The Medieval bishops’ complex occupied the entire area now used as playing fields. To the left is the current bishop’s residence, built as a replacement in 1684.
Though Wolvesey was the palace of the Bishop of Winchester, not the royal palace, it
took on an increasingly important role during royal visits after the fire at the castle in 1302. In 1306 Queen Margaret came to Winchester for the birth of her child but due to the recent fire in the royal apartments at the castle, she was lodged at Wolvesey Palace for her confinement. Richard II and Anne of Bohemia stayed at the palace in September 1393. At the end of June 1415 Henry V received the French ambassadors here for an unsuccessful round of peace talks hosted by Henry Beaufort, Bishop of Winchester and Chancellor of England. The failure of these talks led to the Battle of Agincourt (25 October 1415), where Henry V famously defeated the French. Mary Tudor was lodged here before her wedding in 1554 (whilst Philip of Spain lodged at the cathedral dean’s house in the Cathedral Close) and the dinner and festivities to celebrate her marriage were also held here. More recently, Queen Elizabeth II began her 1955 visit to the city here where she was welcomed by the mayor, the town clerk and the Bishop of Winchester.
