Lyddington Bede House
| Lyddington Bishops Palace and later Lyddington Bedehouse | |
|---|---|
 Lyddington Bede House | |
| Location | The Bedehouse is sited adjacent to the parish church. |
| OS grid reference | SP8758797005 |
| Founded | 12th. Century |
| Demolished | Wing of a building, the remainder demolished after 1547 |
| Architectural style(s) | Medieval with later alterations |
| Governing body | English Heritage |
Listed Building – Grade I | |
| Designated | 10 November 1955 |
| Reference no. | ID: 427654 |
| Reference no. | 180 |
  Location in Rutland | |
Lyddington Bede House is a historic house in Rutland, England, owned and opened to the public by English Heritage. The existing Grade I listed building[1] is a part of a former palace of the Bishops of Lincoln, situated next to the church in the village of Lyddington. The watch tower or gazebo is separately listed as Grade I[2] and the boundary walls are Grade II.[3] The site is a scheduled ancient monument.[4]
History
The medieval Diocese of Lincoln was the largest bishopric in England, extending from the River Thames to the Humber Estuary. Lyddington lay on a north-south road and the estate here was a convenient place for the bishop's entourage to stop when traversing the diocese.
After the Reformation, ownership passed to the Cecil family who made it their private house. By 1600 it had passed to Thomas Cecil, 1st Earl of Exeter, son of Lord Burghley, who converted it into an almshouse for twelve poor bedesmen and it continued in this use until 1930. A feature is the former bishops' Great Chamber with its beautifully carved ceiling cornice.
The remains of the fishponds of the bishop's palace are nearby.
Nearby English Heritage attractions
See also: Other Palaces and Residences of the Bishop of Lincoln
- ?Biggleswade
- Buckden Palace
- Dorchester, Oxfordshire
- Fingest, Buckinghamshire.
- Horncastle, Lincolnshire. Bishops Palace.
- Lincoln Medieval Bishop's Palace
- London, Camden, Inn of the Bishop of Lincoln, later Southampton House. Purchased from Templars by Bishop Robert de Chesney (1148-68).
- ?Louth, Lincolnshire
- Nettleham,Lincolnshire.
- Spaldwick, Huntingdoshire. Bury Close.
- Stow, Lincolnshire
- Thame, Oxfordshire.
- Wooburn, Buckinghamshire. Bishops Palace
Bibliography
- Country Life July 24th 1909, pp. 126-134.
- Goodall J. (2017), Preserved to Perfection: Lyddington Palace, Rutland. Country Life, March 1st, pp.62-66.
- Pevsner N & Wiliiamson, (1984), The Buildings of England: Leicestershire and Rutland, Yale University Press pp 482-3
- The Victoria History of the County of Rutland: Volume I, (1908), 118-119
- The Victoria History of the County of Rutland: Volume II, (1935), 188-191
- Woodfield, C and P, (1993) Lyddington Bede House
- Woodfield, C and P, (1982) The Palace of the Bishops of Lincoln at Lyddington, Transactions of the Leics Archaeological and Historical Society', Vol. 57, 1-16 [1]
Lyddington Bishops Palace and Bedehouse Gallery
|
References
- ^ Historic England. "The Bedehouse (1264528)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 20 August 2015.
- ^ Historic England. "The Watch Tower (1236617)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 21 August 2015.
- ^ Historic England. "Walls surrounding enlosures <sic> to north east south west of Lyddington Bedehouse (1236618)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 21 August 2015.
- ^ Historic England. "Lyddington Bedehouse: a medieval bishop's palace and post-medieval almshouse with moat, gardens, fishponds and cultivation remains (1013825)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 21 August 2015.
External links
- Lyddington Bede House - official site at English Heritage