LONDON WALK NO 53 – GROUP 3 – ELTHAM PALACE ORGANISED BY JOAN PARKER & ISABEL GARLAND – Wednesday, 15th May 2013

The cold, windy, dull day ensured many of us were wrapped up ready for a winter walk, but with Isabel swinging her pack-a-mac, we were pretty much assured a dry walk around Eltham! Traffic to Tonbridge Station was horrendous, and problems with the trains (“A train on the track” – is it me, or is that not what British Rail should expect!) meant the station was quite crowded, but 14 of us bundled into a delayed earlier train and split up to grab seats. Then an announcement from the train driver advised our train was now terminating at London Bridge. However, Joan and Isabel were well prepared and we crossed to

another platform to catch a train to Eltham station.

From here we had a 15 minute walk to Eltham Palace – up hill! En route we passed many places used by Carole’s mum in the past – hairdressers, fabric shop, and dancing above what is now MacDonald’s. On the other side of the crossroads is The Banker’s Draft pub. Comedian and comic actor Frankie Howerd was educated at Shooters Hill Grammar School in Eltham. The Wetherspoons’ conversion of the Eltham branch of Barclays Bank to a pub called The Banker's Draft resulted in the pub being themed around Howerd. Many pictures and artefacts from his life adorn the walls. He also lived in the "Hutments", as did Lord Denis Healey. Temporary hutments

were built by the government on areas of Well Hall and underdeveloped parts of Eltham Park Estate during World War I. These were to house the growing population of workers employed in the Royal Arsenal at Woolwich, who travelled to and from their workplace on a frequent tram service. Other famous people with links to Eltham are Edith Nesbit, author of “The Railway Children”, Eric Liddell, Olympic athlete and subject of “Chariots of Fire”, Bob Hope, Kate Bush, Jude Law, and somewhat infamous Boy George.

Still climbing, we arrived at Eltham Palace, and immediately took advantage of a dry morning to take our group photo.

Having sorted out our two-for-one tickets, we made our way in to the café for a very welcome drink, before splitting up to make our own way round the Palace. A rather officious volunteer refused to let us cross the Entrance Hall to the Ladies Room without putting on some very stylish overshoes. As you can see these were very much in keeping with the Art Nouveau style of the Palace, and our model of the day was Janet, showing a rather fetching pointed style!

Our laughter could be heard long after we had moved on round the house. (This must be the style of the year, as I spotted the weather girl Carol wearing just such shoes as she reported from inside one of the Chelsea Garden displays!) We gathered our audio guides, and followed the numbers for each room. Eltham Palace was once an important royal palace, and is one of the few medieval royal palaces in England to survive with substantial remains in tact, and one of only six palaces large enough to accommodate and feed the entire Tudor court. Henry VIII spent much of his childhood here. Being eclipsed by Greenwich and Hampton Court in the 16th century, it declined in the early 17th century and for 200 years after the Civil Wars it was used as a farm. In the 1930s Stephen and Virginia Courtauld took on the property and had a house built for them adjoining the great hall. This was of ultra-modern design, using the latest technology, and was ideal for entertaining. To the left and right of the Entrance Hall are the gentlemen’s and ladies’ cloakrooms – an arrangement more typical of an institution than a private house, but reflecting the importance of entertaining at Eltham. The hall is lined with Australian blackbean veneer, with wonderful

marquetry panels, and is flooded with light through a concrete glass domed roof. A circular rug in shades of reddish brown, pinkish beige and fawn complements the cream furniture – sadly all furniture, curtains and the rug are replicas. The

original rug is in the V&A. At the far side is a booth containing a coin-operated telephone for the use of guests wishing to make outside calls. Also in the Entrance Hall are scenes from Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.

Another surprise was a bamboo ladder next to the entrance, leading up to a trapdoor. We learnt that Virginia Courtauld (Ginie) had a pet ring-tailed lemur called Mah-Jongg or Jongy, and he used this ladder to come down from his first floor quarters during the daytime. Jongy proved to be a spoilt brat, with a centrally heated cage and free run of the house. He went everywhere with the Courtaulds and when

Stephen sponsored the 1930-31 British Arctic expedition, Jongy went too. On the morning of the expedition's departure, the Courtaulds held a farewell lunch on board the yacht. Jongy bit the hand of Percy Lemon, the expedition's wireless operator, severing an artery. Iodine was provided, to which Lemon proved allergic. It took him three months to recover, delaying the expedition. Jongy’s likeness can be seen all over the palace in the form of murals, paintings and even carved wood into the roof bosses of the Great Hall. When he died, the Courtaulds had a memorial made, which consisted of a banded obelisk (in imitation of his tail) and a lead relief of the lemur. It was initially located at Eltham Palace but is now at the Courtauld's last home, La Rochelle in Zimbabwe.

Moving through the downstairs rooms, we viewed the

Flower Room, Drawing Room, Great Hall Corridor, Ginie Courtauld’s Boudoir, Library and Great Hall. These rooms were all furnished in the Art Deco style, and it was surprising the extent of “modern” functionality provided – All the floors were cleaned by a vacuum hose fixed to the skirting sockets, which were linked to the basement vacuum cleaner. A loudspeaker was connected from above the Great Hall Corridor door to a mahogany record cabinet, from which music could be broadcast to some of the ground floor rooms. The Boudoir contained an early

example of built-in furniture – a sofa framed by built-in shelves. A leather map above the fireplace depicts Eltham Palace and its surroundings, with the Woolwich coat of arms, the Thames and Royal Naval College and Domed Observatory and an electric clock built in to the map. (All can be seen in the English Heritage Guidebook in our folder.) From the corridor, we entered the Great Hall, and a total change in era. Although containing a 12-panel Chinese laquer Coromandel screen incorporated in the 1930s, the hall was originally part of the medieval palace, and was built for Edward IV in the 1470s. The elaborate oak roof is of a hammerbeam construction. The Courtaulds had intended the Great Hall to be used as a music room but it really came into its own as a reception room for large parties. They introduced central heating by underfloor pipes, and the Minstrels’ Gallery and balustrade. In a dark corner, garments were displayed of the medieval era for visitors to try on ….. now who took up this option I wonder? And did they choose a regal outfit or one to suit their role in life!! (Was I really the only one to see this?)

