10 Facts About Richmond Palace

Richmond Palace was a royal residence on the River Thames in England which stood in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.

Richmond Palace therefore replaced Shene Palace, the latter palace being itself built on the site of an earlier manor house which had been appropriated by Edward I in 1299 and which was used by his next three direct descendants before it fell into disrepair.

In 1500, a year before the construction of the new Richmond Palace began, the name of the town of Sheen, which had grown up around the royal manor, was changed to "Richmond" by command of Henry VII.

However, both names, Sheen and Richmond Palace, continue to be used, not without scope for confusion.

Richmond Palace remained part of the County of Surrey until the mid-1960s, when it was absorbed by the expansion of Greater London.

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Richmond Palace was a favourite home of Queen Elizabeth, who died there in 1603.

Much of the tapestry work of earlier ages was burnt to cinders, and losses included crown jewels and much of the royal wardrobe including a large amount of cloth of gold, at this time a luxury item only wearable by royalty and in the case of Sheen Richmond Palace it was a feature of the bedding.

Richmond Palace was largely a building of brick and white stone in the latest styles of the times, with geometric octagonal towers, pepper-pot chimney caps, and ornate weathervanes made of brass.

Richmond Palace covered ten acres of land and was large and well appointed enough to have its own orchards and walled gardens.

In 1533 Richmond Palace became the principal residence of Henry's daughter Mary after she was evicted from her previous residence of Beaulieu.