Eltham Palace facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Eltham Palace |
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| General information | |
| Architectural style | Art Deco interior |
| Location | Eltham London, SE9 United Kingdom |
| Coordinates | 51°26′50″N 00°02′53″E / 51.44722°N 0.04806°E |
| Current tenants | English Heritage |
| Owner | Crown Estate |
Eltham Palace is a large, unique house in Eltham, southeast London. It is a mix of old and new. The building includes the medieval great hall of a former royal palace, with a modern home built onto it in the 1930s in the Art Deco style.
The great hall has a special wooden ceiling called a hammerbeam roof, which is the third-largest of its kind in England. The Art Deco part of the house is famous for its stylish and modern design. The palace is owned by the Crown Estate and managed by English Heritage, which looks after the site for the public to visit.
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History of the Palace
A Royal Home
The original palace was given to King Edward II in 1305. For the next 200 years, it was a home for England's kings and queens. It is said that an event that led King Edward III to create the famous Order of the Garter happened here.
King Henry IV loved Eltham Palace. In the winter of 1400-1401, he hosted a very special guest: Manuel II Palaiologos, the emperor of the Byzantine Empire. This was the only time a Byzantine emperor ever visited England. To celebrate, a grand jousting tournament was held.
In the 1470s, King Edward IV built the magnificent Great Hall that still stands today. The future King Henry VIII spent much of his childhood at Eltham. In 1499, the famous scholar Erasmus visited the palace and met the young prince, who was only nine years old. Erasmus was very impressed by Henry's royal manners and intelligence.
The Tudor kings and queens often held their Christmas parties at the palace. However, when Greenwich Palace was rebuilt, the royal family spent less time at Eltham. They still used its large parks for hunting deer.
During the English Civil War in the 1600s, the palace and its parks were damaged. The trees were cut down and the deer disappeared. After the war, the palace was left in ruins and never fully recovered. For many years, only the Great Hall, a bridge, and a few walls remained.
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A view of the palace, with the old Great Hall on the left and the 1930s house on the right.
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A painting by the artist J.M.W. Turner showing the Great Hall around 1793.
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The Great Hall as it looks today.
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A New Beginning in the 1930s
In 1933, a wealthy couple named Stephen Courtauld and Virginia Courtauld leased the site. They hired architects to restore the old Great Hall and build a modern, luxurious home connected to it.
The inside of the new house was decorated in the popular Art Deco style. This style used bold geometric shapes and modern materials. The stunning entrance hall has a glass dome ceiling that lets in lots of light. Many of the beautiful rooms were designed by famous designers from Sweden and Italy. The Courtaulds were also keen gardeners and created the beautiful gardens that surround the palace today.
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The Art Deco entrance hall with its glass dome.
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Virginia Courtauld's circular bedroom.
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The library in the house.
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The stylish dining room.
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The drawing room, where the Courtaulds would entertain guests.
The Courtaulds' Life at Eltham
The Courtaulds had a pet lemur named Mah-Jongg. He had his own special room on the top floor with a hatch that let him get down to the flower room. Mah-Jongg was allowed to go anywhere he wanted in the house.
The family lived at Eltham until 1944. During World War II, the Great Hall was badly damaged by bombs during The Blitz. In 1944, the Courtaulds moved away and gave the palace to the Royal Army Educational Corps. The army used the palace as its headquarters until 1992.
In 1995, English Heritage took over management of Eltham Palace. They carried out major repairs to restore the house and gardens to how they looked in the 1930s.
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The moat that surrounds the palace grounds.
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One of the beautiful gardens at Eltham.
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The 15th-century South Bridge.
Eltham Palace in Movies and TV
Because of its unique look, Eltham Palace has been used as a location for many films, TV shows, and music videos. Some of these include:
- High Heels and Low Lifes (2001)
- The Gathering Storm (2002)
- Bright Young Things (2003)
- I Capture the Castle (2003)
- Death on the Nile, an episode of the Poirot TV series (2004)
- Revolver (2005)
- Brideshead Revisited (2008)
- Parachute (2010), music video
- The Crown (2017)
- Stan & Ollie (2018)
- Misbehaviour (2020)
Is Eltham Palace Haunted?
Eltham Palace is on English Heritage's list of its most haunted places. There is a story about the ghost of a former staff member who is sometimes seen. People say the ghost has been heard giving tours of the palace after it has closed for the day.
