An Iconic and Historic London Venue

About the Space

A Grade I listed building with medieval origins and was formerly the principal residence of the Bishop of London. The site was the country home of the bishops from at least the 11th century until 1973. The house is a mixture of different architectural styles. Each reveals the changing tastes and needs of the bishops and their families. The red brick Tudor courtyard and the great hall are the oldest parts of the surviving building, dating to around 1495. Over the centuries, the great hall was remodelled to suit the fashions of the day. Its function changed too; originally a banqueting hall and court room, it became a drawing room, chapel and finally a dining room. In the 1760s Bishop Terrick demolished the medieval chapel and redesigned parts of the house and a chapel in the fashionable Strawberry Hill Gothic style. The most recent addition to the house is the chapel, built for Bishop Tait in the 1860s. The botanic garden is 13 acres of stunning plantings, rare trees and a beautiful walled garden. Today’s garden layout is greatly influenced by the changes Bishop Terrick made in the late 18th century. He relandscaped the garden to take advantage of the river views and created the current walled garden, incorporating an earlier Tudor wall.