Eltham Palace / Red House

I headed to Eltham Palace this morning.

The Palace was built by the Bishop of Durham to Edward II in 1305 with the Great Hall being added by Edward IV in 1470. The Palace was home to the young Henry VIII, indeed as a palace it was second only to Westminster. I think this was in part as it was "out of town" and away from any diseases. With the rebuilding of Greenwich it fell out of favour and by the 1650's it was in a ruinous condition and by the 1890's it was reduced to Edward IV's Great Hall, the former buttery, called "Court House", a bridge across the moat and some walling.

In 1933, Stephen Courtauld and his wife Virginia ) acquired the lease of the palace site and restored the Great Hall (adding a minstrels' gallery to it) and built an elaborate home, which internally is in the Art Deco style.

  The Red House was built by Philip Webb for William Morris.