Eltham Palace, Tudor Home and Art Deco Dream
A Millionaire's House and Garden Now Open to All in South London
Eltham Palace is one of London's most luxurious houses - a home to royalty that later became the palace of 1930s millionaires. Combining medieval and Tudor style, Art Deco elegance and a quintessentially English garden, it's a perfect place to visit if you've seen the Tower of London and the big museums and are looking for a less crowded, more intimate experience.
Step Back In Time To An Age of Elegance
The Entrance Hall is one of the most perfect Art Deco interiors in Britain, flooded with light from a glass dome in the ceiling. Walking into it gives visitors the feeling of stepping back into a more gracious age. Sir Stephen and Lady Virginia Courtauld, members of a super-rich textile dynasty, leased the remains of the Palace in 1933. They restored the remaining historic fabric, including the Great Hall, and alongside it they built a London home that was the ultimate in glamour. Specially designed furniture and carpets are arranged in interiors of the utmost luxury. In the dining room, pink leather upholstery and black and silver walls with animal motifs taken from London Zoo create an aura of utter sophistication. Upstairs, the couple's bedrooms are near a specially built room for their pet lemur.
A Millionaire's Gardens at Eltham Palace
The Courtaulds also laid out the gardens, incorporating the moat and remains of former walls and towers. A sunken rose garden with heavily scented hybrid musk roses lies alongside the brick remains of rooms built for Elizabeth I when she stayed at Eltham. Holly hedges enclose a series of garden rooms with scented shrubs flowering in winter and spring, while hydrangeas and Japanese anemones bloom in warmer weather. Close to the house, they also added a pergola with columns salvaged from the old Bank of England buildings, and a triangular garden terrace. A spectacular 100 metre border designed by Isabelle van Groeningen in 1990, a wonderful rock garden and many fine trees provide much interest for gardeners.
Medieval and Tudor Eltham Palace
The Palace was founded around 1300 AD as a moated manor house belonging to Anthony Bek, Bishop of Durham. The remains of that first house now lie under a circular lawn. The Bishop gave his house to King Edward II in 1305. Local legend has it that the King founded the Order of the Garter at Eltham, though this is disputed. He definitely lived there - his second son John of Eltham was born at the palace on August 25, 1316. Eltham remained a Royal residence for over 200 years.
Among the remains is a tilt yard, a place where knights jousted on horseback. A famous joust was held here during the visit of the Emperor Manuel II Palaiologos of Byzantium in December 1400. In the 1470s Edward IV built the Great Hall with its magnificent hammer-beam roof, the third largest remaining in England. Tudor courts often held their Christmas festivities in the Great Hall. Henry VIII spent his boyhood here, and may have played in Eltham's three legendary escape tunnels. The exits of two tunnels can still be seen in Avery Hill Park and in a local farmyard
Decline of Eltham Palace
But Eltham Palace suffered centuries of decline. The Tudors left it behind when they rebuilt Greenwich Palace, more conveniently reached by river. The buildings and wooded deer parks fell to ruin during the Civil War of 1642-51, with the Great Hall being used as a barn, and it passed through various hands until the Courtaulds acquired it. After they left it was used by the Royal Army Educational Corps until it passed to English Heritage for opening to the public.
Film, TV and Re-enactment at Eltham Palace
Such a glamorous historic site is made for photography, and many films have been made here. In 2002 the palace was one of the locations for 'The Gathering Storm', a film about Winston Churchill and the years before World War II. British writer and director Stephen Fry filmed 'Bright Young Things' there a year later. Agatha Christie's 'Poirot' is one of many TV shows filmed here. A audio tour narrated by David Suchet, who played Poirot, is available.
The Palace hosts frequent Tudor re-enactment events when you can see dancing, falconry and crafts presented by costumed experts. Details of the Art Deco antique fairs, and seasonal events such as Easter Egg trails and Hallowe'en activities, are posted on the English Heritage website and updated regularly.
Visiting Eltham Palace
The Palace is open from Sunday to Wednesday, from 1 February to 21 December, between 11 am and 4 pm with longer opening hours in Summer. Up-to-date admission charges can be found on the English Heritagewebsite. Members of English Heritage are admitted free with a guest, and there are concessions for children, older people and people with disabilities. There is a cafe and shop, and parking is available. The site is wheelchair accessible. Dogs are not allowed, and pushchairs and large rucksacks must be left at Reception.
Trains run to Eltham from London Bridge, Charing Cross and Victoria Stations, every 20 minutes on weekdays. The Palace is a 15 minute walk from Eltham station, which is also a short train ride from Blackheath and Greenwich. You should allow at least three hours to see the Palace and gardens, and you may wish to stay longer, especially if one of the many special events is taking place.
Arms of Prince John of Eltham, 1336 AD
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