By Harry Mottram: Despite having worked in Wells in Somerset for several years I had only visited the Bishop’s Palace once. And that was to interview the then Bishop of Bath and Wells in his office for a magazine. But frankly I didn’t get much out of Bishop James Lawton Thompson. He came across as a dull professional politician of the House of Lords who was only interested in telling me how hard it was to get to Westminster by train and how being an unelected member of parliament didn’t mean he didn’t have a mandate. He refused to say if he was for or against fox hunting – or the Countryside Alliance – big issues at the time and he wouldn’t commit to saying if he was for or against Tony Blair’s New Labour Government and their plans to pump money into Sure Start and state education. All that privilege and he had no opinions. I should have asked him what his favourite type of cake was but I don’t think I’d have got an answer.
Talking of cakes back in the day you could wander into the cathedral without paying a fee and have a cuppa in the old cafe and a slice of fruit cake in The Cloisters. Now it’s been moved to The Loft in the new annex with new prices – or you could visit the gift shop on a Sunday and not worry about Sunday Trading rules as you bought a book on its history or a book mark – something you couldn’t do at a book shop on a Sunday at the time. Decades later there’s been a change in how places like the cathedral, Stonehenge, the Roman Baths and other places on an imaginary bucket-lit of must-see English heritage places are marketed. They’ve become more professional in the way they get tourists to part with their cash – and to be fair they’ve improved access, presentation and historical interpretation – at a price of course.
Back to the Bishop’s Palace. One afternoon Linda and I decided to take a stroll around the Cathedral and then across the moat past the swans and through the archway into the historic residence. It had been fortified in less peaceful times in the 14th century by Bishop Ralph of Shrewsbury who feared for his security after hiking new taxes on the locals who were none to pleased. Inside the walls the bishop and his successors lived a life of luxury with beautiful furniture, fabulous meals, fortunes in cash from all those local taxes and numerous servants to wait on their every need.
However the life of the bishops were interrupted by The Reformation when the palace was sold to the Duke of Somerset, but the church authorities managed to acquire it again after the Duke’s death. The Civil War and Monmouth rebellion saw troops surrounding the palace and prisoners held within its walls. Following the conflicts the business of the bishops resumed as they became richer and more comfortable filling the palace with portraits, luxury goods and modern conveniences often from investments which included those derived from slavery. A sensitive subject as there was a small exhibition which tried to show how the church authorities had come clean and explained which bishops benefitted from the horrors. Two early 19th Century bishops campaigned for the abolishment of slavery but despite their fine words the wealth derived from investments which included the profits of slavery continued to furnish their finances.
Today’s occupant of the bishop’s palace no longer has the power to tax the locals or collect tithes but has to rely on visitors, the gift shop and cafe as well as private hires for weddings, parties, meetings and fundraising events – and his salary as a member of the House of Lords and as a bishop in the C&E. And in an effort to explain its dark history with its connections to exploitation and slavery has recognised its past with talks and resources with other local institutions connected to slavery with a website at https://wellsandtransatlanticslavery.com/
Like all stately homes it makes for a pleasant meander around. The grand rooms, the long history, the paintings and furniture, the immaculate grounds and a feeling of fading glory. And like so many palaces and houses that were once owned by the fabulously wealthy a weakness for bling. Gold this and that, silver this and that – and those bishop’s robes and mitres – not the humble dog collar for them, but something in purple with gold edging to ensure everyone knew who they were. The bishops today are still a privileged lot but no longer have quite the wealth their predecessors enjoyed but they retain their political influence. The immaculate way the palace is kept and presented to visitors is impressive – as are the magnificent trees in the grounds along with a half decent cafe. But it was hard not to think of those thousands of local parishioners, tradespeople, farm workers and employees who for centuries had laboured to create such an monument to power and money.
Since 2022 the current Bishop of Bath and Wells is the Rt Revd Michael Beasley, who is the 80th incumbent in a line stretching back to John of Tours in the 11th century. One thing you can say about Michael Beasley is unlike James Thompson who I interviewed all those years ago, he does have opinions. He’s reported to have spoken of his doubts about assisted dying, of a need to overhaul the safeguarding in the C of E following a number of sexual scandals involving clergy and children, and he voted in favour of the introduction of blessings for same-sex couples. Nothing too radical but as a former epidemiologist specialising in child infectious diseases he does have some expert knowledge on one area of medicine – but as a member of the 25 strong Lords Spiritual in the House of Lords retains considerable influence when it comes to legislation – rather like his 79 predecessors.
For details of the palace and prices and opening hours visit https://bishopspalace.org.uk/
Harry Mottram
Harry is a freelance journalist and lives in Axbridge in Somerset.
For more visit: www.harrymottram.co.uk or follow him on Facebook, X, Instagram, Threads, BlueSky, YouTube, TikTok, and God knows where else!
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