Situated in South-East London, in the Royal Borough of Greenwich, Eltham Palace is widely considered a masterpiece of modern interior design. The palace and its grounds are owned by the Crown Estate and are managed by English Heritage who restored the building and opened it to the public in 1999.
The palace has enjoyed a long and rich history dating back to the beginning of the 14th century, but it’s the section of its history during the 1930s that we were particularly interested in from an Art Deco point of view. That’s when Stephen Courtauld and his wife Virginia Courtauld moved in on a 99-year lease and set about decorating the interior in an Art Deco style.
The Entrance Hall is particularly dramatic with its stunning glass dome that floods the centre of the room with light, the fantastic marquetry on the rich wood wall panels and note the large central rug with its geometric patterns. By the way, this part of the palace was designed by the Swedish designer Rolf Engströmer.
One aspect of the palace that really caught our attention was the large number of films and TV programmes that have been shot there including, The Gathering Storm, The Crown, Brideshead Revisited and Revolver, to name but a few.
As a bonus, the grounds of the Palace are absolutely stunning, the Courtauld’s were enthusiastic gardeners and significantly improved the grounds and gardens during their tenure. The staff are very friendly and there's a nice cafe too, so all in all a visit to Eltham Palace makes for a superb and complete day out.