Woodford Court House

Has been described as a Certain Palace (Bishop), and also as a Certain Fortified Manor House

There are no visible remains

NameWoodford Court House
Alternative NamesWodeford Episcopi; Bisshopwodford; Bishop Woodford
Historic CountryWiltshire
Modern AuthorityWiltshire
1974 AuthorityWiltshire
Civil ParishWoodford

A house dating to C15 or C16 and originating as the Court House for the Bishop of Salisbury's manor. The south east range is the oldest part of the house with the north west range added circa 1830-1840. It is built of rendered brick with a slate roof, extended to north with flint and brick chequerwork on one bay, separately roofed. It has two storeys. A little to the east of the house is the site of a small medieval building, possibly a chapel, which was in a ruinous state and demolished in 1875. (PastScape)

Bishop Shaxton pulled it down because it was already somewhat in ruins. (Leland)

Gatehouse Comments

Geophysical survey carried out in 2001 by N. Payne. Payne writes 'The resistivity survey has confirmed that the main residential block of the medieval residence of the bishops of Salisbury was probably located to the east of the Court House in Lower Woodford, by the river Avon. The two courses of the river bounded the manor house to the west and east, and the artificial channel to the north may have been cut during the medieval period. Together, these watercourses formed what could be viewed as a partially moated site. The convenient location close to the river Avon meant that the bishops would needed only to take a short boat trip down stream to arrive at the cathedral and bishop's palace at Salisbury, which are situated close to the Avon.'

- Philip Davis

Not scheduled

This is a Grade 2 listed building protected by law

Historic England Scheduled Monument Number
Historic England Listed Building number(s)
Images Of England
Historic England (PastScape) Defra or Monument number(s)
County Historic Environment Record
OS Map Grid ReferenceSU126353
Latitude51.1169281005859
Longitude-1.82000994682312
Eastings412620
Northings135320
HyperLink HyperLink HyperLink

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Calculate Print

Books

  • Smith, P.L., 2013, The Bishop's Palace at Salisbury (Reading: Spire Books) p. 188-90
  • Emery, Anthony, 2006, Greater Medieval Houses of England and Wales Vol. 3 Southern England (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press) p. 627-9, 695
  • Thompson, M.W., 1998, Medieval bishops' houses in England and Wales (Aldershot: Ashgate Publishing) p. 167, 168, 184
  • Crittal, Eliz. (ed), 1962, 'Woodford' VCH Wiltshire Vol. 6 p. 221-7 online transcription
  • Turner, T.H. and Parker, J.H., 1859, Some account of Domestic Architecture in England (Oxford) Vol. 3 Part 2 p. 411 online copy

Antiquarian

  • Chandler, John, 1993, John Leland's Itinerary: travels in Tudor England  (Sutton Publishing) p. 495
  • Toulmin-Smith, Lucy (ed), 1907, The itinerary of John Leland in or about the years 1535-1543 (London: Bell and Sons) Vol. 1 p. 261 online copy

Primary Sources

  • Maxwell Lyte, H.C. (ed), 1895, Calendar of Patent Rolls Edward III (1334-38) Vol. 3 p. 498 online copy
  • Maxwell Lyte, H.C. (ed), 1895, Calendar of Patent Rolls Richard II (1377-81) Vol. 1 p. 9, 10 online copy

Other

  • Payne, Naomi, 2003, The medieval residences of the bishops of Bath and Wells, and Salisbury (PhD Thesis University of Bristol) p. 198-203 (available via EThOS)