Eltham Palace: 1930s Art Deco Palace & Gardens versus the Ancient (Part 1)

Welcome to the Member Ideas area! This community feature is where our members can post their own ideas. These posts are unedited and not necessarily endorsed by the National Gardening Association.
Posted by @NEILMUIR1 on
Eltham Palace is a place of many contrasts. First recorded in the Domesday book in 1086 AD, it was then owned by the Bishop of Bayeaux. In 1305 it was given to the Crown and taken over by King Edward II, a succession of monarchs then extended and improved it including King Henry IV and King Edward IV. King Henry VIII grew up here and both he and his daughter Queen Elizabeth I also added to it! The Last Royal resident was King Charles I, who lost the Palace and his life during the English civil war in 1648 when a lot of the Palace was demolished. It was during the 18th century that it was used as a barn, until in the 19th century people called for it to be restored! In 1933 the Courtaulds, a very rich family, leased the land and built an Art Deco Palace attached to the Great Hall that was built in 1470. As you will see they also did a bit to the Garden.

This is another Garden that would be impossible to tell the History of without the Palace.

To enlarge the pictures please click on them!

Walking up the steep alleyway from the road, the first views are portions of the House; then you'll see a bridge across the moat. The bridge was built by King Edward IV in his reign of 1442-1483. A stunning weeping willow is on one side of the bridge, the house is barely visible through the trees.

2010-08-12/NEILMUIR1/39b0f5                               2010-08-12/NEILMUIR1/30a5ec

The willow looking over the bridge from one of the original walls.

2010-08-12/NEILMUIR1/7d6e80                              2010-08-12/NEILMUIR1/8842b6

You are sent straight forward into the Turning Circle; this is part of the 1930s Art Deco Palace that is attached to the Great Hall which was built in 1470 AD.

2010-08-12/NEILMUIR1/6785d8                             2010-08-12/NEILMUIR1/80d9e7

Next to the Art Deco Palace is the Great Hall as can be seen in these two pictures. Now you can see why they call it the Turning Circle.

 2010-08-12/NEILMUIR1/ec9058                              2010-08-12/NEILMUIR1/45fcc5 

This is the entrance to the 1930s Palace by the Turning circle. The Palace itself was ultra modern for its time with things like under floor heating, a sound system that ran through the house and a centralized vacuum cleaning system that worked through the skirting boards. Also due to the Courtaulds opulent life style; they had such things as en suite gold bathrooms and a centrally heated sleeping quarters for their pet lemur, who had a ladder so he could come down to the ground floor flower room.

2010-08-12/NEILMUIR1/31656b                              2010-08-12/NEILMUIR1/fe636f

Some of the remains from the 1300s and other extensions including King Henry VIII's Private Chapel and others Queen Elizabeth I had built.

2010-08-12/NEILMUIR1/38f22e                               2010-08-12/NEILMUIR1/5cb965

There are lots of culverts\drains and sewers from the Tudor period. Here is one on the left. Some are blocked but others you can go through, as they are of course no longer used. As I have never been in a Tudor sewer, I had to have a look.

2010-08-12/NEILMUIR1/e47bd7                              2010-08-12/NEILMUIR1/cf1874

As you go down the side to go onto the southern lawn this gentleman suddenly appears. Then you come to what I would call the front of the buildings. Here is the Great Hall and beyond it the 1930s Palace.

2010-08-12/NEILMUIR1/a192a9                               2010-08-12/NEILMUIR1/91a135

The Great Hall with a magnificent Magnolia grandiflora.

2010-08-12/NEILMUIR1/ffb5ad                               2010-08-12/NEILMUIR1/1fbb4e

The difference between the two buildings clearly shows on the right side of this magnificent door, which is part of the 1470 Great Hall, attached to the connection to the 1930s Palace (enlarge the photo). From the corner of the 1930s Palace, looking down to the Great Hall.

2010-08-12/NEILMUIR1/59e5a7                             2010-08-12/NEILMUIR1/2c4369

A picture of the front of the 1930s Palace from the moat\rockery side, and the front entrance.

2010-08-12/NEILMUIR1/fb4332                              2010-08-12/NEILMUIR1/793c16

Some of the Art work on the side of the front entrance.

2010-08-12/NEILMUIR1/9db425                             2010-08-12/NEILMUIR1/43142f

Outside the entrance, purple leafed cannas and box hedges.

2010-08-12/NEILMUIR1/280ef8                              2010-08-12/NEILMUIR1/b648db

The entrance to the Triangular Garden which is outside the kitchen and more box hedges!

2010-08-12/NEILMUIR1/83bd5d                              2010-08-12/NEILMUIR1/f49203

This wisteria was put over the collonades that were in fact rescued from the Bank of England in the 1930s, and just to the right is a Mulberry tree. The right photo is of the Mulberry fruit!

