Wolvesey Castle (Old Bishop's Palace)

The entry is free.Opening times : April - October (daily) from 10 am till 5 pm. From November - March ( only Saturdays and Sundays) from 10 am to 4 pm.A lot of information on the boards. A good excursion from the Cathedral if you are in Winchester (within walkable distance)

LOVE this castle. Very atmospheric at dusk! Good instructions. Lovely views around. Free! And quiet. The perfect setting for a Shakespearean tragedy (Macbeth)

This building was certainly built as a fortified house and must have been magnificent in its day.It was good to have the signboards around the building giving a history of the times. I never new about the battles in the area of these times so it was great to hear about it now.Well worth a visit and it’s free!!Plenty of local parking

Fantastic ruins to explore on the edge of Winchester town centre. Although it says it's a castle, it's more of a fortified palace for the bishops of old. Free entry and no longer manned by English heritage. Quite a lot of the ruins are falling down, leading to a few spots being fenced off. Plenty of information boards scattered around. Parking is available on the street. We spent around 30 mins looking around.

Fantastic ruins!! Signs give good details such as the uses of some of the rooms. It was a great way to envision people living there in the past going about their daily lives. I really enjoyed seeing it!

Well-preserved ruins and a lot of information containing history about the castle's past. But not an awful lot to look at.

Wolvesey Castle was one of the greatest medieval buildings is England - the palace of the powerful and wealthy bishops of Winchester.Throughout the medieval period the bishops of Winchester held one of the highest positions of power in the English church, as well as in national politics.They owned vast estates stretching from Somerset to London which brought themgreat wealth.Although known today as a castle, Wolvesey was in fact a luxurious palace.The surviving ruins of Wolvesey were largelythe creation of one man, Bishop Henry of Blois, who built a palace befitting hisimmense wealth and powerful position.When Henry of Blois became bishop of Winchester in 1129,the residence consisted of one large hall block, which had been built in about 1110 by the previous bishop, William Giffard .Until his death 42 years later, Henry continually added newbuildings, which consist of another hall block, a keep, a defensive tower, further walls and two gatehouses.Henry's palace survived virtually intactfor the next 500 years! It is his work that comprises most of theruins seen today.The ruins are now in the care of English Heritage.The entry is free.Opening times : April - October (daily) from 10 am till 5 pm. From November - March ( only Saturdays and Sundays) from 10 am to 4 pm.Definitely recommend it!

Historic importance…free entry..in town do visit it

A quiet ruin, free to visit and easy to get to, tucked away in the heart of Winchester. This was a very significant site in history. There's no shelter so consider the weather. From the city centre you can take a lovely walk down to the site along the river.

Excellent little gem near the cathedral. English Heritage but this site is free to visit. Highly recommend