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The Great Britain Guide

Castles · South Wales

Bishop's Palace

♿ Wheelchair: limited

Bishop's Palace — ruined palace in Llandaff, Cardiff, Wales.

Bishop's Palace, castles in South Wales

Wikimedia Commons contributors — see linked file page for photographer and licence licence

Plan your visit

Typical visit
1.5 h–3 h
Nearest railway station
Waun-gron Park · 1.1 km
  • Family-friendly
  • Limited wheelchair access

About

Bishop's Palace is a castle in the United Kingdom — fortified architecture from the medieval, Tudor, or Victorian-revival period. Heritage designation: scheduled monument. Wikidata describes it as: "ruined palace in Llandaff, Cardiff, Wales". Coordinates: 51.4946°, -3.2176°.

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From the Wikipedia article

The Bishop's Palace (Welsh: Llys yr Esgob) which is also known as Llandaff Castle or Bishop's Castle or the Old Bishop's Palace, is the ruined residence of the bishops of Llandaff. It is located a short distance to the south of Llandaff Cathedral in Cardiff, Wales. The twin-towered gatehouse is one of the few remaining structures.

Excerpt from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0. See the source article linked in Sources below.

Background

History

The surviving gatehouse resembles the architecture of Caerphilly Castle, which may indicate that the same master mason worked on both fortifications. This would date the Palace to the time of William de Braose who became Bishop of Llandaff in 1266. It is believed the Palace was attacked and damaged by Owain Glyndŵr in the rebellion of 1402–05, and was subsequently abandoned by the bishop of the period,

Description

The Bishop's Palace was really a small medieval fortress set in a rectangular enclosure measuring 52 by. It had four irregular lengths of curtain wall, three towers and a gatehouse at the west corner. One of the towers was square and another was round, while the third has disappeared completely. The remains of the gatehouse survive to this day. It has two towers and originally had two storeys above the basement, a vaulted archway, a portcullis slot and a great oak door with much decorative ironwork. There would have been timber buildings within the courtyard, but there is now no sign of these. The Bishop's Palace buildings are Grade I listed, meaning they are of exceptional architectural…

Sourced from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Coordinates
51.4946, -3.2176
District
Cardiff
Parish
Llandaff
Postcode
CF5 2ED
Parliamentary constituency
Cardiff West
Nearest railway station
Waun-gron Park1.1 km

Sources

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Frequently asked questions

Where is Bishop's Palace?
Bishop's Palace is in South Wales, United Kingdom (postcode CF5 2ED), in the parish of Llandaff.
Who owns Bishop's Palace?
Bishop's Palace is owned by Cardiff Council.
Is Bishop's Palace a listed building?
Bishop's Palace is officially recognised as scheduled monument listed.
Does Bishop's Palace charge admission?
Bishop's Palace typically charges admission. Check the official site for current ticket prices and opening hours.
How do I get to Bishop's Palace?
The nearest railway station is Waun-gron Park, about 1.1 km away. Drivers can navigate to postcode CF5 2ED.