History of Eltham Palace | Greenwich’s Other Royal Palace

Eltham Palace is a bit of a mad place; an abandoned 14th century Medieval palace revamped by the ultra wealthy (and fascinating) Courtauld family in the 1930s, it’s full to bursting with odd juxtapositions and quirky details.

For instance, I can’t think of many country estates where this;

Eltham Palace

Is cheek by jowl with this;

The Manor of Eltham is first recorded in the Domesday book of 1086. From then over the next few centuries it was a manor house surrounded by fields and perhaps a moat.

The history of Eltham Palace is fairly jam-packed, so here’s a little bitesize timeline;

History of Eltham Palace

  • Antony Bek (Bishop of Durham) leaves his country house to the future King Edward II in 1305.
  • The Crown pimps up the house into a royal palace and hosts lavish celebrations (including Christmas 1482 when over 2,000 attended!)
  • Young Tudors including King Henry VIII spend their childhood in Eltham. Henry was a fan of hunting in the grounds and later as King it was at Eltham where the newly appointed Cardinal Wolsey was sworn in as Lord Chancellor in 1515.
  • Greenwich takes over in popularity and Eltham is forgotten by the royal court.
  • During the Commonwealth in the 1650s Colonel Rich is Lord of the Manor and most of the Palace is destroyed
  • By the 18th century only the Great Hall survives. It’s a picturesque ruin and used as a barn(!) and as tennis courts
  • In the early 1800s it narrowly avoids destruction after a u-turn from the Treasury and Department of Woods and Forests
  • Stephen and Virginia Courtauld buy the lease, employing architects Seely and Paget to create a seriously opulent house from 1936.
  • The Courtaulds are only there until September 1944, giving it to the Royal Army Education Corps until, in 1992, it was left to English Heritage.
  • It opened to the public in 1995.

The charm of Eltham Palace is in its uniqueness; A surviving Medieval Great Hall attached to a no-cost-spared 1930s mansion. Here are some of my personal highlights.

From the outside it seems like any other nationally-owned country house.

Eltham Palace

The only clue for what awaits is this modernist sculpture above the entrance;

Eltham Palace

The Art Deco Entrance Hall

The Entrance Hall was the first room that Courtauld guests encountered and today it’s where you begin your visit. When you step inside for the first time it is a delightfully disarming experience  and sets the tone for the glamour and attention to detail that the Courtauld’s – particularly Virginia – strived for.

It’s pretty hard not to be impressed…

Eltham Palace

Designed by Rolf Engströmer, the room which appears circular is actually a triangle. The whole atmosphere has that Art Deco cruise liner feel and you can almost hear the 1930s cocktail glasses clinking.

During the controversial renovations the exterior had to be kept relatively subdued, so it was with the interior that the Courtaulds could run wild.

And of course, don’t forget to look up! The ceiling is punctured with clear glass tiles to let in natural light.

Eltham Palace

This Decadent Bath

Eltham Palace

A perfect example of the luxurious taste of Virginia ‘Ginie’ Courtauld. This was her ‘Greek Temple’ style bedrooom, accessed through a circular, yellow room and close to her walk-in wardrobe.

Virginia Courtauld sounds like quite the character, someone I’d certainly love to meet (although not without trepidation!) Born in Romania, her mother was a peasant and her father was a wealthy shipping merchant. She rebelled throughout her years at a convent school, reportedly letting a mouse loose up a Nun’s habit and getting an elaborate snake tattoo up the length of her leg. She met Stephen Courtauld, part of the wealthy family who made their fortune in textiles (and yes, the same family who founded the Courtauld Institute of Art). Stephen was an introvert, the complete opposite of Virginia, but the pair fell deeply in love and – despite their personality differences – had a happy marriage, with shared interests in travel, art, culture and philanthropy.

The Lemur

The Courtaulds had a flair for the exotic and in 1923 Stephen bought Mah-Jongg, a lemur from Harrods for his wife.

Eltham Palace

Pride of place in the family portrait.

When he wasn’t roaming the house he had his own centrally-heated cage, complete with hand painted mural…

Eltham Palace

You get the sense that the Courtaulds were rather proud of their pet and you can spot Mah-Jongg hiding in decoration all over the house.

Historic Survivors

Just as you’re warming up to the 1930s Art Deco interiors, you arrive in the Great Hall.

