Lamphey Bishop's Palace

Lamphey Bishop's Palace

The palace of the Bishops of St David's, in continuous use from the 13th century and probably much earlier until the mid-16th century. It contains important surviving works associated with Bishops Richard Carew, Henry de Gower and Edward Vaughan. The palace was surrendered to the Crown by Bishop William Barlow in 1546, after which it was granted to Richard Devereux and passed to the line of the Earls of Essex. In 1683, probably following damage during the Civil War, the palace was sold to the Owens of Orielton, and in 1821 to Charles Mathias. During the Owen tenure the buildings were neglected or converted to farm use, but preservation began under the Mathias family and continued under H. M. Office of Works and Cadw.

Early 13th Century

Fragments survive of the Old Hall and its undercroft, though it is unclear which bishop commissioned this first surviving work. The hall contains two lancets to the north, one now blocked, and a hearth at the south end with a round chimney above. The undercroft has slit windows with wide embrasures. The walls are built of local limestone rubble, with alterations made in the 16th century.

Late 13th Century (Associated with Bishop Carew)

The Western Hall replaced the old hall, which became a kitchen. The hall has a fireplace at the centre of the north wall with the stub of a round chimney. The external corbels of this fireplace are carved as small pendants. Windows feature Early English stiff-leaf capitals on scoinson colonettes. The interior walls retain painted plaster in imitation of stone courses, with a flower motif stencilled onto some of the 'stones'. A parapet with crenellations and loopholes runs around the top. An attached latrine block stands at the southeast corner. The undercroft has windows with stepped high sills above what appear to be seats. The wall sockets for floor joists and the longitudinal bridging joist are visible, indicating the position of the original timber floor. The walls are built of local limestone with dressings in coarse freestone.

In later centuries the Western Hall remained the main hall of the palace. The undercroft was vaulted over, windows were converted to Tudor form, and an attic storey and new latrine block at the south were added.

Early 14th Century (Associated with Bishop Gower)

A long narrow hall, or possibly a suite of rooms, and undercroft were added at the east of the palace. Main stairs against the north wall rise above the undercroft porch, with corbels for a pentice roof sheltering the stairs. The hall was roofed with six trusses supported on corbels set about 1.5 metres above floor level. Pairs of trefoil-headed lancet windows with window seats light the interior. The east end has a fireplace with a conical chimney. A latrine wing is attached at the southwest. An arcaded parapet, less developed in type than that at Bishop Gower's work at St David's, runs along the top of the walls. The walls are built of local limestone rubble with sandstone dressings.

The undercroft is particularly fine, now appearing as a single vault with a slightly pointed apex. Several of the springings of eleven cross-ribs survive, though the ribs have almost completely disappeared and straight construction-joints in the stonework mark the rib positions.

A building at the east of the inner ward containing additional accommodation, known as the 'red chamber', may be contemporary with this phase.

Early 16th Century (Associated with Bishop Vaughan)

Fragments of a chapel survive, with a modern gateway at the east. A sacristy is positioned to the north, and fragments of Tudor windows remain. A fine Perpendicular east window survives.

Inner Ward

The inner ward gatehouse now stands in isolation. It comprises two storeys with a gatekeeper's room above. Altered stairs at the north incorporate a mounting block. The gateway has a pitched floor, above which is a shallow vaulted floor. A fireplace occupies the northeast corner of the upper room. Parapet arcading follows the Gower style.

Outer Ward

Fragments remain of an extensive outer ward to the north and west of the main buildings. The most important structure was Bishop Vaughan's great corn barn, of which the lower part of the north wall survives. Fragments of the outer gatehouse also remain. A later outer precinct wall faces the stream and fishponds to the south.

The palace is designated as a Scheduled Ancient Monument (Pe3) and is listed Grade I as a pre-Reformation monument of national importance.