Wednesday July 22nd, 2026
Eltham Palace
We were both surprised to realise that for all its proximity, we've never been to visit Eltham Palace - so we decided to rectify that.
I only "know" of Eltham in connection with the Tudor era, but actually that only demonstrates how little I know of it. True, Henry VIII was brought up there, but it was mainly raised to the status of a palace much earlier by Edward IV, who (not personally presumably) built the Great Hall in the 1470s - and which is now the only part of the "palace" still remaining. After the Tudors and the grand rebuilding of Greenwich Palace, which was more easily reached by river, Eltham gradually declined in status.
The current house and buildings result from the refurbishment by the Courtaulds who purchased it as a ruin in the 1930s. The result was a magnificent art deco mansion. However, the Courtaulds left after the war and never returned; the buildings were given over to and occupied by the Royal Army Educational Corps, and when they left in 1992, English Heritage were thankfully able to take over the management of the site.
The architecture (Seely & Paget) and gardens are still absolutely splendid. In the interior, EH have curated a really interesting exhibition recreating the hedonistic between-the-wars millionaire lifestyle of luxury and house parties, using photos, artifacts, and contemporary film (newsreel and home movies). The gardens include topiary, a sunken rose garden, a walk around the medieval moat, and an amazing rock garden - for which Stephen Courtauld imported real Westmorland limestone.
Of course, neither we nor the gardens were at their very best during this heatwave, so I hope we will visit again in a different season.
The weather had brought out one unexpected visitor - a Jersey Tiger moth. I am not familiar with them but they have moved up from Jersey, and are apparently now fairly common in the south of England.
In general, we tend to make more use of our National Trust membership than of English Heritage (not quite as many places in our area) but this is one marvellous site of which they are the custodians.
[Next outing planned for Darwin's House - also relatively local.]
* As well as the marvellous deco entrance hall, used to great effect in the TV adaptation of Three Act Tragedy, with David Suchet and Martin Shaw, I was very amused by Virginia Courtauld's en suite gold bathroom. I feel it must have been the inspiration for the section in Agatha Christie's The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side when all the locals are speculating about the film star who has taken over Gossington Hall from Dolly Bantry, and where the refurbishments include a fabulous Italian marble bathroom.
