Bishop's Palace, Peel (Tudor/Medieval)

Within Peel Castle on St Patrick's Isle, the ruins of the Bishop's Palace and Cathedral of St German date from the medieval period but were used and modified through the Tudor era. The bishops were powerful figures — controlling church lands, tithes, and justice across the island. The last bishop to live here did so in the 1600s before the palace fell into ruin. WHY: The approach to Peel Castle via the causeway and the harbour area beside it concentrated traffic for centuries. Pilgrims, merchants, soldiers, prisoners (the castle was also a prison), and bishops' retainers all passed through. The foreshore around the causeway is detectable at low tide. The town of Peel itself — especially the harbour area and old streets — has Tudor/post-medieval layers beneath modern surfaces.