Bishop's Palace, Wells

The Bishop's Palace in Wells, Somerset, England, is the residence of the bishop of Bath and Wells and stands next to Wells Cathedral. Construction began around 1210 under Bishop Jocelin of Wells and his successor Reginald Fitz Jocelin, and Bishop Robert Burnell added the chapel and great hall between 1275 and 1292; later bishops, including Ralph of Shrewsbury in the fourteenth century and Thomas Beckington in the fifteenth, made further additions such as the crenellated walls and the 1341 gatehouse. The palace shows Early English and Decorated Gothic ecclesiastical architecture, with stone tracery and fortified walling reflecting a period of unrest between the bishops and the town. It now belongs to the Church Commissioners and is run as a historic house museum by the Palace Trust, with parts still used as the bishop's residence and offices, and it is also licensed for weddings, conferences, and filming, having appeared in productions including Hot Fuzz and The Huntsman.