The Old Palace, Worcester
The Old Palace, Worcester is an English listed[1] historic building, built c.1200, adjacent to Worcester Cathedral in the Church of England Diocese of Worcester, which is within the Province of Canterbury.[2]
Diocese of Worcester | |
---|---|
Location | |
Ecclesiastical province | Canterbury |
Archdeaconries | Dudley, Worcester |
Coordinates | 52.192°N 2.224°W |
Statistics | |
Parishes | 180 |
Churches | 284 |
Information | |
Cathedral | Worcester Cathedral |
Current leadership | |
Bishop | John Inge, Bishop of Worcester |
Suffragan | Graham Usher, Bishop of Dudley |
Archdeacons | Nikki Groarke, Archdeaconry of Dudley Robert Jones, Archdeacon of Worcester |
Website | |
cofe-worcester.org.uk |
History
The old palace was built for the Bishop of Worcester, Bishop Mauger, in c. 1200 during the reign of King John.[1] Queen Elizabeth I and her council visited the palace in 1575.[1]
During the English Civil War it was the venue for a council of war at which the Governor of Worcester, Colonel Henry Washington, refused to surrender to the parliamentary forces, leading to the Siege of Worcester in June 1646.[3] King James II stayed for three nights in 1687: during his stay he so upset the then Bishop of Worcester, William Thomas, that the City of Worcester failed to support James II during the Glorious Revolution in 1688.[3]
King George III stayed at the palace with members of his family in 1788: it was subsequently identified as the place to which Queen Charlotte would flee in the event of a French invasion of the United Kingdom in the late 18th century.[4]
The building remained the official residence of the Bishop of Worcester until 1846 when the Church Commissioners sold it to the Dean and Chapter of Worcester Cathedral for use as a deanery.[2]
References
- Historic England. "The old Palace (1389763)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 25 June 2020.
- "The Old Palace". Church of England, Worcester. Retrieved 25 June 2020.
- "Three Incidents at the Old Palace". Worcester People and Places. 17 March 2019. Retrieved 5 December 2020.
- "AD 1789-1815 Waiting for Napoleon". History Files. Retrieved 25 June 2020.