When she ascended the throne in 1952 the Queen became responsible for seven royal palaces in London – Buckingham Palace (her weekday residence and workplace which she is understood to call ‘the office’), Kensington Palace, St James’ Palace (which continues to be the official residence of the reigning monarch in London), Hampton Court Palace, the Palace of Westminster, the Tower of London and Kew Palace. Although they’ve now largely faded from the public consciousness London was the location of several other royal palaces in the past, and you can still find fragments of them if you know where to look – namely Richmond Palace, Eltham Palace, the Palace Of Whitehall, the Palace of Placentia, Havering Palace and Portegore Palace.
Richmond Palace
This palace was centred on what is now Richmond Green, between the present town centre of Richmond and the Thames. It was built in 1501 by Henry VII but only survived for around 150 years, being disposed of by Parliament in 1649. Today the only remaining structures are the Wardrobe, the Trumpeter’s House and the substantial Gatehouse. Unfortunately access to these buildings is limited as they sit within a private enclave on the riverside (which appears to have very pleasant formal gardens if the Google satellite view is anything to go by).
Richmond Palace
Eltham Palace
Given to Edward II by the Bishop of Durham in 1305, Eltham Palace was the birthplace of Henry VIII. Again abandoned after only two centuries, most of the buildings were robbed of their masonry with those that remained serving as outhouses for storage and livestock until the wealthy Courtauld family saw the potential of the site in the 1930s. They built a family home that is one of the finest examples of Art Deco living anywhere in the country but at the same time they also carried out sympathetic restoration of what was still extant of the 14th century palace – the Great Hall and the handsome bridge that crosses the moat.
The Palace Of Whitehall
This sprawling complex which gives its name to the road which runs from Trafalgar Square down to the Thames was London’s main royal residence for over six centuries. With new buildings constantly being added and replaced, by 1698 the footprint of the Palace of Whitehall covered almost the entire area between Northumberland Avenue in the north to Great George St in the south. Unfortunately a fire in that year destroyed almost all of it and today only small sections of what was Europe’s largest palace survive, the Banqueting House on Whitehall being the most accessible example. Unfortunately the other remaining parts of the Palace of Whitehall require you to hold a Government position or be invited to a meeting to see them, as there’s a tower incorporated into the structure of the Foreign Office building and also an extensive wine cellar beneath the Ministry of Defence, and I hate to think what kind of credentials you would need to present to gain entry to that particular historical site!
The Palace Of Placentia
The Palace of Placentia was built on the banks of the Thames in Greenwich by Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester in 1447. It was a royal residence until the Civil War of the mid-1600s, with the site later being occupied by the Greenwich Hospital (which went on to become the Royal Naval College in the 1800s). Nothing of the original building remains above ground, but archaeological digs in 2006 uncovered the foundations and floors of the chapel and vestry in the grounds.
The Palace Of Placentia
Havering Palace
This palace was home to Edward III’s court in 1358, holding a five-month long session of the Marshalsea Court, where the monarch’s retinue could air grievances directly and matters of discipline could be dealt with. It was the occasional home of monarchs for almost another three centuries – the last king recorded as staying there was Charles I. Long gone, the buildings were close to the site of Havering -atte-Bower’s parish church, St John The Evangelist. The present Havering Country Park and the charmingly named Furry Field represent much of the palace’s previous grounds.
Pirgo/Portegore Palace
Another royal residence adjacent to Havering Palace Pirgo/Portegore Palace was, for a brief period, one of the many homes of that consummate property developer, Henry VIII. Soon after acceding to the throne his daughter, Elizabeth I, gave it as a gift to Lord John Grey who was the father of the ‘nine days Queen’, Lady Jane Grey.
For the avoidance of doubt, I framed this post around the idea that it would be a list of residences in present-day Greater London that were actually called ‘palaces’ and were the homes of reigning monarchs. If we were to broaden the terms to include the residences of Queens Consort, for example, then you would also have to include Old Somerset House and Baynard’s Castle on the list as both served this purpose – Edward IV and Mary I were also crowned at the latter although it was never their home during their reign. Thanks to @kerrypolka, @maricarjagger and @londoncabbie for helping me to get all my ducks in a row!