Built by Edward IV in 1479, it’s one of the first examples of a hammerbeam roof with hanging pendants, designed by the King’s Master Mason; Thomas Jurdan.

The Great Hall was the most important room in any Royal Palace, used for banquets, celebrations, entertainment and important court business. The King or Queen would’ve sat at the raised, top table and King Henry VIII  – the last monarch to spend substantial time at Eltham enjoyed 10 Christmases here.

In the oriel windows at the end of the hall there are coats of arms from past owners of the Palace; Bishops Odo of Bayeux (who owned the manor of Eltham in Domesday book), Bek of Durham (who owned the manor and gifted it to King Edward II) then Kings Edward I, Edward III, Richard II and Henry VIII. They were designed by George Kruger Gray and installed in 1936

Royal Coat of Arms from Kings and Queens that spent time at Eltham are remembered in the stained glass. If you look closely you can also see the names of the workers that helped restore the hall in the 1930s

There’s also less authentic Medieval decoration, like the boss depicting Mah-Jongg

Attention to Detail

The Courtaulds loved to travel and weren’t afraid to flaunt their experiences in their interiors.

As you enter the Great Hall there’s also an exquisite Chinese Lacquer screen, made in the 17th century.

And, closer to home, Stephen’s bedroom has Kew Gardens-inspired wallpaper.

Eltham Palace

But there was one thing that the Courtaulds didn’t fork out for… The telephone bill. For external calls you could use the discreet pay phone, located off the entrance hall!

The Cafe and Gardens

As well as the house, if you still have the energy there are 19 acres of gardens to explore…

And is any English Heritage site worth visiting without a decent cafe?! This has to be amongst the loveliest ones I’ve seen, especially on a sunny day.

Eltham Palace

Find out more and plan your visit to Eltham Palace here.

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14 Comments

  • How marvellous! Thanks for posting this … made my morning.

    March 27, 2017 at 7:22 am
  • Peter Gudge

    Reply

    Love it there! Beautiful photos.

    There’s a small typo in the timeline – should be Royal Army Education *Corps*

    February 1, 2019 at 12:05 pm
  • John Jenkins

    Reply

    This looks amazing! Hope to visit one day…..

    June 2, 2020 at 11:40 am
  • Estelle Howell

    Reply

    Love Eltham Palace, the art deco architecture is amazing.

    If you enjoy art deco architecture and are ever in South Devon, Coleton Fishacre near Kingswear is worth a visit. Not quite as glam as Eltham but one that (in my lottery winning dreams) I could imagine living in, beautiful and elegant but comfortable too.

    June 29, 2022 at 7:56 am
  • Ellen de Groot

    Reply

    Amazing place! I love the exquisite combination of Art Deco and medieval style. Thanks for bringing this beautiful architectural gem to our attention, Katie!

    June 29, 2022 at 8:55 am
  • Jay Venn

    Reply

    I grew up near Eltham Palace and remember going to Ralph Mc Tell (street of London) concerts in the grounds when it was really shabby: must go back for a look at the restored glory. Thanks a lot for all the info and pictures

    June 29, 2022 at 10:40 am
  • Ronald Lloyd

    Reply

    Hi Katie, what a lovely story and beautiful pictures. My wife, Sheila and I used to love visiting Eltham Palace. I seem to remember that they used to have a old cinema there. They used to have antique shows there too. Of course every one loved the Eltham Palace lemur. We got a lovely furry lemur from the Eltham Palace and it is hanging in a basket in my kitchen! All the best from Ron.

    June 29, 2022 at 1:55 pm
  • Kathleen Lumsden

    Reply

    Really interesting! As a 🇨🇦 I had visited the Courtauld Gallery(it was closed for Reno’s when last there early 2020). But I’d never known about this palace so have added it to my London wish list! Much of my list thanx to you Katie!

    June 29, 2022 at 7:41 pm
  • Judith Barnett

    Reply

    When we went we bought clip on lemur tails for the children’s dressing up! Just a fabulous place.

    June 30, 2022 at 11:59 am
  • Imelda McConnell

    Reply

    I have been to Eltham twice (although unfortunately not recently) and was fascinated by the ‘ladies’ and ‘gents’ toilets inside the front door. To me, it felt very much like the place was for public display and consumption and not really a home – at least not at that point!
    Also, some of the photos of the Courtaulds’ time showed the lovely rooms to be far more cluttered than they are now!
    I do love the place though – it’s stunning.

    August 6, 2023 at 2:04 am

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