St Davids Bishop's Palace

St Davids Bishop’s Palace stands beside St Davids Cathedral in the small city of St Davids, Pembrokeshire. The site began in the 6th century as an early monastery and grew into a medieval episcopal palace. Most of the ruins visitors see today date from the late 13th and 14th centuries. The palace was built and rebuilt by a series of powerful bishops who shaped its grand halls and private chambers. It became one of the most important religious and political sites in medieval Wales. The palace is managed by Cadw, the Welsh Government’s historic environment service. More than 300,000 people walk its grounds every year. The palace’s history is tied to Welsh Christianity and to the border wars between England and Wales. William the Conqueror came as a pilgrim in 1081, and King Edward I visited in 1284. Bishop Thomas Bek built the chapel, hall and gate in the late 13th century. Bishop Henry de Gower added the Great Hall, its wheel window, the arcaded parapet and the grand south range for entertaining. The Reformation brought decline: Bishop William Barlow stripped the lead roof in 1536, leaving the palace to decay. By the 17th century only ruins remained. Visitors enter through Porth-y-Tŵr, the 1300 gate in the surviving town wall. Inside, the Great Hall’s east gable still shows its large wheel window. The east and south ranges frame a courtyard open to the sky. Carved stonework and windows bear the marks of centuries of wind and rain. Conservation work finished in 2009 rebuilt weakened walls and repaired damaged carvings. The ground floor is now level, letting visitors walk a full circuit. Turner sketched the ruins in 1795, two of his drawings preserved in the Tate’s collection.