You enter the site via the impressive Entrance Arch (1). This was used for ceremonial processions to and from the Cathedral. It once had heavy doors and a portcullis for defence. The existing doors are Victorian.
The Gate House (2) is a defensive structure that faced the marketplace (now The Green). It has 2 towers with several rooms. Inside is the Prison doorway. The external stairs up to it and its floor are missing. Below it was a basement accessed through the prison floor (the stairs you see are relatively modern).
On the other side of the arch is the Guard Room (3). It has defensive narrow windows. Its basement is now filled in.
Next to the Guard Room, spiral stairs can be seen in a square turret (4). These led to a first floor room spanning the entrance arch and both gatehouse towers. The stairs also led to one of the walkways around the tops of the Palace Walls.
If you stand inside the northeast corner of the palace walls (5), the Great Hall would have been above you. This grand room was once used for receiving guests and dining. The level of the ground today is above where the Hall’s cellar would have been. There are low arches visible that belong to its windows. Over time the ground height has been altered.
In 2026, archaeologists found a burning deposit in the rear garden of Well Cottage at cellar floor level. This suggests the Great Hall was burned down in medieval times, likely during the Owain Glyndŵr rebellion (1400 – 1415).
The south wall has a tower at either end (6), each with small rooms and a toilet. You can still see some of the stairs leading to the first floor.
Much of the space within the palace walls would have been open. There may have been other buildings within the walls providing rooms and stables.
Conservation and repair
As part of an ongoing programme to protect and preserve the historic fabric of Old Bishop’s Palace, conservation and repair works were undertaken across the gatehouse, towers and boundary walls in 2025-26. This included restoring the timber gates, repairing stonework, lime mortar repointing, vegetation removal, wall stabilisation and renewal of protective cappings.
Traditional materials and methods were used; including hot lime mortars, hand-finished lime renders and air-dried oak repairs.
These works were funded by Cardiff Council and a CADW Scheduled Ancient Monument Grant.
