Palace of Beaulieu facts for kids
The Palace of Beaulieu (pronounced BEW-lee) was once a Royal Palace in Boreham, Essex, England. It is located north-east of Chelmsford. Today, only a part of the original palace remains, and it is a Grade I listed building. This means it is a very important historical building. The part that is still standing is now used by New Hall School.
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A Royal Home
The land where the palace was built was first given to a church called Waltham Abbey in 1062. Over many years, it changed owners several times. In 1491, it was given to Thomas Butler, 7th Earl of Ormond. By this time, there was already a house on the land called New Hall.
Henry VIII's Grand Palace
In 1516, Thomas Boleyn, who was the father of Anne Boleyn, sold New Hall to King Henry VIII. The King spent a huge amount of money rebuilding the house with bricks. He wanted it to be a grand palace. Henry VIII renamed his new palace Beaulieu, which means "beautiful place" in French. This name showed how much the King loved beautiful and fancy things.
In 1527, King Henry VIII and his court stayed at Beaulieu for over a month. Many important nobles and their wives were there, including Anne Boleyn's father. During this time, Henry was trying to find a way to end his marriage to Queen Catherine of Aragon.
Mary I and Elizabeth I
In 1533, King Henry VIII gave the palace to George Boleyn, who was Anne Boleyn's brother. At this time, Henry's daughter, Mary, had been staying at Beaulieu, but she had to leave.
After Anne Boleyn was executed, Henry VIII married Jane Seymour. Queen Jane convinced the King to bring his daughters back to court. After Queen Jane died in 1537, Mary became a godmother to her half-brother, Edward. Mary was allowed to live in royal palaces, and Beaulieu was one of her main homes.
Later, Queen Elizabeth I gave the estate in 1573 to Thomas Radclyffe, 3rd Earl of Sussex. He seems to have rebuilt a large part of the north wing of the palace. He also put Elizabeth's coat of arms (a special symbol for the royal family) above the main entrance, which you can still see today.
Changing Owners
In 1622, the palace was sold to George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham. During the English Civil War, Oliver Cromwell took control of the estate. After the war, it was returned to the Duke of Buckingham, who then sold it to George Monck, 1st Duke of Albemarle. King Charles II often visited and was entertained there. In 1669, a visitor from Tuscany, Cosimo de' Medici, saw the house, and a drawing of it was made.
By 1737, the palace was not in good condition. John Olmius bought it and decided to pull down and rebuild most of the old palace. However, he left the north wing mostly untouched. This north wing is the part of the palace that still stands today.
New Hall School
In 1798, a group of English nuns from the Order of the Holy Sepulchre bought the property. They opened a Catholic school there the very next year. This school is still open today and is called New Hall School. The royal arms of Henry VIII are still in the school's chapel.
The name Beaulieu is still remembered in the name of a nearby housing area in Boreham, called Beaulieu Park.
In 2009, a TV show called Time Team visited the palace grounds. They dug up parts of the land and found the chapel, the west wing, and the gatehouse of the old palace.
See also
In Spanish: Palacio de Beaulieu para niños
