls carefully repointed with lime mortar. It really has had quite the face lift, and makes a great place to start a walk, which continues on along the old railway line, ending up at priory park.
To find out more about the history of the Palace, English Heritage who look after the site, have some detailed information on their website: https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/bishops-waltham-palace/history/
Bishops Waltham has really blossomed in recent years. There are plenty of family run shops to choose from meaning you can go home with a little piece of the local area 🙂
For more places to visit just on the doorstop, try Titchfield Abbey and Southwick Priory.
