Eltham Palace and Gardens Admission Ticket
Description
Step into the glamour of Eltham Palace, where dazzling Art Deco style meets medieval grandeur. Begin your visit in the striking circular entrance hall, blending bold 1930s design with sleek Swedish influences, before exploring the elegant panelled dining room with its geometric details. Marvel at Virginia Courtauld’s iconic golden bathroom, complete with an onyx bath set in a glittering mosaic niche watched over by the goddess Psyche. Descend into the wartime basement bunker and imagine life here during the Blitz. Then journey back 500 years to the magnificent Great Hall, with its soaring hammer-beam roof built for Edward IV. Once a favoured royal palace, Eltham is steeped in history dating back to the Domesday Book. Complete your visit with a stroll through 19 acres of beautiful historic gardens.
Tour Options
Itinerary
In 1936, eccentric millionaires Stephen and Virginia Courtauld decided to build their magnificent art deco mansion right next to the medieval Great Hall of Eltham Palace - creating a masterpiece of modern interiors. Explore enviable interiors like the amazing art deco dining room, site of many illustrious dinner parties; and Virginia Courtauld’s instagram worthy gold-plated bathroom For a complete contrast with the 1930s rooms, step into the 1470s Great Hall – part of the medieval royal palace of Eltham, where Henry VIII spent his childhood. Don’t miss the palace’s beautiful gardens, with their mix of medieval remains and Arts and Crafts influences. There’s a visitor centre with a shop and a pretty café in the glasshouse, as well as a play area for children.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Wheelchair accessible
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Reviews(2)
We had contacted Eltham Palace to prebook a special tour in celebration for an important anniversary for us. The price of the tour was expensive but it was explained to us that they ordinarily only offer tours to large groups and so the price was to accommodate that (though the number of tours they offer as events for much cheaper and free talks they do on site really makes me wonder what exactly we were paying for, what sort of premium do these tour guides think they're worth over their volunteers?) so we thought it would be worth it and agreed to it this was all confirmed through email through a staff member called ruby. we were in communication with her right up until the day of only to arrive at Eltham Palace to be told that they had no knowledge of the tour and no tour guide was on site. How can that be posisble when there was a staff member emailing us from an email address for eltham palace?? I still don't understand how there could be no record of our booking anywhere after such long conversations? Either this staff member Ruby just does whatever she wants and is being allowed to totally sabotage peoples days for personal enjoyment or her manager cannnot control her. I am appreciative to the staff on the day who found us a tour guide (how they were able to suddenly get one in when it was impossible before i don't know, but i appreciate her coming in on a day off to save our day!!!) and ended up giving us a great tour, but the whole tour booking experience clearly needs a massive overhaul. Anyone who's booked a tour and only has had ruby respond please urge for confirmation from someone else first before assuming you have a tour!
Well signposted, lots of parking, free for EH members, there is a free audio guide which you pick up inside of the house ( it was not very easy to use), lots of very helpful guides in each room, the house was interesting to look around BUT 1. Eltham Palace has been in existence since 1200s with a very interesting history eg Henry VIII spent his childhood here but the house and great hall we see today are all renovations and rebuilds from the 1920s. They are very attractive art deco designs but there is nothing to see of anything earlier, even the great hall is a rebuild. 2. We thought that the commentary was silly and flippant. In saying that, we did have an enjoyable and interesting 2 hours here, it was just not what we expected.
