The London house of the medieval bishops of Winchester in Southwark originated in the mid 12th century. Situated adjacent to the Thames and wharves, it developed into a palatial residence based around an inner and outer courtyard and accommodating the bishop, his household and servants. The results of archaeological rescue excavations in 1983–90, mainly in the east part of the site, are supplemented by a wealth of documentary and pictorial evidence, taking the story into the 19th century. Fire in 1814 revealed the surviving medieval masonry of the hall and service range, and the hall’s west gable wall with its rose window is an imposing landmark today
