Durham House

Durham House, or Durham Inn, was the historic London residence of the Bishop of Durham in the Strand, with its gardens descending to the Thames. Bishop Thomas Hatfield built the opulent Durham House circa 1345; it had a large chapel and a high-ceilinged hall supported by marble pillars. On the Strand side its gatehouse led to a large courtyard. The hall and chapel faced the entrance, and private apartments overlooked the river. Accounts describe Durham House as a noble palace befitting a prince. Henry IV, his son Henry, Prince of Wales (later Henry V), and their retinues stayed once at the residence. Durham House remained an episcopal palace until Bishop Cuthbert Tunstall relinquished it to Henry the Eighth, who vowed to give the Bishop...