Bishop's Palace, Paignton

The Bishop’s Palace in Paignton is a scheduled monument beside the parish church of St John the Baptist. The medieval walls and a 14th-century corner tower still stand inside the site. Historic England lists the tower and the chapel remains as Grade II*. A 20th-century vicarage also sits within the walls. Bishop John Grandisson built the curtain wall with battlements after French raids during the Hundred Years’ War. The tower is sometimes called Coverdale’s Tower, though this name comes from a mistaken link to the Reformation theologian Myles Coverdale. In the 19th century the tower was restored and the space inside the walls was arranged as a quadrangle with tennis courts. The palace once had a private deer park around it. The chapel inside the walls survives only in fragments. Visitors find standing medieval walls and the corner tower with its battlements. The tower’s name and past uses give the site extra interest. The quadrangle inside the walls shows where tennis courts once stood. The Grade II* chapel remains and the 20th-century vicarage add layers of history. The parish church next to the palace completes the setting.