Update on Bishop's Palace

The Archbishops' Council has been called into the matter of the Palace of the Bishop of Bath and Wells

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The row over the Church Commissioner's decision to relocate the Bishop of Bath and Wells from his historic residence has now entered uncharted waters.

Last week, the Bishop's Council at Wells took the unprecedented step of formally objecting to the Church Commissioner's proposal that has so dismayed the local community in Somerset and beyond (Country Life, January 22 and February 12).

This means that the Archbishops' Council must now arbitrate in the case. ‘To do this will further insult those who have opposed the change locally,' comments John Goodall, Country Life's Architecture Editor. ‘It will also cement the impression that the Commissioners have established themselves as an unassailable power, taking decisions on matters of public concern without consultation and in private, and also that they are effectively unanswerable even to Parliament, the sole body with powers to scrutinise them.'

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Bringing the quintessential English rural idle to life via interiors, food and drink, property and more Country Life’s travel content offers a window into the stunning scenery, imposing stately homes and quaint villages which make the UK’s countryside some of the most visited in the world.