An Audience with the Bishop

Bishop Henry presiding over a meeting of church leaders in the east hall block in about 1160. By this stage the hall itself had been relocated to the first floor of the building, by Liam Wales © English Heritage. The east hall was the public audience chamber of Henry of Blois, designed for large assemblies and ceremonial occasions.

The hall was probably built by 1138, when the Winchester Annals record that 'Bishop Henry built a house like a palace'. However, within 20 years of its construction, Henry had remodelled the building, raising the hall to first-floor level.

Appointed abbot of Glastonbury in 1126, Henry became bishop of Winchester three years later. When his br other Stephen was appointed king in 1135, he took on the role of the king's chief advisor, and in 1139 he became papal legate, the pope's representative in England.

Henry needed a suitably grand hall for his important duties so that he could hold large meetings, receive important visitors, and entertain his guests. An outstanding 27 metres long, and displaying the latest fashionable architectural features, this hall was clearly designed to impress.