Leaving the Great Hall, we made our way upstairs, entering the Minstrel’s Gallery, which gave us a great view down into the Hall. Here we could clearly see the scorch marks caused by an incendiary bomb which damaged the roof during the Battle of Britain in September 1940.

Alan says that he went up into the gallery above that, with a very low concrete wall – see the white line between the hammer-beams! Moving upstairs, we had entered an area with a small display showing the Army’s connection with Eltham Palace. From 1945 to 1992 Eltham was home to a number of different Army education units. Some of you may already have known that Alan lived in Eltham Palace during his time with the Royal Army Educational Corps. He tells some wonderful stories, but my

favourite is that his arrival was not expected, and there was no room for him. His first night there was therefore spent in Virginia Courtauld’s bedroom, and he bathed in the magnificent, exotic en suite bath. Although the Officer’s bedroom display was spacious and well furnished, it bears no resemblence to the flamboyant ‘temple’ and gold and marble bath that was Ginie’s suite! Below is Alan’s army photo – Captain Alan Locke * and also Senior Commander Ann Lock ** (no relation) are shown where? … answers at the end of the writeup. We were told that there was no photography allowed inside the Palace. Most included here are from the English Heritage website – the bathroom suite is shown courtesy of Brian!

The officer's bedroom, dressed in the style of the 1960s, illustrates the contrast between regimented Army life and the beauty and glamour of the Courtaulds' years. The exhibition also features the accounts from Brigadier Tom Sherry who said that, despite the strict rules imposed on officers, they indulged in boisterous "undergraduate behaviour". He recalled descending the staircases on the bronze dinner gong and two officers dining on the roof with their wives to take advantage of the panoramic views of London. But nothing tops Alan bathing in Ginie Courtauld’s sumptuous marble and gold bath!

The other rooms of the Palace were equally as innovative and wonderfully decorated, especially the gold mirrored Venetian Suite which was one of the guest rooms, and the gold and black laquered doors from the dining room

showing a range of exotic animals. A mock-up of Jongy’s cage was also a surprise. Arriving back downstairs in the Entrance Hall, we removed our glamorous shoes and made our way back into the Tea Rooms. It was packed, and we didn’t have any tables reserved, but our small group found a table in the side room and settled down to a most enjoyable lunch. Others joined us as tables became available.

We then took the opportunity of a dry afternoon to walk round the gardens and to survey the palace from the outside. Beautiful gardens, which would have been great for a picnic, had us all saying that we would love to return to do this on a sunny day. It remains one of the few surviving examples open to the public of a 1930s garden and although the Courtaulds left just after the war it remains an intriguing place much loved by visitors. In the year 2000 English Heritage commissioned a new garden in the South

Moat which would reflect its long history. We strolled round the moat, through the sunken garden , walked across the old medieval wooden bridge, and climbed back up through a dark stone tunnel. A wonderful

blue flower took our fancy, and despite asking some of the garden volunteers, we were unsure of its name. Julie took on the challenge of finding what it was, although I do think I heard Margaret mentioning the name – Camassia.

The garden meanders round, via a formal pool shaped like a hammerhead and a carp-filled moat which snakes round the palace. In the 1930's Virginia kept exotic Patagonian black-necked swans here. This is a calm, open space overhung by an airy weeping willow set on an island in view of the arched medieval stone bridge.

The south moat is now dry and beautifully planted. The romantic terrace with classical columns draped in early summer with purple Wisteria looks ancient, but the columns were rescued from the Bank of England and repositioned by the Courtaulds in their grand design. Round the

corner from the palace entrance is the Triangular Garden, a formal garden with brick paths, which in the 1930s was one of the boldest designs in the garden. It probably used to be a traditional herb garden and today is planted with blocks of thyme and purple sage within the original checkerboard layout of brick beds. To the other side of the entrance is a small plant sale display with a history of the material used as pots – coir – which interested some of our group as we gathered at the end of our visit.

Our return journey took us past some wonderful Alms Houses, downhill along the Green Trail. It was surprising to be in such countryside in the middle of Eltham.

A panoramic plaque showed how close we were to central London, but the hedge had grown and no building was visible from that point!

We reached a sign telling us that Mottingham station (our destination) was across a field full of horses. We decided not

to go that route, but we did come across a yard with great horses inside. The owner explained that they were not shire horses, but cobs (a smaller breed), and Wikipedia explains that the Piebald Gipsy Cob is now an officially recognised breed. Reaching Mottingham station, and having

just missed a train to Charing Cross, we decided to risk it as we were earlier than usual, and to get a train to London Bridge. The Tonbridge train arrived and fortunately we all got a seat for an uneventful journey home. Thank you to Joan and Isabel for yet another interesting and informative day out. Art Deco design has now been added to our list of building and furnishing styles. Alan – we missed you (* 2nd from the right back row) (** middle row 2).