The magnificent ruins of the Bishop’s Palace lie just across the stream from the Cathedral. The Palace is actually younger than the Cathedral, though many visitors assume that it is the ruins of an older church. but the majority is fourteenth century.

The early Welsh Bishops are thought to have lived in more modest apartments attached to the Cathedral itself. However, with the coming of the first Norman Bishop in 1115 building styles changed and became both grander and more fortified. The first Norman bishops probably lived in a small earthwork castle at Castell Penlan, just to the west of the present Close Wall.

The earliest parts of the Palace date from the late twelfth century. During the twelfth and thirteenth centuries the wall with fortified gates was built around the Cathedral and it’s Close, serving the duel purpose of defining the sanctified area, and of defending it from outsiders. The Palace was added to in stages, during this time. Royal visits by Henry II in 1172 and by Edward I and Queen Eleanor in 1284 probably added impetus to building works. No doubt the impending visit of the Head of State could work miracles in getting jobs done then, as it does now, I wonder if they also thought that the world always smells of fresh paint.

The grandest of the building work was by Bishop Henry de Gower (1328-47). This included the Great hall, with it’s magnificent wheel window, the Bishop’s hall and the East wing. The walls are topped with beautiful multi-arched parapets and decorated with a chequerboard pattern of purple, green and white stone. The external walls were plastered and painted white. The grandeur of the building shows how much wealth the Cathedral must have amassed from it’s pilgrim visitors. At the same time the houses of the Cathedral clerics were rebuilt and the Close wall refurbished.

Subsequent Bishops do not seem to have been so keen to spend all their time in such a remote corner of the country. They visited for the main religious festivals, but otherwise the Palace would have been run on just a skeleton staff.

The Reformation of the Church in the 1530’s meant that St. David's lost its status as a centre of pilgrimage. Bishop William Barlow (1536-48) became the first Protestant bishop of St. David's. He preferred to live in a more convenient location, and tried to have the centre of the see moved to Carmarthen. He failed in this, but he did move the official residence of the Bishops of the see to Abergwili, just outside Carmarthen, where they reside to this day. Bishop Barlow then became the real villain of the piece, for now, having little further use for the Palace, he stripped the lead off the roofs and sold it. Local legend has it that he used the money to provide dowries for his five daughters, who all married bishops. He must have re-roofed some part of the building in some cheaper material, as records show that the palace was occasionally stayed in by later bishops on visits to the Cathedral.

The Palace gradually decayed, and the last record of it having been used as a building was in 1633. The ruins are now in the care of Cadw, who have done much to consolidate the remaining stone work. On the 1st of June 1995 Queen Elizabeth II visited St. David's to confer city status on the village. After the Cathedral ceremony, she attended a large lunch party held in a marquee in the Palace grounds.

Photograph © Philip Clarke