Eltham Palace and Eltham People, revisiting a story

Now all too often when you come across books on Eltham Palace they concentrate quite rightly on the building, its history and the people of plenty who occupied the place.

All of which is fine but begs the question of what impact did the Palace have on Eltham?

After all some of the food that graced the fine banqueting tables will have been grown by local farmers and more than a few of the servants who washed cleaned and maintained the gardens might have gone home to a cottage near the High Street.

And then over its years as an empty shell surely a few of our children acting out a dare will have wandered through its grounds?

The stories of these little people do not get into the history books, so I am pleased that the Eltham Society published Eltham Palace and Eltham People which goes a little way to redress that omission.*

It came out in 2003, was reprinted in 2008 and is still available from the Society.**

Here there are chapters on the Palaces’ relationship with Eltham as far back  as 1086 along with events held in the Hall and grounds in the 19th century and the connection with the Courtauld family and as they say much More.

*Eltham Society, http://chorltonhistory.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/Eltham%20Society

** Eltham Palace and Eltham People, £2.50 [members] £3.00 [non members], Eltham Society Publications, http://www.theelthamsociety.org.uk/publications.php