Eltham Palace - FULLY BOOKED

In the 1930s, millionaires Stephen and Virginia Courtauld saved historic Eltham Palace from decline and transformed it into a lavish home.

Eltham is a unique marriage between a medieval and Tudor palace and a 1930s millionaire’s mansion. From the 14th to the 16th century it was an important royal palace, where monarchs often stayed and hunted in the surrounding parks. After centuries of neglect, Eltham was leased to Stephen and Virginia Courtauld in 1933, who built an up-to-the-minute house here that incorporated the great hall. The result was a masterpiece of 20th-century design.

A MOATED MANOR

Little is known of any settlement on the site until the Domesday survey of 1086, when the manor of Eltham is recorded as belonging to Odo, Bishop of Bayeux, half-brother of William the Conqueror.

The estate changed hands several times until 1295 when Anthony Bek, Bishop of Durham, acquired it. He seems to have rebuilt the manor house, and constructed a defensive perimeter wall of stone and brick within the line of the moat.

A cellar and the remains of Bek’s great hall with an octagonal stone hearth and elaborate tiled floor were excavated in the 1970s. A timber drawbridge, probably on the site of the present north bridge, led to the manor house.

There is so much more to say and see, but we hope that you will accompany us on this visit and find out more for yourself.

TICKET PRICES (includes travel by coach and guided tour of the house). It does not include lunch. £38. Members of English Heritage or those who hold a National Art Pass £26. Please RSVP and we will send you details of how to pay.