Eltham Palace

Eltham Palace stands in south-east London as one of the most unusual historic properties in the country, combining a medieval great hall with a strikingly glamorous Art Deco interior. The great hall dates from the reign of Edward IV and was a favoured royal residence throughout the fifteenth century, while the adjoining mansion was commissioned by Stephen and Virginia Courtauld in the 1930s and fitted out by leading designers of the period. The result is a building that holds two very different eras of English history under one roof.

Managed by English Heritage, the palace sits within formal gardens that have been restored to reflect their 1930s layout, including a circular rose garden and a sunken ornamental pond. Visitors exploring Eltham Palace and Gardens can move through lavishly decorated rooms, including the famous circular entrance hall with its domed skylight, and then out into grounds that offer a quieter contrast to central London. The combination of royal medieval fabric and twentieth-century interior design makes Eltham a genuinely distinctive place to visit.