01
May
As the bus ambled down Wells Hall Road passing dilapidated buildings with rusty roofs, and uniform brown council flats I thought Google had it wrong. Was this the right neighbourhood? It certainly didn’t look like a place you would put a palace.
Then, as I walked away from Eltham High Street and down Court Road, things became more royal-looking.
I crossed the stone bridge over the surrounding moat and into the grand entrance of Eltham Palace where I was immediately struck by Art Deco magnificence.
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- Virginia kept notes
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- Queen Mary dined here
Initially, my interest lay in the fact that Henry VIII spent time here as a child. This visit revealed a more modern history that piqued my interest. After some years of disrepair, eccentric millionaires, Stephen and Virginia Courtauld took over the lease on the property and renovated it with mod cons such as a centralised vacuum system and underfloor and radiant ceiling heating as well as wonderfully elaborate Art Deco furnishings.
The Courtaulds stayed through most of the war but left near its end passing on the remainder of the lease to the Army until 1995, when English Heritage took over the management and restoration.
The first recording of the manor at Eltham was in 1086 and belonged to the Bishop of Bayeux, half-brother of William the Conqueror. It changed hands a few times before it was presented to the future Edward II in 1305. During the 14th century, it became one the most popular royal palaces and received extensive alterations before it became the boyhood home of Henry VIII.
The elaborate hammerbean oak roof dates from the 1470s.
Gardens and Cafe
My inner child came out to play in the
