All you ever wanted to know about Eltham's history but never knew who to ask

Eltham has a rich and varied history ranging from a medieval palace and Tudor Barn, some fine old houses, the historic Progress Estate and the impressive Sevendroog Castle high on Castle Woods.

All of these are within easy walk of the High Street and allow you to explore the past while enjoying some stunning historic parkland.

On the southern edge of Eltham is the Palace which was home to a succession of English Kings from Edward II to Henry V111.

Most of the buildings have disappeared but there is still the Great Hall, the moat and the moat bridge along with the Courtauld House built between1934-36.  This 1930s addition to the Palace has an art deco interior reminiscent of an ocean liner and was designed by some of the leading interior designers of the period and incorporated many of the latest technological innovations.

Close by in the Court Yard are the Lord Chancellor’s Lodgings which date from the Tudor period and were originally part of the Palace but were converted into three houses.  Despite extensive renovations in both the 18th century and the 1950s it has retained much of its early 16th century appearance including the timber framed exterior with its continuous wooden overhang.

But Eltham was never just the preserve of royalty and just a little further south in what is the home of the Royal Blackheath Golf Club can be found Eltham Lodge.

It was built in the 17th century and remained a private residence into the 20th century.

There were many other large and elegant houses along the High Street most of which have now gone but a few survive to remind us that the area was an attractive place to live.

It was after all just over eight miles from London with all the delights of a rural landscape including the ancient parish church of St John.

The current church dates from 1879 but people have been worshiping here since 1160 and a walk through the graveyard will reveal many grave stones spanning the centuries.

Travel a little further north along Well Hall Road and there is the Tudor Barn which was once part of a bigger complex including a manor house, walled garden and moat.  In the 18th century the manor house was demolished and replaced by Well Hall House which at one time or another was home to the rich, the gifted and the famous one of whom was Edith Nesbit author of the Railway Children.

Nor is this the only claim to fame for Well Hall because it also includes the Well Hall or Progress Estate which was built in 1915 for workers from the Royal Arsenal in Woolwich.

The estate was modelled on the garden suburb and the history of its development and construction is pretty impressive. In little over five months from the decision to build 1,200 houses “to the highest town planning standards” the first 400 were ready and by the December the remaining 600 were completed.

It remains both a very pleasant place to live and a reminder that good design and an understanding of how people want to live can be successfully achieved.

Moreover it sits at the edge of acres of woodland which stretch up and include Shooters Hill.

These too have more than a little history, for it was here amongst the trees that the military constructed a defensive position during the early years of the last world war.

And amongst those pill boxes and trenches still stands Sevendroog Castle built by the widow of Sir William James, a commander in the East India Company to celebrate his naval exploits including the capture in 1755 of the island fortress of Severndroog off the Malabar Coast of India.

It is a fine  monument and a reminder of just how much history there is in the space of such a small place.

Pictures; from the collection of Scot MacDonald