Just before leaving for England I had 3 or 4 ideas for stories running around in my brain. "Well Hall" was originally going to be something quite different. However I was starting to run short of time. The Roper connection was enough to persuade me to take the trip out to Eltham, and I'm so glad I did. Apart from anything else, it's a beautiful location with a very interesting history. I talked to one of the guides who was there in the Army days and learned that the place was pretty much the same back then. The only thing English Heritage has done is to restore or recover pieces of furnishings. Where that is impossible they incorporate accurate reproductions.
Anyway this visit, plus some very broken sleep on the 'plane back to Sydney, gave me the core idea.
I can't show you the inside of the house (no photography allowed), but you can have a look for yourself at
http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/elthampalace/
Check out Virginia Courtauld's bedroom.
I promise to reply to everyone who commented (apart from saying Thank You! generally). Soon.
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Ruins and tunnel Looking down into a tunnel in the medieval ruins around Eltham |
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Tunnel Inside the tunnel |
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Hall from Rose Garden The conservatory and Great Hall from the sunken rose garden |
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St George |
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Great Hall The medieval Great Hall from the turning circle. |
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Timber Bridge |
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Ruins More ruins, again from the rose garden |
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Stone Bridge The stone bridge approach from the street |
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Entrance The front entrance and turning circle with the Great Hall on the right. |
