Eltham Palace, London

In 1933 Stephen Courtauld - millionaire, war veteran and patron of the arts - looked to the suburb of Eltham as the setting for a breathtaking new home. His vision was to link a modern, fashionable residence to the Great Hall of a medieval royal palace and to create a stunning home where his Italian wife could entertain with gaiety and flair.



This is the North facade of the Building showing the Medieval Great Hall building on the extreme left and Courtauld House with (on the ground floor) from left to right the Library, Boudoir and Drawing Room.

The House

Eltham Palace is a feast of luxurious design ideas. You'll find concealed electric lighting, centralised vacuum cleaning and a loudspeaker system that allowed music to waft around the house. Authentic interiors have been recreated by the finest contemporary craftsmen. Their appearance has been painstakingly researched from archive photography and documents - and interviews with friends and relatives of the Courtaulds. These stunning interiors are now open for you to enjoy.

The medieval Great Hall with its hammerbeam roof was built in 1479 by Edward IV as a banqueting hall for the Palace, but by 1828 it was derelict and in use as a cowshed. The Palace was purchased by the Courtauld family in 1930 and the Great Hall was restored for use as a music room.

Completed in 1936, the exterior of the house was built in sympathy with the older building, using a red brick design inspired by Hampton Court Palace. But the interior was and remains a showpiece of glamorous 1930s design. Visitors can revel in the eclectic mix of French-influenced Art Deco, ultra-smart ocean-liner style and cutting-edge Swedish design.

The Entrance Hall to the Courtauld House immediately creates the atmosphere of a Cunard Liner. The walls lined with wood stretch from floor to ceiling and are curved, also the room has a glazed dome that floods the area with light as in the lounge of many transatlantic liners.

The dining room is a tour-de-force, with pink leather-upholstered chairs, bird's-eye maple veneered walls and a silver ceiling. It is entered through black-and-silver doors portraying animals and birds, drawn from life at London Zoo. Even more exotic is Virginia Courtauld's vaulted bathroom, lined with onyx and gold mosaic, complete with gold-plated bath taps and a statue of the goddess Psyche. Luxury also emanates from the centrally heated sleeping quarters of the Courtaulds pet ring-tailed lemur, Mah-Jongg.

The dining room chairs are upholstered in rose pink leather (considered at the time to be the ideal colour for setting off ladies dresses to the best advantage), and the ebonised doors are decorated with a raised ivory motif, also evident on the Belgian marble fire surround.

The dramatic Entrance Hall was created by the Swedish designer Rolf Engstromer. Bathe in the light flooding from a spectacular glazed dome, as it highlights beautiful blackbean veneer and figurative marquetry. The Entrance Hall is a tour de force only rivalled by the adjacent Dining Room - where an Art Deco aluminium leafed ceiling is a perfect complement to the birds-eye maple walls. Step into Virginia's magnificent gold-leaf and onyx bathroom, and throughout the house discover lacquered, 'ocean liner ' style veneered walls and built-in furniture. A Chinese 18th century sliding screen is all that separates chic '30s Art Deco from the medieval Great Hall. English Heritage has carefully preserved the restoration work carried out in the 1930s - which features a unique blend of archaeological reconstruction and Hollywood fantasy!

The Boudoir is situated on the ground floor between the Drawing Room and the Library. The sofa is an early example of built-in furniture, it has italian quilted cushions with a raised design.

Facilities

Guide book

Inclusive Audio Tour

Giftshop

Tearoom

Picnics Welcome

Coach Parking

Pre-Booked Guided Tours are Available.

This is the magnificent gold-leaf and onyx bathroom off Virginia Courtaulds bedroom.