Greenwich Palace
Palace origins of the site
In the 1430s, Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester built a residence at Greenwich called Bella Court. It was designed as a retreat for pleasure and entertainment and became a miniature royal court, hosting poets, musicians and men of letters. It typified Humphrey’s ambitions to dominate the government of England as regent during the minority of his nephew, King Henry VI.
In 1447, Humphrey fell out of favour with Henry VI and was arrested for treason. His death in custody sparked rumours of murder, a theory dramatised in Shakespeare’s Henry VI plays. Margaret of Anjou, wife of Henry VI, took over Bella Court, renaming it the ’Palace of Placentia’ (or Palace of Pleasaunce). She embarked on a five-year programme of improvements to turn it into a palace fit for a queen.
From around 1500, King Henry VII demolished the old Palace of Placentia and built a magnificent new riverside palace. Greenwich Palace, as it became known, was an important centre of court life and was the birthplace of the infamous Tudor monarch King Henry VIII and his daughters Queen Mary I and Queen Elizabeth I.
What happened to Greenwich Palace?
Despite being one of the most important Tudor residences, the Palace fell into disrepair during the English Civil War, a series of conflicts between Parliamentarians (Roundheads) and Royalists (Cavaliers).
The Civil War lasted almost a decade ending with The Battle of Worcester on 3 September 1651. During the Civil War, the Palace was used as a biscuit factory before becoming a prisoner of war camp. It was subsequently demolished, but traces of the old Palace remain.
Following the Civil War, King Charles II drew up ambitious plans for a new palace but as finances and enthusiasm waned only one new wing was built. In 1694 King William III granted it by Royal Warrant as the site for a charitable institution for naval veterans, in accordance with the wishes of his late wife, Queen Mary II. Esteemed architect Sir Christopher Wren was commissioned to build the Royal Hospital for Seamen.
The Tudors at Greenwich Palace
Removed from the hustle and bustle of the city, Greenwich Palace was ideal for Henry VIII. The Palace was the site of some of the more notorious incidents in Henry VIII’s reign.
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See remains of the Palace today
Excavations in 2017 uncovered the remains of two service rooms from the Palace’s Friary buildings and can be viewed beneath the Painted Hall. The lower room features unusual niches thought to be where bee hives were kept during winter.
