The Bishop’s Palace and Gardens

Om museet

The Bishop’s Palace in Wells has been the home of the Bishops of Bath and Wells for more than 800 years. The site dates from the early 13th century, when Bishop Jocelin received a royal licence to build a residence and deer park south of the cathedral. Successive bishops added to his palace: Bishop Burnell built the chapel and Great Hall in the late 13th century, and Bishop Bekynton added the north range and tower in the mid-15th century, which still serve as the bishop’s home and offices.

In the mid-14th century, a time of plague, famine and political unrest, Bishop Ralph surrounded the palace with a moat, ramparts and a gatehouse with a drawbridge, partly for protection and partly as a sign of authority. The moat has been home to mute swans since the 1800s, and the swans are known for ringing a bell at the gatehouse to ask for food. About 170 years ago Bishop Bagot added a storey to the medieval building.

Today visitors can walk through the vaulted Undercroft, the ruined Great Hall, the Long Gallery with its bishops’ portraits and rooms with exhibitions, including a display of coronation copes worn by bishops at royal coronations. The 14 acres of gardens include the springs that give Wells its name, an arboretum and a community garden, and have been an RHS Partner Garden since 2016. The site is run by The Palace Trust, an independent charity that is not part of the National Trust or English Heritage.

Højdepunkter

• Medieval palace with Undercroft, Long Gallery and ruined Great Hall
• Moat, ramparts and gatehouse with drawbridge
• Swans that ring a bell at the gatehouse for food
• Bishop’s Chapel built in the late 13th century
• 14 acres of RHS Partner Gardens with the well pools
• Dragon’s Lair play area and summer splash play zone

Permanente udstillinger

• The Palace building – Vaulted Undercroft, Long Gallery with portraits of bishops, the Coronation Room with a coronation cope and a recreated study of Bishop Wynne Willson.
• Gardens and well pools – Fourteen acres of gardens with the springs that gave Wells its name, an arboretum and a community garden.

Ejer

The Palace Trust

Entrépriser & rabatter

Day tickets can be bought online or on site. Members of the Historic Houses group and Friends of the Palace enter free on days without a special ticketed event; RHS members with starred cards enter free on Fridays and, in winter 2026, on Mondays; Gardeners’ World 2-for-1 vouchers are accepted. Discounts cannot be pre-booked and do not apply on special event days. The Annual Pass does not include ticketed events.

Tilgængelighed

• Delvis kørestolsvenlig
• Elevator
• Handicaptoilet
• Handicapparkering
• Servicehunde tilladt
• Taktile tilbud: ingen oplysninger
• Rundvisninger på tegnsprog: ingen oplysninger
• Letlæste tilbud: ingen oplysninger
• Synstolkning: ingen oplysninger

Paths are wide and mostly level, and a platform lift (door 889 mm wide) serves the palace building. There are accessible toilets in the Stable Yard and inside the palace. Three accessible parking spaces on site must be booked at least 48 hours ahead. Free wheelchair hire is available, ideally booked in advance, and a mobility scooter can be booked by email. The Rampart Walk, parts of the moat walk and the Bastion Gate route have steps, and there is no wheelchair access into the chapel from inside the palace building. An adult changing facility behind Wells Town Hall can be opened with a key held at the ticket office. The café has level access with automatic doors and wheelchair spaces.

Børn og familie

Velegnet til børn og familier

• Familieomvisninger & workshops
• Opgavehæfte, skattejagt eller audioguide for børn
• Interaktive stationer
• Barnevognsvenlig
• Puslerum
• Legeplads / legehjørne

The Dragon’s Lair play area has a carved dragon’s head and climbing frames, and a splash play zone with natural spring water is open from April to October. Families can follow trails, use the family multimedia tour, visit the Cabinet of Curiosity and play traditional games. Family events and workshops run during school holidays. Pushchairs are welcome and baby changing is available.

Transport & parkering

The entrance is through the Bishop’s Eye archway off Market Place; for sat nav use BA5 2RE and walk through the archway to the gatehouse. Bike racks are behind the gatehouse, and the site is on National Cycle Network route 3. On Wednesdays and Saturdays Wells Market is held in Market Place.

Service & spisesteder

• Café
• Restaurant: findes ikke
• Museumsbutik
• Wi-fi

The Bishop’s Table café, with outdoor seating and dog water bowls, offers breakfasts, lunches, cakes and afternoon tea and is in the free area, as is the shop. Free Wi-Fi is available on site. The café offers vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options.

Arrangementer & udlejning

• Lokaler til leje
• Private fester
• Firmaarrangementer
• Bryllupper / vielser

Op til 200 personer.

The Undercroft can host private dinners for 60 to 108 guests, and the first-floor Conference Room seats about 200. Weddings, celebration dinners and filming are also offered.

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