2010-08-12/NEILMUIR1/b7fc9e                              2010-08-12/NEILMUIR1/71cb57

Inside the Triangular Garden.

2010-08-12/NEILMUIR1/35e2e8                               2010-08-12/NEILMUIR1/9bb9f3

Some more!

2010-08-12/NEILMUIR1/e0c290                              2010-08-12/NEILMUIR1/4edccb

I wanted to see the herbaceous border. On the left is the start of it, and on the right a lovely Buddleia globosa.

2010-08-12/NEILMUIR1/65dffd                              2010-08-12/NEILMUIR1/3f793d

More of the start of quite a big herbaceous border.

2010-08-12/NEILMUIR1/1098eb                               2010-08-12/NEILMUIR1/0f2b12

I love this bit! The Flying Butressess can be seen here holding the walls up. A Norman invention from 1066 AD.

2010-08-12/NEILMUIR1/d54003                              2010-08-12/NEILMUIR1/8cc946

The wooden bridge is clearly shown here, this used to go over the moat that encircled the Palace. This bit is now a 'Dry moat'. I love the white Lupins in the picture on the left!

2010-08-12/NEILMUIR1/9d2f13                              2010-08-12/NEILMUIR1/d8f9bc

Looking back to a bit of the border as it extends beyond the wooden bridge, and some more looking forward!

2010-08-12/NEILMUIR1/0d68bb                               2010-08-12/NEILMUIR1/20b79e

A lovely Sea Holly and more white Lupins!

2010-08-12/NEILMUIR1/335800                               2010-08-12/NEILMUIR1/d89a0b

The last bit of the border, looking down on from the dry moat bank!

2010-08-12/NEILMUIR1/3bc57c                              2010-08-12/NEILMUIR1/253bc9

As you leave the herbaceous border there are banks on each side covered with all sorts of rambling Roses.

2010-08-12/NEILMUIR1/bc8dc2                                2010-08-12/NEILMUIR1/e26da5

This is one of the paths taking you out of the herbaceous border!

2010-08-12/NEILMUIR1/a8de83                               2010-08-12/NEILMUIR1/ce2760

Now we go into the sunken Rose Garden. Look at the walls from Queen Elizabeth I's 1580 lodgings, and looking up at the end of the Great Hall.

2010-08-12/NEILMUIR1/928bfc                               2010-08-12/NEILMUIR1/286530

The sunken Rose Garden!

2010-08-12/NEILMUIR1/fa5cb8                              2010-08-12/NEILMUIR1/0289d3

 How lovely is this? Of course it has to have a Lavender Hedge.

2010-08-12/NEILMUIR1/0b3c9b                              2010-08-12/NEILMUIR1/34b03b

The bees love this Lavender Hedge all the way around it!

2010-08-12/NEILMUIR1/1e03eb                              2010-08-12/NEILMUIR1/9d5f0d

 I hope you have enjoyed the first part of your wanderings. I leave you with this until Part 2.

2010-08-12/NEILMUIR1/30fdfe

All pictures are my own and taken with respect.

Eltham Palace is in southeast London in the Borough of Greenwich and is not that far from the Royal Park at Greenwich. Unfortunately 'English Heritage' or more commonly known by us as 'English Heretics' now run it. They have a strange policy at Eltham Palace in that you can travel thousands of miles, pay to go in as I did, and they will not let you take photographs inside the Palace of the Art Deco interior. They simply claim it is the rules, which is normal for them. Also if you wish to enter the 'Palace' you must put on these plastic bags over your shoes! It was only built in the 1930s what are they worried about? I also cannot understand why it is called a Palace, as the modern one is not a Royal Palace at all, and how they can claim it is now a listed building is beyond me. But 'English Heretics' work like this; they have listed a tower block of flats built in the 1960s by a minimalist architect. It looks like any other block of flats to the rest of the population.

Links:

Part 2

Eltham Palce, English Heritage site it is Ok it is free. CLICK HERE!

I will put more links on Part 2.

Regards.

Neil.

 

For Nancy.

 
Comments and Discussion
Thread Title Last Reply Replies
Great tour! by stilldew Oct 17, 2010 1:58 PM 1
walking tour by Maridell Aug 26, 2010 1:27 PM 15
Very Enjoyable!!! by jeri11 Aug 20, 2010 7:31 AM 2
Stunning by vic Aug 17, 2010 4:00 PM 1
Great!!!! by Ridesredmule Aug 17, 2010 7:08 AM 9
About inside by Happy_1 Aug 13, 2010 9:44 AM 2

Explore More:

Member Login:

( No account? Join now! )

Today's site banner is by Zoia and is called "Volunteer"

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.