Peterborough Bishops Palace

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Abbey of Peterborough

In the civil parish of Peterborough.
In the historic county of Northamptonshire (Soke of Peterborough) (Modern Authority of Peterborough; City of, 1974 county of Cambridgeshire).

Originally Abbey of Peterborough. Gateway on boundary of the palace, possibly the `Redde Gates' mentioned in 1541. C11 corner tower. Mainly built circa 1220 by Robert of Lindsay. Square turrets project at quoins, having crenellated parapets. 3 storey height. Each of the 2 turrets has a trefoil headed niche containing a statue of an abbot and prior, one of which may represent Godfrey of Crowland. Centre is gabled, containing a statue of King Edward, seated, above windows of 4 and 8 lights, strings between storeys. Centre archway has 4 orders of colonnettes with moulded capitals. Inside tyre archway, the main chamber has blank arcading and quadripartite vaulting. The room above the entrance, known as the Knights' Chamber, was formerly decorated with pictures of the knights who met there. The windows have been altered in Jacobean style. Abbot granted licence to crenellate in 1308.

This site has been described as a;
Palace
Fortified Ecclesiastical site.
The confidence that this site is a medieval fortification or palace is Possible.
Masonry ruins/remnants remains.

listed building

Images of England

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is TL19379848

PastScape number; 364288, 364275

Books

Serjeantson, R.M., Ryland, W. and Adkins, D. (eds), 1906, VCH Northamptonshire Vol2 p83-95 http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.asp?compid=40221
Turner, T.H. and Parker, J.H., 1859, Some account of Domestic Architecture in England (Oxford) Vol3 pt2 p249, 406

Journal Articles

Coulson, C., 1982, 'Hierarchism in Conventual Crenellation: An Essay in the Sociology and Metaphysics of Medieval Fortification' Medieval Archaeology Vol26 p69-100

Primary (Medieval documents or transcriptions of such documents - This section is far from complete and the secondary sources should be consulted for full references.)

Calendar of Patent Rolls (1307-13) p135

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*The listed building may not be the actual medieval building, but a building on the site of, or incorporating fragments of, the described site.

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Peterborough Bishops Palace

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is TL19379848

Sources of information, references and further reading