Gatehouse, Bishop's Palace, Wells

The gatehouse and boundary wall probably date from the 1340s when Bishop Ralph of Shrewsbury had licence to crenellate, that is to fortify, his palace. A great moat was dug around the palace site and a wall built on the raised earth with bastions at intervals. The gateway is flanked by two three-storey, rectangular towers with chamfered corners. There are several windows including an oriel so the rooms in the towers may have been partly for domestic use. The medieval gates would have been protected by a portcullis and drawbridge, since replaced by a fixed bridge. A small oriel window overlooks the gate, presumably for the gatekeeper to keep watch on arrivals.