Eltham Palace and Gardens

Over het museum

Eltham Palace began as a medieval manor that Bishop Anthony Bek gave to Edward II in 1305. It became a royal residence from the 14th to the 16th century. Edward IV built the Great Hall in the 1470s, and Henry VIII spent part of his childhood there. After the royal court moved to Greenwich, the palace fell into disrepair and later passed into private hands.

In 1933 the wealthy couple Stephen and Virginia Courtauld took a long lease on the site. They hired the architects Seely & Paget to repair the Great Hall and to build a new, modern house beside it. The result is a luxurious Art Deco mansion with an entrance hall, a dining room, a map room and a gold-plated bathroom, planned for the Courtaulds' parties and their pet lemur, Mah-Jongg.

The Courtaulds left in 1944. The Royal Army Educational Corps then used the site until the early 1990s. English Heritage took over management in 1995 and completed major repairs and restoration of the interiors and gardens by 1999.

Today visitors can explore the 1930s house and the medieval Great Hall with its hammer-beam roof, as well as 19 acres of gardens that combine medieval remains with 20th-century features. The site is owned by the Crown Estate and managed by the charity English Heritage.

Hoogtepunten

• The Art Deco mansion with its entrance hall, dining room and gold-plated bathroom
• The medieval Great Hall with a hammer-beam roof from the 1470s
• The Map Room with murals uncovered in 2015
• Mah-Jongg, the Courtaulds' pet lemur, and his upstairs home
• 19 acres of gardens with a rock garden, medieval bridge and herbaceous border
• Travel-themed children's play area

Vaste collectie

• The Courtaulds' Art Deco house – The 1930s mansion with its Art Deco interiors, including the entrance hall, dining room, bedrooms and a basement used as a wartime shelter.
• The medieval Great Hall – The royal Great Hall built for Edward IV in the 1470s, with its hammer-beam roof, part of the old Eltham Palace where Henry VIII spent his childhood.

Opgericht

1933

Beheerder

English Heritage

Toegangsprijzen & kortingen

Prices depend on the date and are lowest when booked online until midnight the day before. Shown are the lowest advance prices on off-peak days without the optional Gift Aid donation (standard days: adult £17.00); tickets bought on the day cost more (adult from £18.10). English Heritage members enter free. Visitors travelling by public transport or bicycle get 20% off a walk-up ticket.

Toegankelijkheid

• Deels rolstoeltoegankelijk
• Lift: geen informatie
• Aangepast toilet
• Gehandicaptenparkeerplaats
• Hulphonden welkom
• Tastmodellen / voelbare objecten
• Rondleidingen in gebarentaal: geen informatie
• Informatie in eenvoudige taal: niet aanwezig
• Audiodescriptie: geen informatie

There is a ramp to the visitor centre, and the ground floor of the house is accessible, but the basement, the Great Hall dais and the Minstrel's Gallery are reached by stairs only. The lift is currently out of service, so the upper floors of the house can be reached by stairs only; a virtual tour is available on the multimedia guide. A 150 m lightly gravelled path leads from the visitor centre to the house, and some paths in the gardens are undulating. Wheelchairs can be borrowed. Three disabled parking bays are by the visitor centre entrance. Accessible toilets and an adult changing area are available. Braille guides, torches and handling objects in almost every room are offered, and some rooms have low lighting. Assistance dogs are welcome.

Kinderen & gezin

Erg geschikt voor kinderen & gezinnen

• Gezinsrondleidingen & workshops
• Speurtocht, doeboekje of kinderaudiotour
• Doe- en voelstations
• Kinderwagenvriendelijk: niet aanwezig
• Verschoonruimte
• Speeltuin / speelhoek

Families can use a free family tour on the multimedia guide with games and 1930s characters, and children under 7 can pick up a free stamping activity. There are dressing-up boxes in medieval, Second World War and 1930s styles, and a travel-themed play area next to the visitor centre. Pushchairs and prams are not allowed inside the mansion but can be left in a designated area. Highchairs, child-sized portions and bottle warming are available in the cafe, and baby changing is on site.

Bereikbaarheid & parkeren

By car, leave the M25 at junction 3 and take the A20 to Eltham; the entrance is off Court Road. Use postcode SE9 5NP. Bicycle racks are on site, and a 20% discount on walk-up tickets applies for arriving by public transport or bicycle.

Service & horeca

• Café
• Museumwinkel

The cafe in the glasshouse of the visitor centre serves lunches, snacks and drinks. There is a shop in the visitor centre and a picnic area with benches. Dogs are not allowed, except assistance dogs.

Evenementen & zaalverhuur

• Ruimtes te huur
• Privéfeesten
• Bruiloften / trouwceremonies

The palace can be hired for events and civil weddings.

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