Now I like it when people write for the blog and so here is a review of the latest book on Eltham Palace by Sue Hurley
I lived all my young life in Eltham, and had the honour of having a view from my bedroom window of a part of a royal Palace, which I knew very little about.
I found out a bit about the lovely building as I grew up and admired it every day as I walked up King John’s Walk and along Court Road to catch the bus to school.
The stunning Eltham Palace captured my heart and I have always felt a closeness and warmth towards the place and a need to know more.
One of the books I have stumbled across is just simply called ‘Eltham Palace’ by John Priestley.* The author has been fascinated by Eltham Palace and it’s history since he was stationed there while serving in the army nearly 60 years ago.
This comes across in the way the book is laid out and written with a warm affection.
It covers the history of the Palace over three and a half centuries, between the reigns of Edward 1 and James 1.
It is richly illustrated and follows important moments in the building’s history, tracing the Palace from it’s medieval and Tudor beginnings, through the tournaments and festivities, the links with Henry V111 and Wolsey (very prominent of the moment with Wolf Hall just aired on tv) the decline of the Palace and the Civil War and the very sad destruction in the 17th Century.
The Palace was rescued from demolition in 1828, although in a state of much needed repair, as it was damaged even more by the gale of 1827, but major repairs were started by the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings.
More major repairs took place in 1912-1914 and the book takes you through not only all necessary work, but all the costs and some amazing photographs.
When the Courtaulds paid for more restorations in 1935, they employed top craftsmen and after three centuries of decay brought Eltham Palace back to it’s full glory.
The book is a mine of information and you can get lost in the history of the Palace. It can whisk you back to early Lancastrian times where Henry 1V spent ten of his 13 Christmases, Tudor times and a time when Queen Anne Boleyn and Princess Mary quarrelled there, a visit from Mary 1 in 1556 when she stayed there for a month much due to its recent repairs and good condition and the meetings of the Tudor privy council where the topics of France and Spain were discussed.
The book is a vivid and in-depth work of interest to locals and historians, full of Eltham Palace’s rich royal heritage and architectural history.
© Sue Hurley 2015
*Eltham Palace, John Priestley 2008, the History Press
I found out a bit about the lovely building as I grew up and admired it every day as I walked up King John’s Walk and along Court Road to catch the bus to school.
The stunning Eltham Palace captured my heart and I have always felt a closeness and warmth towards the place and a need to know more.
One of the books I have stumbled across is just simply called ‘Eltham Palace’ by John Priestley.* The author has been fascinated by Eltham Palace and it’s history since he was stationed there while serving in the army nearly 60 years ago.
This comes across in the way the book is laid out and written with a warm affection.
It covers the history of the Palace over three and a half centuries, between the reigns of Edward 1 and James 1.
It is richly illustrated and follows important moments in the building’s history, tracing the Palace from it’s medieval and Tudor beginnings, through the tournaments and festivities, the links with Henry V111 and Wolsey (very prominent of the moment with Wolf Hall just aired on tv) the decline of the Palace and the Civil War and the very sad destruction in the 17th Century.
The Palace was rescued from demolition in 1828, although in a state of much needed repair, as it was damaged even more by the gale of 1827, but major repairs were started by the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings.
More major repairs took place in 1912-1914 and the book takes you through not only all necessary work, but all the costs and some amazing photographs.
When the Courtaulds paid for more restorations in 1935, they employed top craftsmen and after three centuries of decay brought Eltham Palace back to it’s full glory.
The book is a mine of information and you can get lost in the history of the Palace. It can whisk you back to early Lancastrian times where Henry 1V spent ten of his 13 Christmases, Tudor times and a time when Queen Anne Boleyn and Princess Mary quarrelled there, a visit from Mary 1 in 1556 when she stayed there for a month much due to its recent repairs and good condition and the meetings of the Tudor privy council where the topics of France and Spain were discussed.
The book is a vivid and in-depth work of interest to locals and historians, full of Eltham Palace’s rich royal heritage and architectural history.
© Sue Hurley 2015
*Eltham Palace, John Priestley 2008, the History Press
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