The gardens at the Bishop’s Palace are a haven of tranquillity
and peace. Visitors are free to wander over the lawns past
flower-beds, specimen trees and shrubs.
There is evidence that a garden existed here even before Bishop
Jocelin began work on the palace c.1206. Over the years the
gardens have changed as successive bishops have added their
legacy.
Much of the existing landscaping on
the South Lawn was carried out by Bishop George Henry
Law in the mid-nineteenth century. This was an era when
there was a great nostalgia for the medieval past. The
Great Hall was in a state of decay by this time and
Law wished to emphasise the impression of a romantic
ruin by removing the south wall. The remaining wall
and other masonry stand as a decorative curtain, pierced
with the tracery of medieval windows and architectural
fragments.
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