Near the village of Eltham in Kent, about eight miles south east from
London, stood anciently one of the most magnificent of the English royal
palaces. The property is ascertained to have belonged to the Crown in
the time of the Saxons. The Conqueror granted it to one of his Norman
followers; but having again been forfeited to the Crown, it was given by
Edward I. to one of the most powerful barons of those times--John de
Vesci. Soon after this it came into the possession of Anthony Bec, the
famous military Bishop of Durham, who is accused, however, of having
made the acquisition by the most shameless violation of his trust, as
guardian of the legal heir. Bec is the earliest proprietor of the manor
who is recorded to have erected any buildings on the site of the
palace--although there can be little doubt that there was a house there
before his time. He built a large and splendid mansion, which appears to
have been completed soon after the middle of the thirteenth century,
King Henry III., accompanied by his queen and all the principal
nobility, having kept his Christmas here in 1269. This was probably the
warming of the house. On the death of the Bishop, which took place here
in 1310, the manor of Eltham fell again to the crown, in the possession
of which it has ever since remained. For the next two centuries the
place was a favourite residence of our monarchs. Edward II.’s son John
was born here in 1315, and was thence called John of Eltham. In the
reign of Edward III. the Parliament was on several occasions assembled
at Eltham; and here that prince, in 1365, entertained his captive, John,
King of France, with sumptuous hospitality. The palace was almost
entirely rebuilt by Edward IV., who, on the conclusion of the work in
1482 is recorded to have kept his Christmas in the Hall with great state
and splendour. Large additions were afterwards made to the building by
Henry VII., who, like his predecessors, generally lived here, and was
wont to dine every day in the hall, surrounded by his barons. At this
time the royal palace of Eltham consisted of four quadrangles enclosed
within a high wall, beyond which was a moat of great width: the whole
formed an irregular area, approaching to a square in shape, to which the
principal entry was over a bridge and through a gateway in the north
wall. There was also another bridge and gate at the opposite side of the
inclosure. Of the buildings the most important part consisted of a high
range which crossed the court from east to west, and included the hall,
the chapel, and the state apartments. To the palace were attached a
garden and three parks, comprehending together above 1300 acres, besides
the demesne lands of 400 acres more. These parks were stocked with deer,
and many fine old trees that still remain testify how richly wooded the
place must have formerly been.
Of all this magnificence but little now remains; and many parts of the
buildings can scarcely be traced even in their foundations. Henry VIII.
deserted Eltham for the new palace of Greenwich, which, as being nearer
to London, was probably found to be a more convenient residence. After
this Eltham was only occasionally visited by the sovereign; which it
sometimes was even in the time of James I. On the establishment of the
Commonwealth the place was seized by the parliament and sold; and at the
same time the parks were broken into, and the deer dispersed and killed
by the soldiers and the common people. The work of devastation, thus
begun, was continued until the greater part of the palace also was first
reduced to a heap of ruins, and then swept away altogether; and although
the property was recovered by the crown at the Restoration, no pains
seem to have been taken to save the remnant of the pile from spoliation
and destruction. On the contrary, the business of demolition was now
carried on upon system: the old palace was turned into a quarry; and
stone after stone was carried away as it was wanted for even the meanest
purposes, until scarcely anything remained which it was thought worth
while to remove. Fortunately, it was considered that the hall would make
a good barn; and to this ignoble appropriation, which so well hit the
economical humour of the times, we owe the preservation, in a state of
comparative entireness, of this principal and most interesting portion
of the noble old palace of Eltham.
[Illustration: Hall of Eltham Palace.]
According to Mr. Buckler, who published a valuable account of this
palace a few years ago, the length of the hall in the inside is above
101 feet by about 36½ in width. “The interior,” says this writer, “is
magnificent. The taste and talent of ages are concentrated in its
design; and it is scarcely possible to imagine proportions more just and
noble, a plan more perfect, ornaments more appropriate and beautiful; in
a word, a whole more harmonious than this regal banquetting-room.” The
windows, which, however, have been long built up, are ranged in couples
along both sides; and each series is terminated by a bay window at the
west or upper end of the hall. But the most conspicuous ornament of this
fine room is its splendid roof. “The main beams of the roof,” says Mr.
Buckler, “are full 17 inches square and 28 feet long, perfectly straight
and sound throughout, and are the produce of trees of the most stately
growth. A forest must have yielded its choicest timber for the supply of
this building; and it is evident that the material has been wrought with
incredible labour and admirable skill.”
This hall was undoubtedly the erection of Edward IV., whose well-known
symbol, the expanded rose, is still to be seen on various parts of the
building. About four years ago the public attention was called to the
state of this beautiful remnant of our ancient architecture, which it
was understood there was an intention of levelling with the ground, on
the pretext that the roof in some parts showed signs of decay, and
threatened to fall if not taken down. It had been resolved, it seems, to
remove the roof to some new building at Windsor or else where, and then
to demolish the rest of the hall. By the exertions, however, of some
individuals of taste and influence a reconsideration of the subject was
obtained; and eventually it was determined by the Government to advance
a small sum, in order to effect such a partial repair of the hall as
might at least secure its stability for the present. The work was
committed to the superintendence of Mr. Smirke, by whom it was executed
with much ability; and the roof is now once more restored, as far as was
practicable, to its original strength and beauty. In other respects,
however, the hall, we believe, still remains in the state in which it
was previous to the repairs and continues to be used as a barn.
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