Old Palace, Canterbury

The Old Palace stands beside Canterbury Cathedral in the heart of the city. It was built within the cathedral grounds, probably in the 11th century, and rebuilt between 1193 and 1228. The Great Hall, constructed around 1200–1220 by Archbishops Hubert Walter and Stephen Langton, was once the second largest medieval great hall in Britain. During the English Civil War in 1647, Parliament took over the palace and most of it was demolished in the 1650s. The remains were little used until the 19th century. The palace has been restored and altered many times. In 1896, architect W. D. Caröe carried out a major restoration and added new accommodation. Archbishop Frederick Temple became the first archbishop to live there since 1647. Caröe’s curved three-storey building incorporates part of the old refectory undercroft, and the south wing still shows medieval buttresses and a 14th-century window. A 16th-century gateway survives but is now blocked. Today the Old Palace serves as the official residence of the Archbishop of Canterbury when in the city. A wing houses the Bishop of Dover, who acts as Bishop in Canterbury to support the archbishop’s wider duties. The building is a Grade I listed structure, recognised for its historical significance. Visitors can see traces of its long history in the surviving medieval features and the careful work of Caröe’s restoration.