Eltham Palace
The site is now dominated by the stylish house built in 1933–6 by the architects Seely and Paget for Stephen and Virginia Courtauld. They incorporated the great hall – the most substantial survival from the medieval royal palace – into the design. Like the house, the palace’s 19 acres of gardens feature both 20th-century and medieval elements.
The house is designed on a butterfly plan, with two wings, one of them linked to the medieval great hall. The house exterior was built in sympathy with the great hall using a red brick design with Clipsham stone dressings, inspired by Hampton Court Palace. Between the two wings is the curved, single-storey entrance colonnade, flanked by two pavilions. The exterior makes notable use of applied sculpture.
