Eltham Palace

There has been a royal building on this site going back for more than 600 years. The bridge leading to it is in part 14th century. For several hundred of those years all that survived was the medieval Great Hall. In the 1930s the Courtaulds, of textile manufacturing fame, were allowed to build an Art Deco house on to the Hall, which became part of their new home.

The new house is not the prettiest 1930s place you'll ever see - on the outside. Inside it is glorious, with woods used to magnificent effect, and all sorts of mod cons, like a central vacuum cleaning system and piped music.

After the war the Courtaulds left to go to South Africa, and gave the Palace to the Army, which housed its education department there for the next 50 years or so. It was then handed back to the nation, and English Heritage set about restoring it. It is now a very popular place to visit, both for its fabulous interiors and its gorgeous grounds, where some portions of the old Tudor palace walls can still be seen. There's a great little restaurant where you are served by "nippies", a type of waitress found in Lyons Tea Rooms from the pre-war period right into my lifetime.

If you ever have the chance, go and visit. Eltham is a south eastern suburb of London.

Part of the garden and the new house, with a portion of Tudor red brick wall and medieval stone wall.
The exterior of the medieval Great Hall. The palace was well known to Henry VIII and the first Elizabeth.
The hammer-beam roof in the Great Hall.
The inside of the dining room doors.
The dining room fireplace.
Replica furniture in the dining room
Virginia Courtauld's bedroom.
Ginny's bath.
The entrance hall, with marquetry scenes leading from the doors to the staircases.