Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Central Asia yurt night stars
Uzbekistan • 15 days, 14 nights
Central Asia Road Trip: Backroads & Bazaars
from
A view of Brașov’s Old Town.
Romania • 12 days, 11 nights
Legends of Romania: Castles, Ruins & Culinary Delights
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
Side profile of the bomb prototype.
Petwood Hotel Bouncing Bomb
RAF Harrington
RAF Harrington
The Beaux-arts interior with Pool layout still visible.
Écomusée du fier monde
Village du Livre de Fontenoy-la-Joûte
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
Cacio e pepe lasagna combines two classics.
C'è pasta... E pasta!
Spaghetto taratatà is named for the sound of rattling sabers.
Giano Restaurant
The gnocchi here get blanketed in a sugo with braised oxtail.
Cesare al Pellegrino
Romans insist you should feel the cracked peppercorns and cheese grains on your tongue.
Flavio al Velavevodetto
Tripe is fried to a crisp.
L’Osteria della Trippa
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
One of the PATH’s many entrances.
A Supposedly Boring Mall I Might Actually Visit Again
about 9 hours ago
People paddling in their wooden canoes on one of the lakes near the Allagash Waterway in the north woods in Maine
The Allagash Abductions: This State Park’s Most Famous Visitors ... Are Aliens?
1 day ago
The rocky Revere Beach coast in Revere, Massachusetts, just outside Boston.
Which Places With Bad Raps Are Actually Worth Visiting?
2 days ago
A dugong displays the telltale “smile.”
Saving the Sea Cows of Vanuatu
2 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United Kingdom England Southwell The Archbishop's Palace

The Archbishop's Palace

Once a palace for the Archbishop of York, these 15th-century ruins now serve as a haunt for history buffs.

Southwell, England

Added By
Alan Newman
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
  Christine Hasman/Geograph
  Christine Hasman/Geograph
The latrine tower   Dr Alan P Newman / Atlas Obscura User
  Dr Alan P Newman / Atlas Obscura User
Exterior walls of the ruined section and sensory garden   Ian Taylor/Geograph
The latrine tower   Dr Alan P Newman / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Originally built in the 15th-century as a palace for the Archbishop of York, this historic castle was damaged extensively by Parliamentarians after the English Civil War. In the Georgian period, the remaining habitable parts of the Palace was home to a “respectable seminary for young ladies” as well as being used as the local magistrate’s court.

In the late 19th century parts of the Palace were restored as an episcopal residency when the nearby Minster obtained cathedral status. Today, the restored part of the building is often filled with the sound of singing from the Song School, an integral part of Southwell Minster since the 13th century.

This part of the building is not open to the public but visitors are free to go to the first-floor stateroom, said to be the place where Cardinal Wolseley made his last desperate efforts to obtain the annulment of the first marriage of Henry VIII. In the 17th century, the palace was the first place of captivity of Charles I, who was captured by the Scottish Allies of Oliver Cromwell towards the end of the English Civil War. 

Related Tags

History History & Culture Ruins England

Know Before You Go

The ruined part of the palace is not accessible to the public from the interior, but a publicly accessible sensory garden allows access to the ruined exterior walls. The highlight of this part of the tour is the "Latrine Tower," an example of a 15th-century sanitation provision, which once housed a four place, side by side, drop latrine which delivered its excrement into a pit about 15 feet below.

Community Contributors

Added By

Dr Alan P Newman

Published

September 28, 2018

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
The Archbishop's Palace
Church St
Southwell, England
United Kingdom
53.077635, -0.954285
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Places

The Saracen's Head Hotel

Southwell, England

miles away

The Leaves of Southwell

Southwell, England

miles away

The Workhouse

Southwell, England

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Southwell

Southwell

England

Places 4

Nearby Places

The Saracen's Head Hotel

Southwell, England

miles away

The Leaves of Southwell

Southwell, England

miles away

The Workhouse

Southwell, England

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Southwell

Southwell

England

Places 4

Related Places

  • Wormsloe Historic Site tree canopy.

    Savannah, Georgia

    Wormsloe State Historic Site

    The tabby ruin is Savannah’s oldest surviving structure.

    Sponsored by Visit Savannah
  • View from Above; a more recent concrete construction can be seen nearby

    Green Island, Taiwan

    Youzihu

    The ruins of a prehistoric village hide on a remote Taiwanese island.

  • Gate of the Sun

    Tiwanaku, Bolivia

    Tiwanaku

    Over a millennium ago, this site on the shores of Lake Titicaca was home to a city of more than 10,000 people.

  • Velha Goa, India

    Gate of St. Paul's College

    All that remains of a 16th-century Jesuit school is this carved, worn gate.

  • Southwell, England

    The Saracen's Head Hotel

    A 13th-century inn where the ill-fated King Charles I spent his last night of freedom.

  • Baltasar Bachero tile mosaic

    Madrid, Spain

    Baltasar Bachero Tile Mosaic

    Baltasar Bachero became a hero after he saved the lives of two children nearly run over by an out-of-control mule-drawn carriage.

  • Bottom of the visiting gallery showing the cross-section of the qanat after the fault. The metal structure symbolises the location of the P5 and the gallery digging into the stone.

    Walferdange, Luxembourg

    Raschpëtzer Qanat

    A Roman water tunnel still flows 2,000 years on.

  • The Sign for the Old Wellington, with the Old Wellington itself in the background on the left.

    Manchester, England

    The Shambles

    Two of Manchester’s oldest buildings were moved twice.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.