Ruins Of Bishop'S Palace At Ash Hill Farm

The ruins of a medieval palace, probably dating from the early 14th century, stand within Ash Hill Farm. The site includes portions of curtain walls and the remains of a chapel, likely associated with Bishop John de Grandisson (1327-69). The construction utilizes red sandstone and breccia rubble, with some dressed stone and evidence of render on the curtain walling, while the chapel dressings are of a yellowish stone, possibly from Salcombe Regis.

The layout suggests a rectangular enclosure defined by curtain walls; a section of tall wall to the east and another approximately 100 metres to the west indicate the likely width of the original fortifications. A lower section of wall to the north may represent the remains of the north curtain wall. The chapel’s visible remains comprise sections of its south and east walls. The south wall retains five deeply-splayed, trefoil-headed lancet windows, as well as remnants of buttressing and two adjacent openings, one of which was likely an original doorway. The chancel south wall features a high doorway opening and a damaged lancet window with only its jambs and sill surviving. The east wall has a trefoil-headed lancet to the south, a similar window to the north largely hidden by ivy, and a ruinous window centrally located. A cusped holy water stoup is visible on the interior of the former chapel’s south wall.

The east curtain wall, approximately 50 metres long and including some putlog holes, retains its coping and has a coped buttress at its southern end. The west curtain wall, roughly 40 metres long, also retains some coping and shows signs of a breach at its southern end, likely created to provide access to the farmyard. A flight of stone steps is known to survive below ground. The site has been extensively robbed for building materials, but the remaining above-ground structures are of significant architectural and historical interest. Elements of the site are incorporated into modern farm buildings, with the west curtain wall situated within a cattle shed. An archaeological report by Michael Laithwaite provides a detailed description of the site.